Fast growing but easy SPS

[Tonycass12]

This is not correct. These are 100% legal.

I've seen this as well if you get live rock from FL that has coral Colonies on it its legal although harvest of those corals is illegal. Seems to be a loophole when it comes to live rock collection of the leased areas of the ocean floor.

 

[Chrisv.]

I've seen this as well if you get live rock from FL that has coral Colonies on it its legal although harvest of those corals is illegal. Seems to be a loophole when it comes to live rock collection of the leased areas of the ocean floor.

Yes, I believe this is correct, not 100% sure if it applies to Atlantic acros though. I've not seen people post about getting any on their LR.

 

[i cant think]

Interesting - The common name of the one I currently own is the RD Joker Staghorn Acropora.

 

[Chrisv.]

Interesting - The common name of the one I currently own is the RD Joker Staghorn Acropora.

My bet is that this is an indopacific coral. I'm not aware of any cervicornis that is readily available in the hobby. A while back a famous author of marine aquarium books literally went to jail for harvesting it.

 

[i cant think]

My bet is that this is an indopacific coral. I'm not aware of any cervicornis that is readily available in the hobby. A while back a famous author of marine aquarium books literally went to jail for harvesting it.

Yeah, it’s an Indonesian one - Should’ve specified that a bit more.

 

[Tonycass12]

Yes, I believe this is correct, not 100% sure if it applies to Atlantic acros though. I've not seen people post about getting any on their LR.

Yep same here no acro sightings but other stony corals for sure.

 

[Tamberav]

easier fast growers:

setosa or forest fire digi - orange
blue stag or cali tort - blue
PC rainbow or red planet - red+
purple stylo or bird of paradise birdsnest - purple
pink stylo or pink birdsnest - pink
24k lepto - bright butt yellow, seriously get this one

 

[Chrisv.]

Yeah, it’s an Indonesian one - Should’ve specified that a bit more.

no worries! it just stood out since it was named by the latin name of a very specific coral from a very restricted region!

Ironically the latin names of corals are actually often in flux at the species level. This was likely imported as acropora formosa, which is now synonymous with acropora muricata. The taxonomy struggle is real!

To your question about best fast and easy SPS, I'm sure other have already suggested that you check out the various Montipora digitata (which almost always turn and stay amazing colors under aquarium conditions) and the green slimer (Acropora yongei).

 

[NanoBoxes]

Milka Stylos are almost bullet proof and grow like weeds in my experience

 

[PatW]

In some cases, fast growing and easy are different. I have seen birds nests corals grow really fast, but they can get wiped out by a parameter shift. I have seen some rather slow growing acropora be pretty tough.

My montipora are pretty fast growing and tough.

My pocillipora is fast growing and tough.

Birds nests are fast growing but not so tough.

Acropora are odd. I have seen a frag sit and do nothing for about a year and then start growing producing a number of colonies. So go figure.

 

[jfoahs04]

In some cases, fast growing and easy are different. I have seen birds nests corals grow really fast, but they can get wiped out by a parameter shift. I have seen some rather slow growing acropora be pretty tough.

My montipora are pretty fast growing and tough.

My pocillipora is fast growing and tough.

Birds nests are fast growing but not so tough.

Acropora are odd. I have seen a frag sit and do nothing for about a year and then start growing producing a number of colonies. So go figure.

My experience is similar to this.

• Montipora digitata (basically any variety of it) is the best "all round" in terms of hardiness and growth rate. It encrusts quickly, sprouts new branches fast, and can weather more parameter swings or mistakes than many other SPS. Other montis are similar in terms of growth rate, but digis are full on branching.
• Pocillipora is both hardy and fast growing, but it's the closest thing in the SPS world to a weed. It can really spread and out compete other colonies. I don't hate the way it looks, but I won't add it to my tank again.
• Birdsnests grow really fast, but rarely base out/encrust and can be sensitive to some bigger swings (but they are relatively hardy compared to other SPS).
• Acros really depend on the type when it comes to hardiness, but my experience with most are that even the "fast" growers take a few months at minimum before you'll see noticeable growth. After 3 or 4 months though, Green Slimers (hardiest of the acros IMHO), Red Planets (I have one of each currently), tri-color valida, bonsai, and a few others should really take off.

I'd say that if you go for aquacultured frags, especially those that have been in a system for a long time, you'll have the most success. Most of my SPS come from local reefers, some of them are from colonies that have been in their system for 20+ years. These are likely to have a much better survival rate than maricultured or wild harvested frags.

 

[Fishfreak2009]

Check whatever par your corals are growing under before adding them as well. I picked up a variety of acros, and all did well except a green slimer that bleached almost immediately (has almost completely recovered since then). I put all my acros from 300-350 par, and the green slimer had been growing under 150-200 par in the previous setup. Shows how hardy it was that it didn't just RTN and has pretty much recovered now, just a little pale, but it would be growing just like the rest of my acros if I had realized that it had been under lower par and taken some time to acclimate it to the lights.

 

[UnderseaOddities]

@Chrisv. As an ex-wholesaler myself I'm gonna tell u something terrifying and upsetting at the same time... lacey and cites were both passed into legislation in the 60s in order to protect coral from climate change and international harvesting...

But on the same hand there are many loopholes and gray areas in certain clauses


Think of it this way if you were a wholesaler and had 300k coral instock

Wild maricultured or even aquacultured

Chances are me, you or even a marine biologist couldnt even identify half by their Latin scientific name

Mostly just speculation, we can only assume what it is based on where it comes from and how it grows

So really alot of these names dont = what they actually are

Some wild coral colonies pulled and sold from the ocean may not even have a trade name or scientific name yet bc their undiscovered

The only thing you can tell is it indo pacific blah blah coral, or an aussie ric yuma, or fiji birdsnest

Legally were allowed to collect coral from 42 reefs in the world but something more like 50 we actually collect from

It's the same with chalice theirs over 12 species of chalice 24 families oxypora echinopora echinophylllia and mycedium are the only four that are generally recognized by hobbiest but there are so many more than that do we really know the latin name no it's just a speculation


Alls I'm trying to say gray areas are something that's very prevalent in this hobby and whoever's has the most money invested are generally the ones that pay pulpit groups to pass certain agendas through legislation to further a certain individual's financial gain

Certain things are mislabeled on purpose just to get over bilaws

And on the fish end of things

Look at the Hawaii ban sure it's great for the nation of hawaii but ppls greed will always get the better of them and the almighty dollar will rule over righteousness


It's like yellow tangs have a monopoly now, we know they can only be bred in the wild ...so now a certain unamed company pays for pulpit legislation moves operation from Hawaii to palau and begin harvesting seaweed with yellow tang eggs bc they're illegal to net / harvest in Hawaii, so now they just operate somewhere else and are still ocean poaching and passing it off as something that it isnt and lying and saying it is sustainable, its sustainable because they breed in palau every year

And they paid for the bill to get passed in the first place how ironic or will say to be fair paid for atleast 15% of it

That my friend Is what you call a monopoly

And deceptive marketing tactics

Which in turn increase value and generate revenue

Just like how singapore acted as a hot spot when indo shut down and all the hot indo coral were smuggled by divers and farmers who's livelihoods where at stake, indonesia to singapore then sold to the chinese, European then canadian reefers

Eventually finding their way back to america

It doesnt matter where you are in the world ,all I'm trying to say is this kinda thing goes on more than you think and it's sad and its what's ruining the hobby and killing mom an pops stores


And really the gov doesnt care if your poaching coral along as you have the propper funding for permits stateside
And can pay the customs agent when you go to pick up your boxes

You can even tranship coral and get around it completley

The only way you could get caught is if you were caught doing it red handed and even then people in florida still dive for thing in the reef it and it goes unchecked and overlooked

Because like the teenagers at petco say it doesnt matter they're just fish

 

[Chrisv.]

@Chrisv. As an ex-wholesaler myself I'm gonna tell u something terrifying and upsetting at the same time... lacey and cites were both passed into legislation in the 60s in order to protect coral from climate change and international harvesting...

But on the same hand there are many loopholes and gray areas in certain clauses


Think of it this way if you were a wholesaler and had 300k coral instock

Wild maricultured or even aquacultured

Chances are me, you or even a marine biologist couldnt even identify half by their Latin scientific name

Mostly just speculation, we can only assume what it is based on where it comes from and how it grows

So really alot of these names dont = what they actually are

Some wild coral colonies pulled and sold from the ocean may not even have a trade name or scientific name yet bc their undiscovered

The only thing you can tell is it indo pacific blah blah coral, or an aussie ric yuma, or fiji birdsnest

Legally were allowed to collect coral from 42 reefs in the world but something more like 50 we actually collect from

It's the same with chalice theirs over 12 species of chalice 24 families oxypora echinopora echinophylllia and mycedium are the only four that are generally recognized by hobbiest but there are so many more than that do we really know the latin name no it's just a speculation


Alls I'm trying to say gray areas are something that's very prevalent in this hobby and whoever's has the most money invested are generally the ones that pay pulpit groups to pass certain agendas through legislation to further a certain individual's financial gain

Certain things are mislabeled on purpose just to get over bilaws

And on the fish end of things

Look at the Hawaii ban sure it's great for the nation of hawaii but ppls greed will always get the better of them and the almighty dollar will rule over righteousness


It's like yellow tangs have a monopoly now, we know they can only be bred in the wild ...so now a certain unamed company pays for pulpit legislation moves operation from Hawaii to palau and begin harvesting seaweed with yellow tang eggs bc they're illegal to net / harvest in Hawaii, so now they just operate somewhere else and are still ocean poaching and passing it off as something that it isnt and lying and saying it is sustainable, its sustainable because they breed in palau every year

And they paid for the bill to get passed in the first place how ironic or will say to be fair paid for atleast 15% of it

That my friend Is what you call a monopoly

And deceptive marketing tactics

Which in turn increase value and generate revenue

Just like how singapore acted as a hot spot when indo shut down and all the hot indo coral were smuggled by divers and farmers who's livelihoods where at stake, indonesia to singapore then sold to the chinese, European then canadian reefers

Eventually finding their way back to america

It doesnt matter where you are in the world ,all I'm trying to say is this kinda thing goes on more than you think and it's sad and its what's ruining the hobby and killing mom an pops stores


And really the gov doesnt care if your poaching coral along as you have the propper funding for permits stateside
And can pay the customs agent when you go to pick up your boxes

You can even tranship coral and get around it completley

The only way you could get caught is if you were caught doing it red handed and even then people in florida still dive for thing in the reef it and it goes unchecked and overlooked

Because like the teenagers at petco say it doesnt matter they're just fish

I have no doubt that this is all true, but I'm curious if you think its the case in the Caribbean. We're not talking about mislabeling one indopacific acro as another, we're talking about taking acros from an area where no hard corals can be legally collected, at all.

There are like three species of acro in the western Atlantic and Caribbean and they are each quite distinctive and recognizable.

 

[UnderseaOddities]

I have no doubt that this is all true, but I'm curious if you think its the case in the Caribbean. We're not talking about mislabeling one indopacific acro as another, we're talking about taking acros from an area where no hard corals can be legally collected, at all.

There are like three species of acro in the western Atlantic and Caribbean and they are each quite distinctive and recognizable.

@Chrisv. Not as much but It still happens, a gray area is a gray area or some one could have gotten one on accident like stated above


Here is an example


Here is what some people are doing as well


It's almost like having a research grant,

But atleast these corals are kept in the ocean for the most part(but I'm sure a few were unaccounted for)

But what does the government care they dont care either really, they're dredging for oil in coral reefs that are 100s of thousands of years old

So are they really gonna check up on things, probably not...

So granted a few probably find their way outta the ocean every year without a research grant

What do you think @Chrisv.

 

[i cant think]

@Chrisv. Not as much but It still happens, a gray area is a gray area or some one could have gotten one on accident like stated above


Here is an example


Here is what some people are doing as well


It's almost like having a research grant,

But atleast these corals are kept in the ocean for the most part(but I'm sure a few were unaccounted for)

But what does the government care they dont care either really, they're dredging for oil in coral reefs that are 100s of thousands of years old

So are they really gonna check up on things, probably not...

So granted a few probably find their way outta the ocean every year without a research grant

What do you think @Chrisv.

I know this is old (Didn’t get the notification for this) but wow that timelapse is beautiful! Watching an acro grow that fast in that many days is shocking! I think I had a cervicornis accidentally in the past but I killed it (Oops…) guess only time would’ve been able to tell.

 

[MrGisonni]

Red setosa, bubblegum digitata. And a really nice fast growing encruster like electric daisy Stylocoeniella