Growing trees in your tank: Is a Kenya Tree coral just for beginners?

[Peace River]

Growing trees in your tank: Is a Kenya Tree coral just for beginners?

Often Kenya Tree corals are listed when searching for starter corals and many would suggest that this is for good reason. These soft corals seem to be able to adapt to a wide range of parameters, but are they only a beginner coral? Kenya Tree corals come in multiple colors and many variations seem to fall under this generic name. What is your experience with Kenya Trees? Have you ever tried to add more than one? Have yours shrunk for no apparent reason? Have they dropped limbs that grow into new trees? Please share your tips and experiences with Kenya Tree corals in the discussion below!

Photo by @Ben Pedersen

 

[Alex's Nano Reef]

They are definitely a cool coral but I think there are other options that are more appealing to new reefers. But I bet if there was a Kenya bounce people would be hyped up and lining up to get one.

 

[JTP424]

I think it depends on the look and what they are trying to achieve, if you want IMMEDIATE success, as well as a bulletproof coral, you can start with a small frag and they will go gangbusters if your parameters are on the right track. I personally like them as a fake Acro in the backdrop of my tank. I.E. tall growing branches.

 

[Kapachuka3]

I think there pretty cool, i have been trying to grow a kenya tree forest in my 32 gallon for about a year. It’s about half way done.

 

[sixty_reefer]

Can’t go wrong with a Kenya tree

 

[Lbrdsoxfan]

They are definitely a cool coral but I think there are other options that are more appealing to new reefers. But I bet if there was a Kenya bounce people would be hyped up and lining up to get one.

This. I lol that softies are suddenly becoming a thing again. Don't get me wrong I've always been about them, it's just weird to see them in the limelight after years of acro this and that!

 

[bradleym]

Every time I tried Kenya tree it mass produced, dropping branches and reattaching all over the tank. It can become a hassle if you want a large group in a specific area.

 

[Alex's Nano Reef]

This. I lol that softies are suddenly becoming a thing again. Don't get me wrong I've always been about them, it's just weird to see them in the limelight after years of acro this and that!

well the "WEEPING WILLOW" is the reason for that. ive even been tempted to pickup a toadstool but idk i like my lps and sps and shrooms

 

[DannoOMG]

I had a Kenya tree when I started my 13 gallon tank but I don't know what happened to it. It eventually rotted out in it's center and just died. I did something dumb to kill it. Lasted about a few months.

 

[i cant think]

I think this is a genus that needs to be researched more. Some strains of it (Brown strains) spread like weeds whilst others take years to grow and spread (Green Strains).
I find mine give the nicest colouring at night in my mixed reef though and believe everyone should love them and get the strain they want

 

[italquam]

I think there pretty cool, i have been trying to grow a kenya tree forest in my 32 gallon for about a year. It’s about half way done.

Any pictures

 

[Big Smelly fish]

I like the green Kenya, while it will drop some fragments, it’s not as invasive as the brown.

 

[Lbrdsoxfan]

I like the green Kenya, while it will drop some fragments, it’s not as invasive as the brown.

And the green is much slower growing! My brown has to be majorly pruned about every 3 months!

 

[Rowboman]

I love my green Kenya Tree. Grows slow enough that it’s easy to keep from becoming invasive, makes a great glowing green backdrop at night, provides some movement to my mixed reef, and lately has been dropping buds that I’ve been catching and growing into new frags for a local science class

 

[easyautocare18]

They are definitely one of my favorites. I have 2 of them

 

[mattdg]

I've only kept one of the Palau green nepthea's around. Primarily focused on slower growing LPS and SPS, but the deep green of the Palau is hard to let go. I have given away my entire stock of other "tree corals". I'll throw the Palau's in nano reefs that I build for people, here and there. I also have one in the WAY back of my 120 mixed reef. It adds some movement and interest in a lower light region of the tank. They are hardy and resilient, a perfect beginner coral.

 

[davidcalgary29]

They are definitely one of my favorites. I have 2 of them

Now that has a look of a coral that's up to something. You can just tell that it's plotting something big.

Other uses for Kenya Trees:

-they will eat annoying relatives and nosy neighbours

-they are excellent accomplices of mass serial killers of fiddly SPS -- it's far easier to hide the corpses behind a clump of branches than it is to bury them in the substrate

-they hold more tanks together than top-grade silicone

-they make up 90% of all biological material found in home aquaria

 

[i cant think]

And the green is much slower growing! My brown has to be majorly pruned about every 3 months!

My green hasn’t changed in the entire time I’ve had it other than dropping an arm and just pushing better PE. I’ve had it for 3-6 months by now.

 

[Anemone_Fanatic]

I like them. A good stand of them looks as nice as any SPS tank, and with a quarter of the time and money too! I especially like the green and pink varieties, a bunch of those mixed in with the regular browns would look spectacular.

 

[bryan3536]

Every time I tried Kenya tree it mass produced, dropping branches and reattaching all over the tank. It can become a hassle if you want a large group in a specific area.

This was 100% my experience with my "reddish" kenya tree, branches everywhere to the point of being a nuisance and I removed the biggest culprit months ago. Even after months of picking it out of the tank, I still have small branches all over. Second only to Xenia and GSP as being a potential nuisance. However, I also have a green "tree" that I *think* is a Kenya tree (sure looks like one) and that one rarely drops branches - it really only grows (large!) where I put it. To state the obvious, I think it really depends on the coral.

I actually redid my scape last week, put most of my soft corals to one side, and I am now trying to grow a mix of the green and red kenyas in a forest on the back glass - I had three large examples of the green that I clustered together, and I transplanted some of the vestige branches from the red in spots between the green. I am starting to see growth on the red "frags" and it should look cool when they both grow together.