@@nipponjim7815 imo different for every tank, mines just over a year old after the move. not only just seeing coroline growing and sps seem to be taking off. doseing all for reef
then there is me who can't wait to add plaiting montipora to my new tank this is the coral that has gotten me into this hobby and clownfish. kept discus and still do but i have moved on to the saltwater community 7 weeks ago :) love your videos, you and BRSTV have guided me through the start of my tank !!
If you look a bit beyond coral and add anemones I would say bubbletip. Truly fascinating, great colour and just a pleasure to look at. But when they wander about and kill EVERYTHING in their path it makes you regret your life choices😮🤦🏼♂️😅
I’ve a friend who added a BTA. 2 years later, 26 BTA’s in his tank! He is literally giving them away for free. Stunning under blues but When you have lots of expensive coral, not worth the risk
I feel like you can keep them in a dedicated spot. Have kept nems for 2 years now, they always stay on these 2 specific rocks in my tank. 40 breeder with 2 ai primes, I know moved everything from that set up into a 60g breeder. Same rock and lights, flows different for sure but similar, nems have yet moved from those rocks. They’ve moved but not off those rocks, Tbe only time I’ve had them move is when I have a lot of them and by then I normally pluck some out and trade them in
Bought a xenia coral recently. Rather than grow over, it decided to die while some of my acros are starting to do fine and my easy lps grow like there is no tomorrow.
Have to agree with you, especially wild caught SPS. If there was one thing to ban, this would be it, at least until it's been certified to survive in captivity for 2 years.
Goniopora as a new saltwater tank keeper! Thats my regret. My tank eas definitely too new and had no phosphates or nitrates at all yet, and my goniopora frag melted in less than a week
I think your comments on the difficulty of keeping wild acropora is also true for goniopora. If you can find somebody who's gonis are reproducing new ones that is the way to go. I have four that are doing really well and one that is hiding exactly what you described. The biggest I have has a pair of skunk clowns living in it and it seems as happy as Larry. It produces marble size baby gonis on a regular basis. If you are visiting West Cornwall any time soon you can have one.
Great video as always Alex! I want to start another reef tank but I just can’t afford it at the moment! but saying that I absolutely love the marine hobby! 😀👍👍
Good to see you’re only purchasing aquacultured SPS. They’re very hardy and seem to thrive well in your tanks. I’d have to agree with you Alex about the pulsing xenia. They’re very mesmerizing but grow like weeds. 😊
Mushrooms were my 1st easy keep coral spread everywhere and they were just plain brownish did my head in as a I came more confident and end up with a mixed reef had to break tank down when I moved so took the opportunity to rehome the mushrooms 😁👍
Goniopora I love and had some for 4 years now. Zoa's is definitely a learning curve of which ones to avoid. Totally agree with montipora. I have a green plate and a red red plate. There going soon. Growing crazy. Shame cus they look lovely
My wish to have not put in my tank is Captain Jack Paly….i got a small frag for free when I ordered coral on line. I honestly didn’t really know what it was as is came as a freebie. It grows REALLY fast and is taking over a corner of my tank. Palytoxin scares me enough to not rip it out.
Great video Dork - well done. I think Long Tentacle Plate Corals do well and then die for no apparent reason. Would be good to know the coral shop you feature? Not sure what part of UK you are in but assume it’s Dorking?
Plating monti is no joke. Got a 1 in frag for free from a buddy. Sat in the sand for a few weeks a and moved it to its own rock. I didn’t glue it but i couldn’t move it from the rock 4 days later because it already grew onto the rock lol…
Defo Xenia. I am constantly fragging it. It is everywhere even my sump is full 🤣. I keep my lfs stocked with it though. My newest problem are kenyan trees. They ate self fragging like mad. 🤣. Lfs is getting a delivery of them this week as well 🤣. I shouldn’t be moaning really. At least it appears my tank is healthy 👍🏻
Ok I’m gonna ask a truly noob question because I’m a true newbie. Would it be possible to use a non-reef safe fish or 2 to keep some of the more prolific corals under control?
Cannot agree with you more on your top 5 corals. I also had similar experience with them. Except some slow growing zoas, i got rid of all the other 4 corals you mentioned.
Its not yet a regret but I'm going to put a baby cam on Acropora Mojo Man. I'm observing it hourly. I cannot tell if a spot is tissue growth, bleaching, or just noticing an unseen blemish. I stay on alert in case I need to pull it out and cauterize the spot. I have found medium viscosity cyanoacrylate from Zap to be good for stopping tissue recession and necrosis if its localized. Apply it to the effected border with a toothpick while blowing gently to push away the gasses. It cauterizes and sterilizes immediately.
Update. Its base growth on the Mojo Man. The blemish is a new polyp. I'm no stranger to expensive pieces of coral, but this is the first time I have paid Scolymia Warpaint Glow in the Dark Technicolor prices for a 2 cm piece of acropora. All the acro are from Euro Corals. One of 26, an Electric Sour Twist Acro, had a broken finger, a tiny piece 4mm thick and 15mm long. I glued it on a rock. Its growing too.
Hi good information on corals . Well I’ve done it changing subject brought to Red Sea 45 wave markers instead off the mp40 wave makers, question for all and yourself placement at the end off the Red Sea 425xl or on the back wall , options please as can’t make mind up ty . Ps I have two off them.
Hi. I have a 25 and a 45 placed at opposite ends of a similar size tank. I like the random clashes you can get when the flows meet. I have have them grouped via the Reef Beat app in random mode up to a max of 40% this works well for me. I have made a schedule to lower the flow from 9p.m. to 30% and then to 20% by midnight reversing this in the morning from 7.30.a.m.
And this is why I'm never getting corals. Too much effort and they just die and limit my fish options. I'm probably gonna stick to their skeletons and have the live rock rather than the living corals
Hi Alex... Non relevant question to topics: my tank has been running for 2.5years and it can grow acropora. However I haven't got them to color up beautifully. They are glowing nor browning or pale, but I can't have the best yellow, purple colors. Any suggestion?
What's your opinion on pocillopora? Supposedly the Xenia of SPS. I bought 10 SPS frags from prestige reef including a couple of pocillopora then read the horror stories, panicked, and put them in my son's tank 😂
They're not my cup of tea personally and they can drop babies, but I wouldn't sweat it too much. The corals I'm talking about have taken years to get to the point where I regret them. And that's just when you upgrade 😁
Gonis are one of the easy and best coral to put in sps tanks I find. Love the high flow and light. Have gonis in light around 200 par all the way to 450 with good polyp extension and growth with my oldest ones being over 4 years that I have had them. Grown many into colonies and fragged them serval times. I dose trace elements standard range as well as send of regular icps and adjust doses based of that so maybe that’s why I have better success then you @Reefdork
I would certainly take that plating monti u hate so much off ur hands that thing is gorgeous I’d jus spend a lil more time controlling it it’s pretty enough to deserve it I’m sure I’ll have my own problems once my fruity pebbles starts to really grow but it’s gorgeous so I’ll jus have to give it a lil extra care that’s all lol I kno all sounds good until u have a tank full of diff corals u have to pay special attention to to keep them in check I looong for the days where my problems involve coral being over grown but I’m not even 6mo in on this set up so it’s gonna be awhile
Thought of a theoretical situation might turn out to be pretty cool in real life. Let’s say you took your current SPS dominated system, decided you no longer want anymore Montipora in your tank ever. You would find somebody who has an infestation of nidubranchs, acquire them and let your montis go white and all get destroyed. Then followed by some ugly months of white coral. Everything grows over and your zoas or encrusting corals have grown over the once living colonies. Like a natural reef kinda
My levels are all great water changes 1 time every week 10 percent only and my hammer corals barely open could it be too much flow maybe little flow my gold hammer is wide open and just split but my toxic splatter hammers are open but not stretching out alll the way just a inch or so and 4 zoa frags are closed barely opening but the other zoas are all fine I have a 32 bio cube could it be the lighting?
Which corals do you regret buying?!
The sun coral lol
Galaxia
i regret buying sps peices when its just too soon, love my montis some are 10" caps now. tri up the beach bum alex ill find a space for some 😉
@@les959 how long do you have to wait and why? this has never been explained to me adequately.
@@nipponjim7815 imo different for every tank, mines just over a year old after the move. not only just seeing coroline growing and sps seem to be taking off. doseing all for reef
then there is me who can't wait to add plaiting montipora to my new tank this is the coral that has gotten me into this hobby and clownfish. kept discus and still do but i have moved on to the saltwater community 7 weeks ago :) love your videos, you and BRSTV have guided me through the start of my tank !!
Mushrooms. Goddamn mushrooms!
And Clove Polyps. Worse than Xenia in my opinion.
If you look a bit beyond coral and add anemones I would say bubbletip. Truly fascinating, great colour and just a pleasure to look at. But when they wander about and kill EVERYTHING in their path it makes you regret your life choices😮🤦🏼♂️😅
I’ve a friend who added a BTA. 2 years later, 26 BTA’s in his tank! He is literally giving them away for free. Stunning under blues but When you have lots of expensive coral, not worth the risk
I feel like you can keep them in a dedicated spot. Have kept nems for 2 years now, they always stay on these 2 specific rocks in my tank. 40 breeder with 2 ai primes, I know moved everything from that set up into a 60g breeder. Same rock and lights, flows different for sure but similar, nems have yet moved from those rocks. They’ve moved but not off those rocks, Tbe only time I’ve had them move is when I have a lot of them and by then I normally pluck some out and trade them in
Bought a xenia coral recently.
Rather than grow over, it decided to die while some of my acros are starting to do fine and my easy lps grow like there is no tomorrow.
Lol my Xenia did the same thing while the more than half dead green leather that I got for free with it is now thriving
Have to agree with you, especially wild caught SPS. If there was one thing to ban, this would be it, at least until it's been certified to survive in captivity for 2 years.
Wow. 2 corals I was hoping to get one day were on your list! Thanks for the heads up!
Goniopora as a new saltwater tank keeper! Thats my regret. My tank eas definitely too new and had no phosphates or nitrates at all yet, and my goniopora frag melted in less than a week
I think your comments on the difficulty of keeping wild acropora is also true for goniopora. If you can find somebody who's gonis are reproducing new ones that is the way to go. I have four that are doing really well and one that is hiding exactly what you described. The biggest I have has a pair of skunk clowns living in it and it seems as happy as Larry. It produces marble size baby gonis on a regular basis. If you are visiting West Cornwall any time soon you can have one.
Love seeing that Hawkfish! Have a great day!
Great video as always Alex! I want to start another reef tank but I just can’t afford it at the moment! but saying that I absolutely love the marine hobby! 😀👍👍
Good to see you’re only purchasing aquacultured SPS. They’re very hardy and seem to thrive well in your tanks. I’d have to agree with you Alex about the pulsing xenia. They’re very mesmerizing but grow like weeds. 😊
Mushrooms were my 1st easy keep coral spread everywhere and they were just plain brownish did my head in as a I came more confident and end up with a mixed reef had to break tank down when I moved so took the opportunity to rehome the mushrooms 😁👍
Goniopora I love and had some for 4 years now. Zoa's is definitely a learning curve of which ones to avoid. Totally agree with montipora. I have a green plate and a red red plate. There going soon. Growing crazy. Shame cus they look lovely
My wish to have not put in my tank is Captain Jack Paly….i got a small frag for free when I ordered coral on line. I honestly didn’t really know what it was as is came as a freebie. It grows REALLY fast and is taking over a corner of my tank. Palytoxin scares me enough to not rip it out.
Great video Dork - well done. I think Long Tentacle Plate Corals do well and then die for no apparent reason. Would be good to know the coral shop you feature? Not sure what part of UK you are in but assume it’s Dorking?
😂 There's a few so couldn't tell you which, somewhere in the Surrey/Hampshire area...
My current experience with Gonis is much better now that I am dosing Sr, Mn, Fe, and Iodide.
I love pulsing Xenia 😂
Plating monti is no joke. Got a 1 in frag for free from a buddy. Sat in the sand for a few weeks a and moved it to its own rock. I didn’t glue it but i couldn’t move it from the rock 4 days later because it already grew onto the rock lol…
Defo Xenia. I am constantly fragging it. It is everywhere even my sump is full 🤣. I keep my lfs stocked with it though. My newest problem are kenyan trees. They ate self fragging like mad. 🤣. Lfs is getting a delivery of them this week as well 🤣. I shouldn’t be moaning really. At least it appears my tank is healthy 👍🏻
+1 on certain zoas!
I had to break a chunk off my beloved aquascape to save my rasta zoas being engulfed 😭
Ok I’m gonna ask a truly noob question because I’m a true newbie. Would it be possible to use a non-reef safe fish or 2 to keep some of the more prolific corals under control?
The problem with that is you can't tell them to eat say zoas but not eat acans...
Cannot agree with you more on your top 5 corals. I also had similar experience with them. Except some slow growing zoas, i got rid of all the other 4 corals you mentioned.
You have to admit the plating monti’s are beautiful even though…
Wonderful Tank 😍
Think you could ever make a prefer coral to buy? and maybe a maintance video where you show the amount of work done to keep your reef
Watch this czcams.com/video/we152nArIig/video.html
Its not yet a regret but I'm going to put a baby cam on Acropora Mojo Man. I'm observing it hourly. I cannot tell if a spot is tissue growth, bleaching, or just noticing an unseen blemish. I stay on alert in case I need to pull it out and cauterize the spot. I have found medium viscosity cyanoacrylate from Zap to be good for stopping tissue recession and necrosis if its localized. Apply it to the effected border with a toothpick while blowing gently to push away the gasses. It cauterizes and sterilizes immediately.
Update. Its base growth on the Mojo Man. The blemish is a new polyp. I'm no stranger to expensive pieces of coral, but this is the first time I have paid Scolymia Warpaint Glow in the Dark Technicolor prices for a 2 cm piece of acropora. All the acro are from Euro Corals. One of 26, an Electric Sour Twist Acro, had a broken finger, a tiny piece 4mm thick and 15mm long. I glued it on a rock. Its growing too.
Hi good information on corals . Well I’ve done it changing subject brought to Red Sea 45 wave markers instead off the mp40 wave makers, question for all and yourself placement at the end off the Red Sea 425xl or on the back wall , options please as can’t make mind up ty . Ps I have two off them.
Hi. I have a 25 and a 45 placed at opposite ends of a similar size tank. I like the random clashes you can get when the flows meet. I have have them grouped via the Reef Beat app in random mode up to a max of 40% this works well for me. I have made a schedule to lower the flow from 9p.m. to 30% and then to 20% by midnight reversing this in the morning from 7.30.a.m.
Thanks for the advice
As far as the gonies they love filthy water it seems, so if you have very low nutrients that might very well be it,
3:19 how long did this take
Can't remember - a year or so maybe...
And this is why I'm never getting corals. Too much effort and they just die and limit my fish options. I'm probably gonna stick to their skeletons and have the live rock rather than the living corals
Hi Alex...
Non relevant question to topics: my tank has been running for 2.5years and it can grow acropora. However I haven't got them to color up beautifully. They are glowing nor browning or pale, but I can't have the best yellow, purple colors. Any suggestion?
Can't really answer that properly here. Proper water quality, flow and light are the keys
My pandora zoas.
What's your opinion on pocillopora? Supposedly the Xenia of SPS. I bought 10 SPS frags from prestige reef including a couple of pocillopora then read the horror stories, panicked, and put them in my son's tank 😂
They're not my cup of tea personally and they can drop babies, but I wouldn't sweat it too much. The corals I'm talking about have taken years to get to the point where I regret them. And that's just when you upgrade 😁
Gonis are one of the easy and best coral to put in sps tanks I find. Love the high flow and light. Have gonis in light around 200 par all the way to 450 with good polyp extension and growth with my oldest ones being over 4 years that I have had them. Grown many into colonies and fragged them serval times. I dose trace elements standard range as well as send of regular icps and adjust doses based of that so maybe that’s why I have better success then you @Reefdork
Would love to see a video of your tank!
How much do you sell the zoa frags for and would you send them through the post cheers
Between £15 and £30 for a load of polyps. I sell through ultimate reef and I do post...
Remember I’d still like some of that tropic thunder monti, how can I get some off you?
Do you live anywhere near Woking?
@@ReefDork unfortunately not I’m in Coalville Leicestershire
@@cclearlandscaping1931 OK. I'm likely to post at some point - I advertise on Ultimate Reef for now but I'll set up a website at some point 🙂
@@ReefDork if you can inform me when you do get sorted that would be great 👍🏻
I would certainly take that plating monti u hate so much off ur hands that thing is gorgeous I’d jus spend a lil more time controlling it it’s pretty enough to deserve it I’m sure I’ll have my own problems once my fruity pebbles starts to really grow but it’s gorgeous so I’ll jus have to give it a lil extra care that’s all lol I kno all sounds good until u have a tank full of diff corals u have to pay special attention to to keep them in check I looong for the days where my problems involve coral being over grown but I’m not even 6mo in on this set up so it’s gonna be awhile
I regret buying any coral that died
Thought of a theoretical situation might turn out to be pretty cool in real life. Let’s say you took your current SPS dominated system, decided you no longer want anymore Montipora in your tank ever. You would find somebody who has an infestation of nidubranchs, acquire them and let your montis go white and all get destroyed. Then followed by some ugly months of white coral. Everything grows over and your zoas or encrusting corals have grown over the once living colonies. Like a natural reef kinda
The thought has crossed my mind before, but I don't think it would work out well...
Torch coral is my worse nightmare. Its tentacles just keep getting longer and longer until they touch other corals and kill these corals off.
My levels are all great water changes 1 time every week 10 percent only and my hammer corals barely open could it be too much flow maybe little flow my gold hammer is wide open and just split but my toxic splatter hammers are open but not stretching out alll the way just a inch or so and 4 zoa frags are closed barely opening but the other zoas are all fine I have a 32 bio cube could it be the lighting?
Most likely issue is water quality...
Hi Alex
👋