Matthew’s Coral Picks for Reef Tank Beginners! EP: 43a

[@bradsmithstudios8881]

This whole channel is a treasure. I don’t even keep marine but I find it entertaining, interesting, and so well done.

[@fantasyskeep]

I've seen gsp in many different textures but also in brown, blue, completely purple, many shades of green and my favorite, metallic green.

[@kevinaronyk6081]

great show , I have a small tip for pulsing xenia. If you grow halmedia plant with it ,then if it grows somewhere you don't want it ,let the halmedia grow up through it ,then as it gets taller than your xenia ,the xenia will stretch up and attach to the plant ,and detach from the rock it was growing on. Then it's very easy to clip the plant ,and voila you have a frag.

[@dusk1947]

Thank you for including it's Genus, species and common names. Identifying the species can be incredibly difficult at times, even for experts. But knowing the Genus can be incredibly informative. While using both ensures beyond doubt, two people are discussing the same coral regardless if there in the room next door, or on separate continents.

[@SidsDrakon]

Yes.. this helps a lot. Great info Mathew

[@joannemarks3407]

These corals are visually soot! Thanks for sharing.💕

[@reefp5816]

sacrophyton loves high flow and stong light

[@RogueAquariums]

A nice Selection of corals for beginners Matthew. You’re right about Zoanthids as some of them can command quite a lot of money depending on the coloration and type of Zoa.

[@fantasyskeep]

Here in Tampa, you can commonly find small chunks of gsp for as little as $5

[@Tyler.8046]

I think GSP just depends on where you are, I'm not surprised at all that its extremely cheap in Florida, but I'd expect it to be a bit more expensive in the northern states. It grows like crazy, so I don't think the actual coral is generally what you're paying for, its mostly just the shipping and care costs.

[@fantasyskeep]

@@Tyler.8046 I suppose it depend on the site but generally speaking I see GSP online for about $20 to $40 a frag. Then the shipping costs are usually about $50. You need to buy a lot of GSP for it to be worth shipping. However, if you're reefing on a budget, you probably should find somewhere local to get coral from. I wouldn't buy online unless I was spending over a grand.

[@Tyler.8046]

@@fantasyskeep yeah, I was referring to the LFS recouping shipping costs, since the gsp themselves are not very expensive in and of themselves but it can be pretty expensive to get them shipped further north.

[@jasonburt7160]

Zoanthids can be so addictive once you start seeing sucess and decide to go for a little more vibrant color variations. But I have learned that a lot of the ridiculously high end Zoas are not as forgiving and harder to keep. Lost many.

[@CoffeenSpice]

It's only an addiction when you don't have the money 😂😂😂🤠

[@AUSTIN-tw5hb]

@@CoffeenSpicea addiction is an addiction regardless of how much money you have good try tho smh

[@NickT-e8r]

This addiction doesn't matter if you have money because you still gotta invest time which is priceless!

[@WhatIsMisophonia]

I'm always disgusted when I hear about pricing in the aquarium hobby. Some of the more rare, slow growing, or difficult stuff I can understand, but when you have plants and corals that grow like weeds in dirty water, wtf is it about them that causes such exorbitant prices, especially for tiny coin-sized pieces of coral? I know it's a niche hobby, but I just feel like there's got to be some form of gatekeeping here, and more people would be willing to experiment with heavily planted tanks and even reef tanks if the prices were like at least HALF of what they are now... Maybe it's because you're told you need to buy all these other expensive things to make the tank run, and so people who are willing to get into it are also willing to throw extra money at their pets and problems?

[@Tinnerito]

It may be because there isn't much demand in corals as opposed to...just about most things. So the sellers need to make good money off of their corals so that they can not only continue to sustain them, but so they also can expand and improve.

[@98mskate]

I’m going to attempt a nano reef tank I enjoy my fresh water community tank but corals have caught my attention lately.

[@fishpony1211]

Great video. I have always heard that anthelia grows a lot slower then xenia. Hmm go figure

[@joannemarks3407]

That was soothing not soot 💕

[@Heavens-Humanaterian-Army]

I'm planning the 6ft back wall to be coverded in gsp and pink xenia

[@theurbanartist775]

Wow! I’ve had my tank going for 1 year & a 1/2 and just finding out I have been sold Anthelia not Xenia for the longest 😡 I wondered why they don’t pulse like the videos I see 😂 I actually had Xenia once but it melted away. Thanks for the knowledge, the people at most LPS just have a job & don’t know jack about what they’re selling 😩

[@randallwiesner4193]

Hi Matthew. Really like and appreciate your videos as a beginner planning my build. One coral in this video caught my eye and hoping you can tell me what it is as it looks like an encrusting type that would fit my needs for my aqua scape. It’s the black or navy blue with orange polyps on left side of video at the beginning of your Zoa info. At 12:14. Thanks and look forward to more videos.

[@BulkReefSupply]

That appears to be some variety of chalice coral. They're in the LPS family and are relatively easy to care for. Like you said, they are an encrusting coral, so keep that in mind when you place it. Here is a link to one that looks similar from the WWC website if you wanted to check it out: worldwidecorals.com/collections/chalices/products/wwc-snagglepuss-chalice-1110

[@shawnn6926]

Special note regarding zoas. Had one that grew from the plug to the rock. When I pulled it off it ripped apart.. Less than a min later my 2 clowns were acting strange, darting back and forth, scratching on the rock work and very jittery. I did the unthinkable. Knowing that they were poisoned I caught them in a net and put them in my other tank. With in an hour they were better and swimming around normal again. I thought they were going to die.

[@alexguitar841]

For someone that was studying to become a Jesuit priest I would have expected your Latin to be better. Lol I'm just teasing man great video

[@Francis.Rivers]

My experience. Xenias pulse more in low to almost no flow.

[@mooncow-io]

Soooo a beginner tank should just be a series of islands. Got it. 😂

[@mrmud]

It still seems shaky to me to recommend zoanthids and palythoas to beginners considering palytoxin.

[@ManiacalMangoes]

Never knew that was a thing until you just said it. Read a weird case study where some 50 year old guy cleaned his zoa with hot tap water (what? Lol) and ended up in the ER with severe respiratory distress

[@gregk-muth8566]

If you watch the whole video he does talk about that

[@ThePatrickm116]

Unless your dragging them or licking them it’s really not an issue

[@Botzz28]

30$ frag for GSP? This hobby is out of control with these prices man. I remember when GSP was 5$ frags.

[@P84torres]

I agree... I bought in past euphyllias for half a dozen pennies and now any one costs a buck. This hobby os very expensive, you have to be very selective!

[@Botzz28]

@@P84torres these companies are taking advantage of all of us and it’s hurting the hobby. The prices on WWC and top shelf are disgusting for real. Just cuz they made up a cool name doesn’t make it a 600$ pinky size frag.. I notice it turning away a lot of new hobbiest … it’s not good. They had a “sale “ and the gsp was priced at 30$ 😳 how is that a sale ? That’s a rip off price even without a sale. And these torches ? I mean Jesus they are ripping people off big time. I wish these companies would remember why they got into the hobby in the first place.

[@P84torres]

@@Botzz28 market make the prices... Many people pay those values and also pay 500 or 600€ for a fish here in europe. For me 50€ for a coral is already too much 😂 Another reason to have small aquarium, you buy 5 or 6 coral and it's done, just wait they grow 😅😅

[@phillipvolaski4685]

What do you recommend for the desk mate 4.8

[@MagicFamily2000]

@3:36 What is the name of this masterpiece ?

[@MumRah]

HOLY ISH! I did NOT wear any protection when I was placing my zoas!!!... welp, make that # 486 on the list of ways that I should have died list but didn't. 🤣

[@TheMushroomTech]

Low* flow* gets Xenia pulsing

[@Tyler.8046]

That was my impression as well, high flow just pushes them around. Low flow lets them pulse to grab food from the water column.

[@BulkReefSupply]

Interesting thought for why Xenia pulse. I wonder if it could also be possible that the pulsing behavior may be a form of self preservation from stale/stagnant low tide pools. Thinking from a photosynthetic point of view, perhaps at low tide with midday sun the photosynthetic rates increase and with no water flow from currents to help eliminate photosynthetic waste byproducts, maybe the alternative option is to make the water flow around it by pulsing. 🤔🤔 Actually, there is a great article on Reef Builders that might be the answer! brs.li/3IjrDhg

[@Tyler.8046]

@@BulkReefSupply Wasn't actually originally my idea, but it's good to know that they do use it to artificially increase flow for more CO2! Originally heard it from an inappropriate reefer video, and it sounded pretty accurate, so it's good to have it somewhat confirmed.

[@TheMushroomTech]

@@Tyler.8046 exactly!!!!

[@edwardthayer9386]

👑

[@MumRah]

of all my corals my zoas are doing the least great. my hammer, rainbow plate, cabbage leather and waving hand anthelia are all doing fantastic. even another brown looking zoa that I got for free when I bought the zoa(mostly red yellow). no idea why.

[@MumRah]

could my zoa not like being next to my cabbage leather? that would make sense. it's been closed up lately and my leather appears to be shedding or whatever it is you called it.

[@mickrobinson8150]

I have a xenia that travels around my tank daily

[@apss5736]

Ayy hello

[@lynn-fr6hm]

Hmmm idk about seahorses and beginners should go in the same video 😂they’re not easy ..especially to feed

[@hollic8181]

I am one of those that do not have luck with Xenia or Waving hands 😜

[@syamtink553]

Subtitel indonesia 😥😥

[@Chloroplastspectrum]

You can’t mispronounce a Latin name (unless you REALLY try); it’s a dead language and linguists can only make informed guesses. ☺️

[@juliancastineira4597]

Please dont put xenia in your tank

[@ManiacalMangoes]

Just because they can take over the tank or what?

[@juliancastineira4597]

@@ManiacalMangoes that and even if their on their own rock they purposely detach to spread.

[@Reefspidey]

I have Xenia in all of my tanks, it’s my favorite coral! They do spread like crazy but they look awesome if you like that type of coral

[@P84torres]

I agree 😂😂😂

[@shawnn6926]

I love xenia but mine kept splitting and little tiny ones float around and find a crack to grow from. My 50 cent piece grew to the size of a dollar and about 20 nickle size babies all over my tank in a 2 month time span. It's like a weed and grew faster than I thought.