Top 6 'Beginner' Corals That Aren't Actually Easy

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0:00 Hello
0:15 Hammer corals
1:11 Acans
2:04 Zoas
3:32 Scolymia
4:38 SPS corals
5:53 Torch corals

[@ReefDorkXtra]

Which of these corals have you bought?!

[@born2beashooterjosh397]

All of them lol although I do tend to stay away from torches now days especially given their current prices I’ll jus stick with branching hammers I kinda like them more anyways

[@hudsonbarry]

All of them

[@bensimpson4091]

scoly is the only coral I've struggled with so far due to algae and my tank is 25.5 so that is probably a major cause. zoas I found single polyps like to be wedged in to something to get them going

[@1tank72990]

Most of them , so what's your thoughts on Duncan and goniapora? Both mine were doing well then melted away , parameters seem fine but I'm a newbie so coukd be anything

[@annebartells777]

@@1tank72990 Goni's are a different animal. They can do great for years and one day melt away. I have four of them and pamper them daily. So far, so good. they have been growing for over a year. I had one for years and years, and one day, it melted. I don't know why. They do like to be feed regularly. It was a very large specimen. I grew it from a frag with four polyps. Bummed me out. Still am when I think about it. I had trouble with Duncan's in the beginning. I have no difficulty now. They like lower light. Once I found a spot it liked, it turned into a weed. It likes moderate flow. At least mine does

[@davideamer8617]

A man in a dark van with a packet of haribo 🤣🤣🤣🤣 I thought that's everytime you walk into a local fish shop

[@FoolOfATuque]

In usually tell my wife it was a man with a gun that forced me to buy that coral at the shop. Lol!

[@smokeandkippers]

You must have a camera in my living room because you’ve pretty much perfectly described my own experiences with all five of those corals. Love my branching hammers and never had an issue with them. My torches I’ve had approximately 50% success with and frustratingly lost torches that are the same genus as one that’s thriving right next to it. My Zoas always melt. Even stunning colonies that have looked amazing for months and months. My acans are moody and I’ve given up wasting money on SPS. 😂😂

[@NewburystBoi]

SPS do have more needs for sure, but a newbie can put a Monti or two in and they will do fine. You just can't neglect your tank.

[@TehSharkX]

Finally someone ranked torch corals away from beginner. When it comes to my coral loss, torches are 90% of that list. The rest of the tank is literally growing too.

[@juanfernandez9808]

All my acans have gained color in my tank most a year old all growing with multiple heads fairly high flow keeps them happy in my tank.

[@dogofthemight]

You have perfectly explained my experience with zoas. I have 5 or 6. All have grown completely different. And the sole one that was a single head didnt survive the initial drop into my reef. Some have only added 4 or 5 heads, where as others are well branched out onto my rocks and are spreading fast

[@sunnygoold9449]

Awesome - agree with everything particularly zoas, scolies and wall hammers (the rest are pretty obvious I think).

[@falcolf]

Thank you for the note about single head zoa frags, there's a seller here in Canada who does that and I was concerned that it wasn't a good idea. This proves my suspicion! Thank you!

[@RogueAquariums]

You’re exactly right Alex concerning Zoas. I won’t make the same mistake again by just buying one polyp and watching it melt.

[@leeleecee4689]

I prefer the wall euphyllia. I have both but my wall frogspawn is just massive and stretches over the entirety of my Kole Tang’s cave. I agree it’s not a beginner coral but once you get an older established reef going, def a beautiful coral to add

[@jackkain7141]

Huh, the aussie gold torch thing surprises me. The one I have was both one of my first corals and has been doing amazing for over 2 years now. Started as a single head and is well over 8 at this point.

[@anthonyswindells4219]

I actually found SPS corals easier to keep, than half of my LPS! I started LPS and transitioned in to a mixed reef. Frogspawn are the best euphillia by a country mile!

[@itsanarchy6430]

100% agree with you on torches. I had 7 different ones at one point all looking great and then in a span of 5 months I lost them all slowly. Other than that Bubble corral and symposium clover corals are the only ones that have died on me

[@aaronfoss8956]

RD is on point with this video.

[@pauldeacon8764]

Nice one Alex! 😀👍

[@rudra7615]

agree on torch.. what I've learned (from experience) is to not buy single frags that seem cheap. I picked one gold torch frag for £99 thinking "bargain!". it lasted 7 days..and I realised why. it's cause it was a fresh cut..I've had a frag that was in an established tank and sprouting a second head..and it still is fine. so before you see a sick deal on your local LFS..check if it is a fresh cut..I would hold fire, pay a little bit more and get one that has matured in the tank abit. I do wish local LFS stores didn't sell such fresh cuts though

[@Boogerdick69]

I’ve owned 3 torch frags in the 3-4 years back into the hobby. I killed 1, one has split to 2 heads and the other has only just begone to grow lol. They grow so slow for me, hammers and frogspawn grow really fast in my tank.

[@Onearmwampa]

Great video 👍

[@michaeljetten]

At 3:16 I do see 3 astarnia little starfish on the frag plug lost some zoas myself to these suckers aswel

[@cherellzandell6139]

Great info for someone just getting ready to try saltwater for the first time! (That would be me! 😆)

[@htc148]

I've had more trouble from gsp and stylo...others seem to do ok. although i haven't tried sticks

[@DBsehorn24]

I’ve only had my tank set up for 4 months and I have most of these listed 😂. Guess we will see how it goes but I’ve had 2 branching hammers die. My scoly, Zoas, and torch corals have been doing good. Crossing my fingers for the long term!

[@demontanks9485]

How’s it going?

[@DBsehorn24]

Zoa’s and torch lasted but scoly didn’t make it. Great advice to not out so much money into these at beginning. Probably stick with mushrooms, GSP, RFA, etc 🤙

[@chrissreef8978]

Aussie gold torch, still going strong for 16 months🎉 but yes it’s 100 times more difficult than my other torches

[@MalcolmCrabbe]

Before I shut down my tank I had a torch coral the size of a grapefruit grown on over years from a small frag... then days later all the tentacles started withdrawing and it looked quite sorry for itself. It was sold for £20 and I have no idea if the chap that purchased it (along with most of the other corals) managed to recover it.

[@fatttymclad]

Nice vid I completely agree with zoas as they can be b*stards. The other thing I found with them is asterina starfish will eat them and they are a very common pest. Also had problems with torches but had good experience with acans

[@Brooksfitness]

I am just setting up a 250 litre tank with a 100 litre sump. Will I be okay with a bubble mangus c7 skimmer or is it too much?

[@annebartells777]

I would never get a hammer coral or torch as a beginner coral. They are very expensive in the states. If it died, you would be spending a lot of money to learn how to reef. Of course, I did this and of course they died when I first started reefing. We all make those mistakes, no matter what kind of advice we are given. I love your advice on sps corals. Yes, I learned the hard way too. I was an expert fresh water aquarist and made the jump to reefing about 7 years ago. Salt water and fresh are two different animals. I learned real quick I didn't know how to control my perimeters and lost a lot of livestock that I never should have tried in the beginning. This is a great video. I hope others take your advice. About a year ago i started growing sps corals. It took me awhile to get brave enough to try them. I don't like killing livestock. The expense does bother me as much as the thought of those animals dying

[@henrydelbosque1989]

Before knowing if corals are easy or not, first and crucial point is to obtain and keep optimal maintenance conditions with correct parameters on long term basis in your tank. And that is not easy. Should you be a capable to do that the rest is quite easy…

[@JdnJdn-sw3pe]

This..... 👌

[@martouf13]

I think a lot of people have issues with these in nano tanks because parameters have big swings in small tanks. I'd be interested to see a chart of success/loss with tank size. Along with yes/no protein skimmers.

[@c3dpo]

Great list, though I had great success as micromussa as first few corals. They lose there colour and most of mine go red or orange, however I’ve noticed my rainbow ones new heads that don’t receive direct light are full rainbow colours? Baffles me and fear moving them as growing like crazy

[@tachitakai6214]

I think Zoanthids shouldn't be suggested as a beginner Coral due to the fact they can make you very sick if you don't handle them correctly. Yes I know Zoathus is generally of a low toxin level compared to palythoa but even expert marinebiologists find it difficult to differentiate certain species from one another as they are an under researched species of Coral. I just don't think you should tell someone who really doesn't know much about corals besides which ones look pretty and their names due to being a newbie to go out and buy Zoanthids.

[@megansutton9699]

02:13 That gives me Halloween vibes

[@EXSKIN]

Can keep a hammer( torch frogspawn zoa's mushrooms candy canes) but not a leather , what am I doing wrong LOL water changes only no dosing.

[@oofpokemon5275]

How Many times do you do water changes. I am inspired by your kalkwasser video because my Corals arent growing but it wont add any trace elements or magnesium. I have a lot of corals so I maybe need to use my ati essentials + as well as an extra. I myself just don’t do water changes so I would like to know.

[@ReefDork]

10% every week.

[@scottzinn8656]

I would try an ICP test to get accurate back up for major elements alk Calc and mag. It will also give you which trace elements to increase and if you need a water change. Order trace elements at the same time you order ICP test so that you can start trading your tank and retest ICP every 2 wks

[@jeremiahseals8067]

How did you not mention GSP

[@paulnolan9634]

Thanks . Brilliant I lost 22 heads of torch coral in 24 hours after a year in ny tank . BjD .

[@Hamburg_ER.]

4:00 good thing i keep my tank at 74 degrees fahrenheit aka 23.333 degrees celsius

[@FoolOfATuque]

Luckily for me with torch corals I have found a guy who runs coral beds in his garage. I bought an Indo gold from him for 70 bucks that is doing very well in my tank

[@Fred-eg9sx]

I've managed to very successfully grow torches, scoly, and elegance corals, but not been able to keep xenia or GSP....

[@ReefDork]

Funny old game sometimes!

[@Sammy31Dee]

Just recieved a hellfire torch yesterday ....youre scaring me lady ....it better not die for no reason haah

[@AbbasReef]

STD......... Sudden Torch death, makes sps seam easy imo!

[@ned5231]

Just had my torch die on me, had it for over a year and it was very healthy, 8 heads, upgraded to a bigger tank everything else is doing fine, torch was completely dead in 3 weeks

[@stevedodd7883]

never been able to keep zoas even tho i can keep Acros

[@uuncebret]

I'm tired keeping torches in nano tank, they can high potentially carrying flat worms and it can randomly stressed then died and releasing brown jelly deaseas in your tank and wiping out your corals 😐

[@opethmike]

I wish that Reef Dork was my dad.

[@tcmarineaddiction6609]

Gsp hasn't worked for me lol

[@nesrinahmed3461]

Welp, i fucked up and bought a green torch and a green hammer 😂 Best thing I bought so far. I need some colour variety, purple, pink, orange...any ideas ? 😅

[@YouBetterCallSaul]

I bought 5 scolys from reef a palooza. Kinda blew my budget out of the water but theyre so beautfiul...2 of them are receding and I cannot stop it for the life of me. I feed and feed keep phosphates low and nitrates at around 5-6ppm but cant stop the receding. I will be devastated if I lose them

[@ReefDork]

They don't like warmer temperatures - under 25 is preferable. But check out this video from 28:13 kzbin.info/www/bejne/hmrNpIGKrsp6hM0

[@YouBetterCallSaul]

@@ReefDork I watched your vid and right away dropped my temps. Used to keep my tank at 78-78.6 degrees 👍🏼 Thanks!

[@YouBetterCallSaul]

@@ReefDork they already are looking puffier, and my rbta split. Thanks for the tip can’t believe not one of my LFS mentioned that they like it cooler. 👌🏽👌🏽👌🏽

[@IvoryDraco]

What’s a Celsius?

[@ReefDork]

It's like a farheneit but without the freedom

[@madshepsreef282]

before I went to bed my torch was looking great, woke up in the morning brown jelly disease. 😢

[@Merknilash]

Anyone able to feed Hammers? Mine don't seem to eat anything.

[@youronlycow]

Feed reef roids. My torch don’t eat anything

[@ilikeweirdfish7106]

Pavona as a starter sps? I'm a terrible doser with cheap lights but my "freak hair" pavona grows really well and is the same color as when I bought it. I'll admit my red Monti has gone an ugly yellow despite it growing really well. While my seriatopora and stylophora have great color but poor growth.

[@ilikeweirdfish7106]

And by terrible doser I mean I literally poor a random amount of All for Reef into my water changes. (in it for the fish not the corals 😂)

[@lunes-1]

👍🇬🇧

[@artistic_spaz3724]

The only corals I haven't killed yet are zoas (so far)

[@joshthefootballgod]

Zoas are not soft corals! Zoas are not even corals!

[@MrFrosty888]

Zoe's grow fast that's why they sell as singles LOL

[@JdnJdn-sw3pe]

But it gets you the views so hey who am I to comment lol

[@patterdalezipsuzilil]

I always breaking off heads on my hammer branching don't know there moody buggers

[@mrsuarez430]

Torches are easy 8f your tank is 4 years and older

[@chicagorc3967]

bag of haribo LOL

[@brianheidel4550]

I laugh everytime I hear the word bollocks.

[@JdnJdn-sw3pe]

So basically after watching this video you've said different corals need differing amounts of care.... its ideas like this that put off new reefer s whilst again puts off reefers with a half decent grasp on keeping a reef. 🤦‍♂️

[@reddawn7128]

Bacteria helps color up corals dr tims

[@1GolfJones]

☣️ Zoas 🚫⚕️❌️‼️

[@jhaych]

Bloody acans

[@patterdalezipsuzilil]

Don't want show off just bought 2 g6 xr30 pro 😝

[@revZ098]

That’s nothing. I just bought 2 Ecotech Versa pumps lol