How Long Does It Take A Coral Frag To Grow ?

This is a question we get asked all the time and the answer will really depend on a lot of factors. The type of corals being the first and water chemistry and tank conditions being the second. Certain types of corals simply grow faster than others. In general soft corals grow the fastest because they don’t have a calcium structure and can rapidly form new issue as opposed to hard corals and lps corals.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pulsing xenia is often considered the fastest growing coral

Corals like pulsing xenia, green star polyps, zoanthids and mushrooms are some of the fastest growing coral species. Frags can double in size every 2-4 weeks depending on the strain. Certain zoanthids can grow with explosive speed as where others grow painfully slow. What grows fast for one reefer however may grow slow for another as each tank is different. What chemistry, lighting, flow , nutrients and feeding all play a role in coral growth.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

LPS corals are not the fastest growing frags or the slowest but somewhere in between. For fast growing LPS corals duncans and pipe organ are some of the fastest along with cyphastrea and certain leptoseris. Favias, acans and other large polyp stony corals can grow slow though.

The slowest growing corals are hard corals or sps corals with a hard skeleton structure. They are also some of the hardest to keep in aquariums. There are exceptions to this though. For example montipora and birdsnest species of hard corals can grow with tremendous speed. Almost to the point where you can notice growth on them daily.