Top 3 Easy To Keep Corals For Beginners
Your tank is cycled, you’ve added a fish (or two) and there is a small cleanup crew working busily to keep your Reef Casa tank looking beautiful and free of nuisance algae. All that is left now is to start adding corals. So what should new reefers consider when choosing their first corals? Here at Reef Casa we want everyone to experience success with their new tank so we have selected our top three recommended beginner corals. The corals on this list are forgiving of the mistakes that all new reefers make, are relatively inexpensive and widely available and, most importantly, will look beautiful in your new reef tank. So, without further delay here are, in no particular order, Reef Casa’s top 3 beginner corals.
Green Star Polyps
Our first recommended beginner coral are Green Star Polyps, also known as GSP. Green Star Polyps are a soft coral, meaning they do not build a calcified skeleton. This makes them quite fast growing and adaptable to less than perfect water conditions. They grow as a mat over pretty much any surface and are a great way to add a vibrant splash of green to your tank. A word of caution however, because they grow so quickly it is probably a good idea to isolate them on a rock island to prevent them from taking over your entire rockwork.
Kenya Tree Coral
The second coral that we recommend for beginners is the Kenya Tree coral. This is another soft coral, but it grows in a vertical branching form rather than a mat and is a great way to add height to your tank. It is most commonly found in shades of tan but it is also available in shades of blue and purple. An added bonus is that the Kenya Tree is very easy to frag, which will allow you to grow multiple specimens in your tank or trade them with fellow reefers.
Zoanthids
Finally, our last recommended beginner coal is an absolute favorite of reefers of all experience levels: Zoanthids, more commonly known as Zoas. Zoas come in an almost endless variety of colours and have long been a staple of the reefing hobby. They are easy to keep and are truly beautiful. Many hobbyists will place a variety of different zoas together on a rock to create what is commonly referred to as a zoa garden. While zoas are gorgeous, they are also very fast growing so it is probably a good idea to isolate them on a rock to prevent them from growing where they are not wanted.
There are literally hundreds of different types of coral for reefers to choose from and the possibilities are endless. For reefers who are new to the hobby and looking for corals that are both beautiful and forgiving Green Star Polyps, Kenya Trees and Zoas make great introductions to the world of reefing.