Once you have cycled your aquarium, everything is stable, added your clean up crew, added a fish, maybe two, and you want to add some coral. Caution should be taken because many starter coral can grow so quickly and you could regret it down the road. Lets highlight some good beginner coral to start with.
What not to start with:
Beginner corals are often Xenia, GSP, and Colt Coral. In an established tank they can grow quickly and take over your aquarium. It’s better to chose to tolerant coral that you’ll love down the road.
Palys & Zoas:
These are a great starter coral. You can often find frags for $10-$15 and are a good test to see how they respond in your system. They come in a various patterns and colors and are a great addition to a saltwater reef. If they open proud and large in your system it’s a good barometer on how you system is doing.
Mushrooms:
Standard Mushrooms can reproduce rapidly so I would suggest Ricordia as an option. Florida Ricordia are attractive and come in a variety of colors and won’t grow out of hand. Again like Palys & Zoas you’ll be able to see how they respond to the system.
Birdsnest:
If you’re looking to do a SPS tank, a good starter could be a birdsnest. Again it’s an inexpensive coral, grows well, and comes in a variety of colors. As with all SPS it will take brighter light and they consume calcium from your water as it grows so this will need to be monitored.
Starting out the right way will make all the difference down the road with your reef aquarium.