The problem is that not all artificial corals are created equal. Some lose their colors after a few cleaups. And they are really really expensive for the most part.

Sponges are not so bad but I have seen some of the artificial corals go for 500$ and more for a not so big display. There are quite a bit of them on ebay.

Those used in the Tanked program are really expensive so they must be of good quality. I still think they look fake though.

Can't help to think that I would rather pay for a few frags and watch them grow, than pay 374$ for that piece:

http://www.instantreef.com/aquarium-...ish-r032s.aspx

or 779$ for that one:

http://www.instantreef.com/aquarium-...ish-r032s.aspx

Oh, I agree not all fake coral is created equal. I guess it would have to be decided before hand for a long term public display which would cost the most (up front cost versus on going maintenance cost to keep the tank at reef levels) long term. As a hobbiest I would get no satisfaction from an artificial reef but maybe for a public display were I could use cheap low-power lighting (to prevent algae), cheap salt, no dosing, able to use chemicals for treatment and algae control, etc., it may be a worthwhile option to explore. That being said AI has a few public reef tanks around town that use real coral that is easy to take care of and the they look just fine as well. The vast majority of the people who will be seeing the tank probably aren't hobbiests and won't care if the coral is real or not as long as it is a colorful display with lots of bright marine fish swimming around. I would recommend using the fish species from "Finding Nemo" in the tank as the kids would love it and be more able to relate to it.

I would like to buy this one but unfortunately they don't ship to Canada...

http://www.livingcolor.com/store/?sl...products_id=70

Living color is the company that produces the artificial corals for the program "Tanked".

They have some cool props in their shark tank like the cut off arm and leg with blood that I am sure some nonoreefer would love and that would suit him just right! lol! vraiment ti counne le gars! :wink:

I thought ATM builds their own inserts for tanked. I believe living color is from fish tank kings

I can't stand these shows because they just feel so nauseatingly fake. There always has to been some sort of manufactured "problem" in every episode. That goes for most of the reality shows these days. I'd love for it to just be an honest show.

I'm not a fan of artificial stuff in reef tanks, but I can understand doing it for large commercial displays. I can think of a few semi natural decorations that might be cool but generally I think it's just tacky when you've got so many beautiful and natural options with saltwater tanks.