What Corals Don't I want?

[mandyplo]

Originally Posted by Enigma

What about a toadstool? Some toadstools will tolerate Clowns alright. I purchased a hairy toadstool for my clown (along with Xenia, Rhodactis Mushrooms, Clove Polyps, and Daisy Polyps). He likes the cleaner magnet.

Is the toadstool a type of leather? Cup leather to be exact? LFS doesn't carry much of anything for marine systems so my only option is either to travel or buy online. The sites I've been looking at carry a lot of leather corals but I haven't seen any specifically called "toadstool" yet, though I have heard of them!

[Enigma]

Hmm. I'm not sure if it would be a "cup leather" or not. I'm not familiar with the term. It is a "leather" coral.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xCanZyCjmrs
There is a clown being hosted by a green hairy toadstool (the same one I own).

They are Sarcophyton sp.

[Mandosh]

Originally Posted by reefermadness

I always try to stay away from ugly ones

Universally good advice.

[DanG]

To those that mentioned anthalis, this is what can happen when you buy one little frag that your girlfriend thinks is cute...




It hasn't been too bad to manage, it peeled off the rocks pretty easy and it's easy to get off the glass, but I've read a lot of stories where people have to boil rocks to get it off. I've still got some growing on a big rock, but only that rock right now.

[Magma]

Guess I am the only crazy one who keeps these "pest" corals and has no issues with them...my Kenya tree is very large and hasnt dropped a frag once, my GSP grows up my overflow and thats about it.

Now as for Xenia it doesnt like my tank and wont grow?

*shrug* I like all these pest corals because I have a coral beauty who enjoys nipping at them but only them.

[Faithinc]

Nope -- I Love the pests. My first aquarium is filled with GSP, Xenia, Clove polyps and dasies.

[canadianbigkat]

A pest to one is not a pest to others, I found that starting my first tank years ago I had luck with anthelia and kenya trees. They lived, were cheap and filled up my tank. As I became better my candy canes and zoas became pests (my candy canes actually melted and dropped frags everywhere). Now I only wish my more expensive corals would become pests.

Ok Im and old freshwater guy but a discus breeder would call a guppy a pest. Multipy like crazy and arent as nice as a discus.

I still have a colony of kenya trees in my tank as they move with the waves and have height in the tank. I just keep them pruned and pull out frags that are dropped.

If your just starting out some of the pests are great corals. You will find satisfaction in growing a coral and move onto more interesting species and probably stay in the hobby longer.

So in my opinion they are beginner corals and not pests.