Your goals for your marine aquarium in the first year will be different than those for the longer term. For most first-time reef owners, the biggest goal is simply realising the dream of keeping saltwater fish and growing some easy corals to get your first taste of success.

If you’re looking at the benefits you’ll gain from keeping fish and growing corals in a marine aquarium, then the first thing to note is that corals for beginners do not cost a fortune, they are easy to find, colourful, fast-growing, and hardy enough to tolerate a few common first-time reefer mistakes.

We have a look at five ideal corals for beginners.

 

  1. Zoanthids

These are small, colourful polyps that resemble a small flower in tight clusters. Zoanthids grow fast and tolerate a wide range of light and water quality. With the fast-growing nature of these soft corals, they are often best put on islands down in the sand where they can be controlled so you don’t end up with a tank full of one colour zoanthid and little else.

 

  1. Sinularia Leather

Sinularia is a type of soft coral that looks like a tree and is often stunning fluorescent green but also exists as pink, purple, red, yellow and various shades of brown/beige. They grow fast and can get to quite a size, but easily pruned and maintained. Being soft, they will sway with the current of the water, providing extra movement in your tank.

 

  1. Weeping Willow Toadstool

The Weeping Willow is a soft coral from a group called “Toadstools”. They are hardy and tolerant of less than perfect water parameters. Toadstools soak up unwanted nutrients common with new tanks that arise from overfeeding and/or less than ideal filtration or maintenance.

 

  1. Xenia

Xenia, a soft, fast-growing coral, comes in a few varieties with the most popular being the pulsing kind. Xenia not only sways in the current but also has a unique ability to rhythmically open and close its tentacles or ‘pulse’.

 

  1. Green Star Polyps (GSP)

GSP grows fast in sheets like grass and will encrust almost anything from the tank panels to rocks and even power cords or equipment. When the little polyps are open they move with the current and are brilliant neon green.

 

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