Colonies or frags?

K

Kevin Trotman

[I haven't met probably most of the people in the club that regularly keep SPS, so it's nice to have this forum. I've gotten to see a couple of tanks recently that were just tank of the month worthy without question. One of them, if I can plug a website was from ocean-oasis.com which belongs to a very nice couple who are club members. I hope they don't mind me posting their site. Some of the rest of you guys please introduce yourself though. Please. If I stop rambling though, the question was what do people like to do mostly? Colonies or frags? I like both personally. I only have 2 or 3 colonies mostly cause I can't afford them right now. Spent too much on the dang tank. But I think it's a trade-off.]
 
[I like colonies because I'm impatient as can be. Little pieces of frags just take forever to get interesting. ;)

That being said, I just ordered a Dual MH setup two days ago. I may be changing my tune, as well as my tank pretty soon. LOL]
 
[I too like colonies because I want instant gratification. Although I have been discouraged with color change when I bring these beautiful corals to my tank. Some are color up after a month or two. I get most of my SPS colony from Saltwater Paradise. I have not been back there lately because I know I don't like to leave empty handed - but there is just no room.

Re my dying sps colony - I took a hammer and carefully removed dead part of the coral (that's 2/3 of it). It's doing okay so far.]
 
[I have 6 colonies that I purchase at MACNA and Saltwater Paradise, and 20 or so frags that I have purchased or traded.

I have had very good fortune with frags growing into something nice to look at. My tank got it's first SPS (a frag from GARF) last August, and that frag is now a nice colony. By August this year it will be as big as any colony I have seen in a LFS. I like the variety that can be had with frags especially in my small 48" tank. That said, I really enjoy the crabs that come with the wild collected colonies. One of the crabs bailed out into the previously mentioned GARF frag. (now colony) I have also been able to frag some of my frags to fellow reefers.

I'm not going to jump on the reef conservation bandwagon here because I feel like there are plenty of frag suppliers now for those who are inclined to save the reefs, and for those who like to buy colonies for the instant gratification as well as the symbiotic crabs then that option is also available. Wild colonies will also continue to add variety to the available SPS frag pool as new areas become available for harvesting.]
 
[Thanks for the compliments Kevin:) You are gonna make me blush, and I am glad there is a forum here for us weirdo sps freaks too!!! I wish I could give you the PC answer and say that frags are the thing, but I am just too impatient for that:) I think a cobination is great. I have bought a good number of colonies from Scott at Saltwater Paradise as well as from Dr. Mac. As far as frags go, I try to concentrate on getting my colors from frags as well as rarities. I am looking for a purple tortuosa right now, and there is no was I would be able to find or afford a colony of it, so I will go with a frag of the original from Leonard from reefs.org. As for health, I think frags are a lot easier to keep because of many reasons. First of all, they have been grown out in someone else's tank, and are "used" to our inadequacies. Secondly, let's take, for instance, an A. carolinea. This is a very tight growing coral, and without enough water flow will definitely perish in our tanks as a wild colony. On the other hand, a frag of carolinea will grow differently to compensate for the lack of water flow one has. It wants to live, and will do what it has to to live. This has been to long, but I just love talking about SPS!!

Scott]
 
@Marc wrote:
[I like colonies because I'm impatient as can be. Little pieces of frags just take forever to get interesting. ;) That being said said:
[Yeah, you'd be surprised how interesting a little frag can get once the bug has bitten you. It's kinda like watching paint dry on really good painkillers. You know you're in it for the long haul, but you're just loopy enough that you don't care. They can really grow fast though under the right conditions. I have a pocillipora, not a good coloration for me its pink flashed but with green polyps and you can't see the flesh, but it grew an entire colony head from one stalk in about four months. But then, the really nice stuff I have has barely doubled in six in 6 months.

And that's really why colonies are good sometimes. I think we'd all get dicouraged if we didn't have something nice to look at whether we grew it or not. The problem with them is the immediate browning thing.

One thing I've really started to like is the aquacultured half-frag, half-colonies from walt smith. Harbor Aquatics is the only one I know of that sells them, but thay are basically a frag off of a coral that they've cultured on the reef for a year and when you get them they are about 1/4 to one half the size of a colony. I'll post a pic of the one I bought. I may have to think about more of those. Not totally environmentally safe, but oh well. At least I'm trying right? ;)]
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@peterlin wrote:
[because I know I don't like to leave empty handed - but there is just no room. Re my dying sps colony - I took a hammer and carefully removed dead part of the coral (that's 2/3 of it). It's doing okay so far.] said:
[Glad to hear your colony is doing better. That looked like a very nice green acro! I seem to have trouble coming out of SWP emty-handed too. I've been lucky though. I only have like one pocillipora, one clustered acro and a plating acro (looks like a. cerethea (sp) or something).]
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@spsphreak wrote:
[getting my colors from frags as well as rarities. I am looking for a purple tortuosa right now said:
[Well, this goes for what DAS said too. I concider myself myself kinda in the extreme about being responsible reefers, but I'm enough of a realist to know that that's not always possible. I have colonies myself, and I'm sure I'll get more eventually. Ya know, the problem with being too strict about frags-only is that I've had my tank up a year now and I've already exausted a lot fo the sources of frags that I'd want.

Your carolinea is nice man. I like it. Trust me, I've been tempted. Had to look at the gamifera first though. It's not rare, but its hard to get a frag of cause nobody will frag it. It's so thick! And I know what you mean about corals adjusting to flow. I got one of those Poc. Eudoxy's from Scott and I loved it cause it grows in plating arms, unlike most pocilliporas. But the thing immediately starts growing pencil sized spikes out as soon as I put in in my tank to adjust to the difference in flow. Now its taking on a completely different growth form. Still an awesome coral, but its completely changed. ???]
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[
I got one of those Poc. Eudoxy's from Scott and I loved it cause it grows in plating arms said:
That is exactly what I am talking about. I mean, even look at such an easy sps to keep as a digitata. They look completely different in everyones tak. In some tanks with massive flow, they almost seem to be encrusting montiporas with pillar like prjections, but in tanks with less flow, the same coral is much more fingerlike, and actually truer to its natural growth form. This is one reason I think frags are great. They adapt, and because of this, we have more of a chance with even they more demanding corals.

Scott]
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[Well... Im sorta divided here. I like frags because they are more environmentally friendly, and for the most part have very good survival rates, they grow according to your tank conditions and its very rewarding to have that 1 inch frag grow into something everyone wants when they see it.

But! As the coral propogator im trying to become, colonies have thier benefits. I can snip 2-3 frags from one without doing significant damage. Shipping for colonies is usually less then for the equivalent 6-7 frags.

Im still going to have to go with frags though. So it takes a little while till i can start propogating. But once I have I know their survival is much higher when someone comes over to purchase or trade for it.

Guys Im looking foward to seeing some of you tonight.

LaTeR]
 
[Well I tend to do both. I have tons of frags from the DFWMAS raffles that have grown up to be healthly colonies, and I have inexpensively obtained frags from various members of the group (BRADY). But every now and then the bug bites me right on the... and I HAVE to have that $70 piece of coral that I see in the store. We have a 165 and a 188 we recently plumbed in together and you could never guess that the 188 is less than a year old, it looks better than the 165! I got it around November of last year before I had the meeting at my house. Hmmm maybe I ahould have a "You should see it now!" party? Have to think about that one? Brad? Got an opening in November?]
 
[When I first got into SPS, I really enjoyed purchasing the colonies. Over time, my interest really grew into collecting and growing from frags only. I found it one of the more interesting and gratifying parts of the hobby, that virtually all of my frags came from friends. I could look at a small colony and remember the friend I got it from as a frag.

Through contacts made in the hobby, I've found I can get virtually any frag I want, and at a greatly reduced price, often for just a trade, or even for free. To me that's what the hobby is about, friends and sharing. Call me a weirdo...but it almost seems sacrilege to actually go through such an impersonal process as purchasing frags retail... :)

As my sps collection grew, I found myself giving away lots of frags, sometimes for trades, sometimes just for future trades. When my tank crashed last summer, it was comforting to be contacted by many of those friends who said all I had to do was ask, and I'd have frags of virtually every species I'd lost replaced.

If you haven't included sharing and trading frags in your experience with the hobby, you are truly depriving yourself of one of it's best aspects. Plus, it's good for the reef! :)]
 
[Frags Hands down. I love to watch the little guy's grow. My entire 120 gal SPS tank is Frags that have grown over the last 18 months, they are mostly colonies now! These came from variuos peoples tanks from all over the country but mostly DFW members. And most of the wild caught colonies I own were bought with frags and colonies I raised. As Faith stated I sale and trade a lot of Frags all the time.]
 
[:D
Frags and small colony.
Like the guy when young and it is so fast to see the grow and leave the nest, kinda makes Ya want ta cry?
We had a Fr Spon 4 head and that suckaa has poped 4 more and we fraged and then 4 more on that stock and the origional has 4 more on that, all in 7 months.
We are now fraging the larger origional and have choped the first cut into three pieces.
It is the same with many other Acro and Milla's we have or have had and it is nice to see frags take root and develop there own family and friends,(without calling plans of course)but every wonce an a while we get this urge to get a 1ft show piece, but of course then we think it is cute to see the frags try so hard to grow up into MOMA.
Happy coral planting to all. :D]
 
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