'frag' corals

[abong]

is it better to buy these smaller portions of interesting corals, or is it better just to buy the bigger ones?
They cost a tenth of the price from the lfs and they have a wider selection of the ones i want. And when i asked him about them he said they grow to be the size of a hand within 3 months.

[JennM]

It depends on the coral, depends on your budget, depends on many things.

In my experience, SPS (small polyped stonies) do best in captivity from frags, because sometimes the larger colonies don't get the amount of water flow that they did in the wild, and they can die from the middle out. Frags grown in captivity will grow according to the light and flow they receive in their situation, and fare better.

Some corals grow faster than others, and a lot depends on the situations they're in - feeding, light, current etc. A coral in suitable water (some corals like a lot of nutrients in the water, some don't), suitable light etc. will tend to grow more quickly than the same coral in less than ideal circumstances.

Sorry - no cookie-cutter answer on that - but I think there's something really rewarding in starting with a tiny frag and having it grow into a large colony - so that's another in the plus column for frags or small colonies.

HTH

Jenn

[whatevva]

I think expecting any frag (other than Xenia) to be the size of your hand in 3 months might be a far reach. I agree with Jenn. It all depends on your wallet and what you like. The nice thing about larger corals is that I always frag a piece before it gets added to the display tank. I've bought both and it totally depends on the what it is, and not the size.

[Twitterbait]

I prefer frags because all the growth is yours... it is an awsome feeling to see a 1-2" frag grow to a massive coral colony. that is the feeling of success!!!