Your first corals should be ones that forgive the odd mistake, because every new reef tank has a few. This guide picks the most forgiving corals, explains why, and tells you which popular corals are better left until your tank has some time behind it.
Before you buy any coral
- Let the tank settle. Wait until it has finished cycling and your readings have been steady for a few weeks. Fleshy LPS like hammers and torches are best added once it’s been stable for a few months.
- Test regularly. At the least: salinity, temperature, alkalinity, nitrate and phosphate.
- Buy aquacultured where you can. Tank-grown corals are already used to aquarium lights and water, so they usually settle in faster than wild-collected ones.
- Know your light. Many beginners kill corals with too much light, not too little.
1. Green Star Polyps (GSP)
About as easy as coral gets. GSP is a soft coral that forms a purple or green mat covered in waving star-shaped polyps. It copes with a wide range of light and flow.
The catch: it spreads fast and can smother rock. Put it on an isolated rock, ideally one you can remove, not on your main rockwork.
2. Candy Cane Coral (Caulastrea)
One of the best first LPS. Candy canes form clusters of round heads on separate stalks, are fairly peaceful, and take low to moderate light and gentle flow. They also respond well to feeding.
3. Chalice corals
Chalices are encrusting LPS that do best in low to moderate light, which suits a lot of beginner tanks. They can sting nearby corals, so give them some space. See our chalice care guide.
4. Montipora (digitata and plating types)
If you want to try SPS (small polyp stony corals), Montipora is the usual starting point. Branching Montipora digitata and plating types like Sunset or Tropic Thunder are among the most forgiving SPS. They need steady alkalinity and moderate to strong light, and they can grow quickly once settled.
5. Stylophora (Cat’s Paw)
Another hardy SPS. Stylophora grows in thick, stubby branches and copes better with small swings than most stony corals.
6. Acans (Micromussa)
Colourful, slow-growing LPS with fleshy polyps. They like low to moderate light and gentle flow, and respond well to feeding. Better as a second or third coral than a first.
Wait a while before these
- Hammers, torches and frogspawn: not hard, but they don’t like big swings in water quality and they sting neighbours. Add them once your tank has been stable for a few months. See our hammer and torch care guides.
- Acropora: needs very stable water, good lighting and steady alkalinity, so most keepers wait until their tank is at least a year old. Not a first coral.
- Goniopora: beautiful, but they have a history of slowly failing in home tanks. Best left for a mature tank.
Quick comparison
Coral | Type | Light | Flow | Difficulty |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Green Star Polyps | Soft | Low to high | Moderate | Very easy (spreads) |
Candy Cane | LPS | Low to moderate | Low to moderate | Easy |
Chalice | LPS | Low to moderate | Low to moderate | Easy to moderate |
Montipora | SPS | Moderate to high | Moderate | Moderate |
Stylophora | SPS | Moderate to high | Moderate | Moderate |
Acan | LPS | Low to moderate | Low | Easy to moderate |
Beginner-friendly corals from ReefGro
Most of these are aquacultured in our own systems in Ipswich. Good places to start:
- White Flower Toxic Green Star Polyps
- Toxic Green Candy Cane
- Chalices
- Australian Rainbow Micromussa Lordhowensis (Acans)
- Sunset Montipora and Pink Digitata Montipora
- Purple Stylophora (Cat’s Paw)
New to buying online? Read how to buy corals online safely and our acclimation and dipping guide before your first order.
FAQs
What’s the easiest coral of all? Green Star Polyps, but keep it on its own rock.
Soft coral or LPS first? Either works. Soft corals are the most forgiving. Candy canes and chalices are the gentlest way into LPS.
How many corals should I add at once? A few at a time. It gives you time to see how each settles, and doesn’t hit your tank with lots of change at once.