Top 5 fastest growing soft corals!

You will often hear the sage advice that nothing good happens quickly in a reef tank. But there are some corals that buck that trend and will grow fast indeed. So, here is the list of the top 5 fastest-growing soft corals to fill your tank up quickly.

1. Green Star Polyps

GSP is an absolute staple for beginners

  • It's dead easy to keep
  • Gives gentle movement inflow
  • And turns stunning bright green under blue LEDs

It forms a map that spreads over the rock work and is a great candidate to cover the back wall or weird box of your tank. It also doesn't seem to mind stronger line flow than other soft corals.

One of the reasons that make it great for beginners is that it will tolerate high nutrients that you often inadvertently get as a new reefer or when you let your maintenance slip for a few months.

2. Discosoma Mushrooms

If hardiness is your sole criteria, look no further. These corals will survive more or less any newbie mistake you can throw them and will be happy in the tank even with higher nitrate and phosphate.

Low light and flow is the order of the day with Mushrooms so you do not need to spend a fortune on multiple LEDs or powerheads to keep them happy. Since they spread quickly it is an easy coral to have success with when you are new to the hobby.

One thing to look out for this coral is that they can detach from their rock and float over to the neighboring islands. So, it can be difficult to isolate them and you might find they start to overturn your tank in the longer term which can be undesirable particularly if you choose some of the more plane-looking varieties.

3. Zoas

If this was the loss of the awesome soft corals these guys would be on top of the pile. They come in an endless variety of colors and look equally arousing under lights during the day or blue light during the night. 

They are fairly tolerant of varying water quality, although not as much as some of the other corals on this list as it's not common to see smaller frags melt away for apparent reasons when it comes to the world of reef keeping.

These corals prefer medium rather tank low lights and a good sign that your is always in high light you will find them stretching very far ways from their base that you start losing your clownfish in them. Although that ain't always the case, some varieties do just seem to have naturally longer stems.

Not all of them will spread quickly but when they do they can easily take over your rock work in short order. So, it is a good coral to isolate particularly if you can get yourself a little for it.

4. Clove Polyps

These are beautiful beginner-friendly coral. They tick the boxes of wavy movements and pretty tips and are another coral that looks fantastic under the blue LED lights.

As like Zoas, not all Clove Polyps will spread quickly but some, in particular, the shorter tentacle variety will end up all over your rock work. So, get careful with placement as it could be difficult to remove it from your tank once it has taken hold.

They are another coral that is not as fussy about water quality and will again appreciate lower light and flow. As with all corals on this list, you might hear some people referring to Clove Polys as a weed. But a weed is just a coral somewhere it's not wanted so if you like the look of it don't be pull off by what people say.

Just make sure you do your research first so you know what you are getting yourself into.

5. Pulsing Xenia

This is the coolest and most mesmerizing coral in the hobby and if you want to cover rock in coral in no time at all, Xenia is about as good as it gets. As a general rule Zinnia will be happy in lower light and flow and its head will pulse under its own steam without assistance from your powerheads.

You will often hear that they like dirty and more nutrient water but they can thrive in a variety of conditions.

Xenia grows by spreading onto your rockwork but it can also detach and float over to your other rocks. So, you will need to be diligent in removing it if you see it somewhere you don't want it to spread. As it is pretty slippery so pulling it off the rock work can be like trying to pick up a bar of soap in a bath full of oil while wearing gloves made of butter.

If you are going to isolate Xenia on its own island and look out for bits breaking off and spreading, it will be an absolutely fantastic coral. It's a unique color, sways like nothing else in the hobby, and is a perfect example of the fascinating animals you can keep in your very own saltwater aquarium.

Caution

Fast-growing corals do sound like the best thing in the world, it can be a curse as well as a blessing so make sure you think about how your tank going to look if it gets overrun.

 

 

 

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