Frags or Full Peices

[SeaSerpant]

Hey all,
I've been off and on this forum for a few years now and i've finally set up a 120g, and it has been running for the past few months. Only had one major problem up to this point and that is my tang dissapearing shortly after i put a sebae anemone in... grrr...

Now my tank is looking fairly bare. It only has a few corals. A small frogspawn i've had since the beggining, an anemone, xenia, birdsnest and 2 unidentifialbes.
I bought some full size and some fragged.

NOW for my question. How many of you buy frags and let them grow out and how many people buy full sized corals? And which one do you prefer to buy?

Thanks
SeaSerpant

[blacknife]

I get frags most of the time as I'm still learning what works for me and my tank and because in most cases its cheaper.

[Vitaminz]

I like buying Frags also, have the fun is in watching them grow....kind of like kids, don't want to adopt a teenager, you want to see them grow up...lol

[intarsiabox]

Mostly frags for me but sometimes the stores have some really great colonies that I just can't say no to! I prefer frags because it lets me try new corals for a lot cheaper and tank raised specimens are usually more hardy and have fewer pests.

[phyto4life]

Frags for sure.

[RuGlu6]

If you know what you're doing and what exactly your tank plans are for the future, colonies are way to go. This way you don't have to sit for 3 years or more to grow a coral that you know you like and want to have.
If you are not sure and may change preferences and learn, frags are good way to start.

[Chipie]

I used to like to buy frags but now i'd rather by larger pieces if i can. Some corals take forever to grow :(

[naesco]

Reefers of today, and the poll reflects it, are concerned about mining wild colonies from the oceans.

Aquacultured coral grown by natives of the islands, the LFS or by fellow reefers is the only way to go.

[Myka]

SPS I buy frags since it is more satisfying for them to grow out. Most LPS grow waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay too slow, so I buy colonies. Like good sized Lobos, etc. If it is a "rare" piece, a fast grower, or particularly spectacular I will buy an LPS frag.

[phyto4life]

There are over 100 plus pests,irritant's and predator's that can make there way to our reefs

a lot less of a risk along with more accountability when a person buys from other fellow reefer's



jmo

I agree with some coral being unrealistic to buy as frags usually the larger lps

[whatcaneyedo]

Frags don't have to be tiny and take years to grow into good size colonies. That just the way most people do things. Locally there are only about 5 of us who can keep SPS with any success so typically when we buy/sell/trade coral with each other its for pieces that dwarf what are sold as 'colonies' by retailers. There are those of us in PG who often throw large amounts of coral into the garbage on a semi annual basis... Its a huge waste but unless someone wants to take the time to ship them out of town there just isn't anything else that can be done.

[Wingin It]

There are those of us in PG who often throw large amounts of coral into the garbage on a semi annual basis... Its a huge waste but unless someone wants to take the time to ship them out of town there just isn't anything else that can be done.

:surprise::cry::surprise::cry:
that sucks.

[reefermadness]

Frags. A frag grows and adapts to it's environment and it will be much more hardy because of it. Also frags of healthy mothers grown in capivity are proven to be successful in our artifical boxes of water.