Where Does Everyone Buy Their Grade A SPS Corals?

Well the time has come for to start adding SPS Corals and Clams to me aquarium and I just don't like the selection I see at local aquarium stores. Their colors are drab and their is virtually no polyp extension. What are your go to locations for the premium SPS Corals and Clams? I would love to find a piece of Purple Monster or Oregon Tortusa SPS Corals either from a vendor or private reef keeper.

 

I pretty much get all my corals from ORA, via Liveaquaria and DiversDen, and they do have an Oregon Tort. Be aware though that most sps shipped are going to brown out to a certain degree. I will buy a wild coral from DiversDen as well if I really like piece. It takes me about 2 months to get the piece colored back up, sometimes less. Those long standing aquacultured corals such as Red Planet, are well worth it in the long run though.
Battle Corals has some awesome tried and true aquacultured acroporal, but they are fresh cut. I do not like fresh cut.

You'll want to avoid Red Bugs and AEFW at all cost. I have had issues with pest when I buy local or from LFS.

 

Want to add I would wait on the high end Reef Raft beauties until you see some growth to the less expensive acro, same with Cherry Corals and Sexy Corals. They have beautiful stuff, but it's nice to get the tank dialed in best you can before acquiring some of their stuff.

 

Sorry to break this to youo but any SPS coral you received that was browned out, was brown when it went in the bag. I have shipped frags for many reef shows and the only ones that arrived brown are the ones that were shipped brown. If you have even been to an aquarium show the best coral venders (World Wide Corals, Cherry Corals, and Jason Fox) always have brilliantly colored corals. I alwaqys hate when vendors use that excuse to justify brown corals when it's just not true. The most brilliant SPS corals I ever saw came right out of the bag at a wholesaler. Keep in mind those corals were often in the bag for 1.5 - 2 days.

 

Well then my ORA, like my new Miami Orchid, Ant Insignis, Red Planet were all browned out, as you can clearly see. I have had them maybe 5 days. Shipped from FL, over night.





Now I have gotten other great pieces from DD, LA and Battle corals that were not browned out.

It's disappointing to think that is the quality of coral they are bagging up then.
I still stand by those types aquacultured because they seem to be hardier over the long run.

 

Reef corner says the same thing. I've seen it too. As long as the shipping isn't delayed, the only reason they arrive brown is because that's how they were.

Reef corner and Jason fox both have nice pieces. RC is all wysiwyg, which is a plus. They also get in oddball SPS like A. robusta or even anacropora sp. on occasion. Generally, I think there are better places to get aquacultured frags than LA/DD, however no one can beat their actual SPS section or even the maricultured section.

 

A lot of times, if it's not wysiwyg, the companies frag off a piece that is growing under the main colony. Where it is getting shaded out, as opposed to off the top in direct light.

 

Oh no those ORA pieces off LA are not wysiwyg unless it states, others wise it's stock frag. In the past I have gotten wysiwyg from other vendors that did brown or the image was an outright fake. My wild pieces from DD are not browned but I would not encourage someone to spend on those unless they know the risk with wild.

I have gotten good pieces off Vivid as well.

 

I been getting mine here. They package extremely well and often throw in very nice freebie frags.
http://uniquecorals.com/

 

Well I guess I'll see next Tues when they deliver my Acropora Spathulata, I'll make the sacrifice and be the guinea pig.