Coral pricing spans 3 tiers + a designer market that exceeds the rest. Beginner softies ($10-30 per frag): green star polyps, kenya tree, leather coral, common zoanthids (rasta, fire and ice, eagle eye), mushrooms (rhodactis, ricordea florida), pulsing xenia. Intermediate LPS ($30-150 per head): hammer (Euphyllia ancora), frogspawn (E. paradivisa), torch (E. glabrescens), candy cane (Caulastrea), favia, blastomussa, duncan, acan, chalice (small frags). Advanced SPS ($40-200 per 1-2" frag): wild acropora, montipora (capricornis, danae, digitata), stylophora, pocillopora, birdsnest. Designer / named morph tier ($150-3,000+): WWC Bounce mushroom $1,500+, Walt Disney acro $300-800/frag, Jason Fox Homewrecker chalice $200-600, Ultra Goniopora $250-1,500, Bling Bling pavona $400+. Aquaculture vs wild: aquacultured corals (ORA, Tidal Gardens, Battle Corals, ACI, Vivid) typically priced 1.5-3x wild equivalents but adapted to home aquarium parameters. Higher survival rate. Frag vs colony: a 1-2" frag = base price. A 4-6" colony = 5-15x the frag price. Browse live coral listings on Fast Aquatics for current vendor pricing across all tiers, with carrier-tracked shipping + DOA guarantee.
The full Q&A library answers the most-searched aquarium questions. Browse calculators, glossary, and disease database for related help.
Whatever specific topic brought you here, four fundamentals govern long-term aquarium success: water quality, parameter stability, biological filtration, and species-appropriate husbandry. Skip any one and the others struggle to compensate.
Water quality: ammonia + nitrite at zero, nitrate under 30 ppm freshwater + 10 ppm reef. Test weekly with API or Salifert kits. Use our water parameter checker to score your readings against your tank type.
Parameter stability: stable wrong parameters beat fluctuating ideal parameters. Most fish tolerate a wide pH range if it's stable. Sudden swings of 0.4+ pH or 5+°F kill fish faster than chronic suboptimal values. Use temperature controllers (Inkbird) + automated dosing for consistency.
Biological filtration: the bacterial colony on your filter media + rock + substrate is the engine. Never replace all media at once. Use our filter turnover calculator to size correctly.
Species-appropriate husbandry: research adult size, territoriality, diet, and tankmate compatibility before purchase. Use our tank stocking calculator + compatibility guides.
How long does an aquarium take to set up? 4-6 weeks for full cycling + first stocking. Use our cycle ETA calculator + how long does cycling take.
What's the best aquarium for beginners? 20-gallon long. Big enough for parameter stability, small enough for budget + space. See beginner picks.
How often should I do water changes? 25-30% weekly. See water change frequency Q&A + water change calculator.
Why does my fish keep dying? 5 leading causes: uncycled tank, wrong species pairings, no quarantine, undersized tank, neglected water-change schedule. See full diagnosis.
Saltwater livestock · Freshwater livestock · Coral catalog · Care library · Q&A library (222) · Glossary (127) · Disease database (50) · Calculators (29) · Interactive tools (7) · Husbandry deep-dives · DIY projects · State legality directory