I have many, many favorite SPS corals and my tastes have changed over the years. But some of my early favorites are still at the top of my list of must have SPS. Granted, a list of top SPS is very subjective since it comes down to personal preference and taste. What appeals to one reefer may not strike the fancy of another reefer. However, certain corals do generate a lot of buzz among “stick heads”. With that said, here is a list of my top 10 favorite SPS corals.
#1 Tyree Purple Monster
The Tyree Purple Monster is an extremely slow grower. It typically has white polyps with very dense and thick branches. The Purple Monster is one of those original old school corals and today it can be hard to find. It’s a must have for me due to its intense deep purple coloration. And I kinda dig having something rare 😉
#2 Oregon Blue Tort
The Oregon Blue Tort is about a blue as it gets for a coral. It’s just striking and I couldn’t imagine not having one in each of my tanks. Some folks do confuse this Tortuosa with another Tortuosa, the Cali Tort, another one of my favorites, which has some greenish hues on its body.
#3 ACI Pink Spathulata
I acquired the ACI Pink Spathulata about a year ago directly from ACI Aquaculture and it has quickly become one of my favorites. I don’t recall having too many Spathulatas but this one just stands out with its pink corallites and pink and green polyps.
#4 BC Joker 2.0
The Battlecorals Joker 2.0 has deep purple branches and glowing greenish and yellow polyps. The tips of this coral are green and yellow as well and that makes it really pop…a very unique piece.
#5 PC Rainbow
The PC Rainbow is another classic, OG SPS that is bright red. This one grows fast for me in my peninsula tank under LED’s.
#6 BC Hyperberry
I like strawberry shortcake acros A LOT and the Battlecorals Hyperberry is perhaps one of the nicest I have ever seen. I am also a big fan of the Unique Corals Original Strawberry Shortcake.
#7 Jason Fox Homewrecker
The Jason Fox Homewrecker is striking and comes in at number seven on my list. I am not into this whole rainbow tenuis craze but this is one of the few rainbow tenuis that I think lives up to the hype. In my systems this coral seems to color up better under higher PAR values.
#8 ACI Cherry Pie Millie
The ACI Cherry Pie Millie is another coral I acquired about a year ago from ACI. I am a real sucker for any millie, but I am very partial to red and pink millies. This one is super pink.
#9 Palmers Blue Millie
Another one of my favorite millies is the Palmers Blue Millie. This classic checks in at number nine on my list. You don’t see too many blue millies out there so this is one of my must have millies. I am also into sunset millies like the AquaSD Rainbow Millie.
#10 PC Superman Table
I also really dig tabling across so I would be remiss if I didn’t include one on my list. The PC Superman Table is very bright red and thus makes the cut at number 10. This is another classic, OG coral from Pro Corals.
And finally, some honorable mentions….both are classics. One is the Tyree Pink Lemonade. It has beautiful contrasting colors with bright pink polyps and lemon colored branches. Another one is the ORA Pearlberry. This coral has purplish tips, greenish corallites and a gorgeous pearlescent coloration on the branches. There are a lot of imitations out there so beware.
Well, that’s my list and I am sticking to it!
Additional Resources
If you would like some help with a new tank build, including help designing a custom aquarium, or help re-configuring your current setup then you can visit this page for more information. And if you are looking to add some equipment, I do sell GHL, Pax Bellum, Reef Octopus Calcium and Kalk Reactors and Royal Exclusiv products, including Dreamboxes, which is the equipment I use and recommend. I also sell Reef Brite metal halide and LED fixtures as well as Maxspect & IceCap Gyres.
As for additional insights and information, please explore my many other reef tank and SPS related articles as well as my YouTube channel. For an even deeper dive into reef tank care you can check out my Reef Keeping Master Class. This online course is an immersive and one of a kind educational tool designed to help reef aquarium hobbyists build and maintain a beautiful SPS reef tank. The course is a series of video presentations with some supplemental video from my YouTube channel. There are also quizzes to help students retain and understand the information presented in the course.
Need some frags…..I can help with that as well Please visit my SPS Frag store to see what is available.