Cheap Corals Under $50

Cheap corals, grown the same way as the rest of the farm

People are sometimes surprised that a farm known for rare corals keeps a whole collection under $50. The math is simple. Some corals grow fast enough that one healthy colony gives us a steady supply of frags, and those are the corals that end up here. Zoanthids, Montipora, birdsnest, Cyphastrea, and the hardier LPS fill back in quickly after we cut them, so we can sell them for less. They sit in the same systems, under the same lights, and get the same attention as the pieces in the TSA Vault. To see everything we grow, browse all live corals for sale.

What you will find under $50

Zoanthids make up the largest share of this collection, with named morphs like Scrambled Eggs, Bam Bam, Fruit Loops, and Bob Marley. You can browse all of our zoanthids separately. Next come Montipora caps and digitata, birdsnest coral and Stylophora, and encrusting Cyphastrea like Meteor Shower. There are also chalice corals, Favia, candy canes, Duncans, soft corals like green star polyps and xenia, and a rotating group of Acropora frags. Only in-stock corals show up here, so the lineup changes every day.

Easy corals versus corals that need a mature tank

A low price does not make a coral easy. Zoanthids, candy canes, Cyphastrea, Duncans, mushrooms, and green star polyps are forgiving under low to moderate light, which is why so many of them are also in our beginner corals collection. Montipora, birdsnest, and Stylophora want more light and flow and do best once a tank has settled. The Acropora here are true SPS corals and need high light, strong flow, and alkalinity, calcium, and magnesium that hold steady week to week. Check the care details on each listing, compare popular picks in the chart below, or look a coral up in our coral glossary.

How to read our listings

Many frags here are sold as Almost WYSIWYG. You get a frag of the same coral, similar in size and shape to the one in the photo but not that exact piece, and you save money for it. Unless a listing says otherwise, those frags sit on plugs about 3/4 to 1 inch across. Letters at the front of a name, like ORA, WWC, JF, or TSA, tell you which farm or grower first named that coral. If you want the exact coral in the photo, shop our WYSIWYG corals instead.

Getting the most out of a coral budget

Livestock ships FedEx Priority Overnight for $39, or free once you have $299 in livestock in your cart. Most frags on this page cost between $35 and $50, so seven or eight of them gets you to free shipping, which is the easiest way to save on a first order. For more value, check our Weekly Coral Specials, build your own pack with the Coral Pack Builder, or pick up a ready-made coral frag pack.

Overnight shipping and our Alive Arrival Guarantee

We ship livestock within the 48 contiguous United States, and most shipments arrive by 10:30 AM local time. If a coral arrives dead, submit a DOA request with photos within 2 hours of the FedEx delivery time and we will credit you a replacement coral or store credit. Our acclimation center walks through getting new frags into your tank, and our shipping policy and refund policy cover the details.