Cheap Corals Under $50

440 Healthy aquacultured frags at $50 or less, from easy zoanthids to Acropora
Shop cheap corals under $50 from a farm that grows them. Most of the corals on this page are fast growers like zoanthids, Montipora, birdsnest, and Cyphastrea. A healthy colony of any of those gives us a steady supply of frags, and that is the only reason t... Read more Show less

Shop cheap corals under $50 from a farm that grows them. Most of the corals on this page are fast growers like zoanthids, Montipora, birdsnest, and Cyphastrea. A healthy colony of any of those gives us a steady supply of frags, and that is the only reason the price is low. Every frag gets the same care and the same Alive Arrival Guarantee as our rarest pieces. You will find easy corals for a first reef alongside Acropora for established SPS tanks, and our corals under $40 go even lower.

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  • TSA Gamma Knife Hydnophora Coral
    63% OFF

    TSA Gamma Knife Hydnophora Coral

    TSA Gamma Knife Hydnophora Coral
    $29.99 $79.99

    Signature Coral

    Care Level Moderate
    Lighting Moderate–High
    Flow Moderate–High
    Placement Mid–High
  • RR Aussie Gold Tort Acropora Coral
    77% OFF

    RR Aussie Gold Acropora Coral

    RR Aussie Gold Acropora Coral
    $29.99 $129.99

    Signature Coral

    Care Level Difficult
    Lighting High
    Flow High
    Placement High
  • TSA Lemon Laser Clove Polyp Coral
    50% OFF

    TSA Lemon Laser Clove Polyp Coral

    TSA Lemon Laser Clove Polyp Coral
    $39.99 $79.99

    Almost WYSIWYG

    Care Level Easy
    Lighting Moderate
    Flow Moderate
    Placement Low–Mid
  • WWC Cookie Monster Acropora Coral
    63% OFF

    Cookie Monster Acropora Coral

    Cookie Monster Acropora Coral
    $29.99 $79.99

    Signature Coral

    Care Level Difficult
    Lighting High
    Flow High
    Placement High
  • TSA Bali Blue Slimer Acropora Coral
    70% OFF

    TSA Bali Blue Slimer Acropora Coral

    TSA Bali Blue Slimer Acropora Coral
    $29.99 $99.99

    Signature Coral

    Care Level Difficult
    Lighting High
    Flow High, turbulent
    Placement High
  • GB Fury Acropora Coral
    60% OFF

    GB Fury Acropora Coral

    GB Fury Acropora Coral
    $49.99 $124.99

    Signature Coral

    Care Level Difficult
    Lighting High
    Flow High
    Placement High
  • TSA Exquisita Stag Acropora Coral
    50% OFF

    TSA Exquisita Stag Acropora Coral

    TSA Exquisita Stag Acropora Coral
    $39.99 $79.99

    Signature Coral

    Care Level Difficult
    Lighting High
    Flow High
    Placement High
  • Sky Walker Mushroom Coral
    10% OFF

    Sky Walker Mushroom Coral

    Sky Walker Mushroom Coral
    $44.99 $49.99

    Signature Coral

Popular live coral picks

Compare Popular Corals Under $50

Compare our most popular live corals by care level, lighting, flow, growth, placement, and temperament — from beginner-friendly softies to advanced SPS.

Answers

Cheap Corals FAQ

Where can I buy cheap corals online?
Buying straight from an aquaculture farm is usually the best value, because the frags are cut from colonies already growing in captivity and have not passed through a chain of wholesalers. Every coral on this page is $50 or less and ships from our farm by FedEx Priority Overnight. For the lowest prices, also check our Weekly Coral Specials, Corals Under $40, and Coral Frag Packs.

How much do corals typically cost?
It mostly comes down to how fast the coral grows and how many people want it. Small frags of hardy, fast-growing corals like zoanthids, Montipora, and birdsnest usually cost $20 to $50. Named color morphs and slower LPS cost more, and one-of-a-kind WYSIWYG colonies can run from a few hundred dollars to over $1,000. Everything in this collection is under $50, and our rarest pieces are in the TSA Vault.

Are cheap corals lower quality?
They should not be, and ours are not. A coral is inexpensive when it grows fast and fills back in quickly, which lets us cut a lot of frags from one colony. The frags on this page come out of the same systems, get the same care, and carry the same Alive Arrival Guarantee as our high-end corals. The one thing to watch is care level: a $45 Acropora frag still needs everything an Acropora needs.

What are the best cheap corals for beginners?
Zoanthids, candy cane corals, Cyphastrea, Duncans, and mushrooms are the ones we point new reefers to first. They handle low to moderate light, bounce back from small swings, and let you learn placement without much risk. Green star polyps, xenia, and Anthelia are also easy but spread fast, so give them their own rock. Hold off on Acropora and other SPS until your alkalinity, calcium, and magnesium have been stable for a few months.

Is it legal to buy coral online?
Yes. In the United States you can legally buy aquarium corals from an established farm or retailer. Aquacultured corals are grown in captivity from frags, and wild stony corals brought into the country need CITES permits. What is illegal in many places, including Florida and Hawaii, is taking live or dead coral from a reef or beach, so buy from a seller who can tell you where each coral came from.

Live coral buying guide

How to Choose Live Corals for Your Reef Aquarium

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.