Over 30+ Different Types of Coral Frag Plugs Out There. How Do You Know Which Type to Get?

There are countless frag plugs on the market and while it may seem that they all do primarily the same thing, that couldn’t be further from the truth. Our BRStv Buyer's Guide will help you buy with confidence and ultimately decide which frag plug varieties make sense for your reefing needs.

The Overall Best Seller And The Choice For SPS: Ocean Wonders Ceramic Frag Plugs

These are your standard ceramic frag plugs that fit very nicely in your egg crate and most frag racks. These ceramic plugs are a good option for those who frag a lot of SPS corals and don’t want them blowing around their tank. They also happen to be Randy’s favorite plugs for their cost and inert chemical makeup.

Ryan’s Favorites: Ocean Wonders Hawaiian Black Ceramic Frag Plugs & Rock Rubble

These black ceramic plugs are very similar to the white ones, but they will not grow algae as quickly. This is a great way to slow the growth of pest algae that tends to appear on your frag plugs. You might also find that the dark color blends into your aquascape better than their stark white counterparts.
On that note, if you want to create a frag that will remain in your display aquarium and not stick out like a sore thumb, rock rubble is also an excellent option. Rubble comes in a standard white dry rock as well as a purple variety to mimic Coraline algae growth but regardless of color, the natural chunks of rock will blend into your aquascape far better than a plug or disc. 

The Best For LPS Corals: Frag Disks

Frag disks provide a larger surface area for LPS corals and encrusting corals to be mounted. There is no base so they can easily be glued onto your aquascape without having to cut off the base. On that same coin, they won't rest securely in your typical frag rack and have a tendency to slide around. 

The Best For Encrusting Corals: Frag Tiles

Frag tiles provide the most possible surface areas for any encrusting LPS and SPS corals. It is very easy to create additional frags out of these tiles by scoring the back with a saw or removing tiles that were previously glued together. Tiles also work well for SPS frags when you want to create a wide base before they grow vertically.

The Most Natural Look: Rock Rubble+Frag Mounts

These are the best options when it comes to ditching those eye-soar frag plugs for a more display-friendly choice. Regardless of how big your coral grows, you will still always see the circular plug at a corals base. The CaribSea LifeRock FragZone & the Real Reef Frag Rock are both purple to match the Coraline algae growth within your reef tank. If your reef is relatively new and your rock is still white, going with the Marco Rock MR Frag Mounts would be the ideal option. Ocean Wonders also makes synthetic frag rocks in white to match your newly started reef.

Other Considerations: Aquadomes

Branching Euphyllia frags would look great on these Aquadomes and they will create a pedestal for you to display the coral on your rockwork or, on top of your sand bed. Aquadomes are exactly that, a conical dome shape that provides a heavy weighted base for tall or top-heavy corals that need to stand upright.  

Best For Fighting Algae: Any Black Frag Plugs

As noted above, dark frag plugs will not grow algae as fast. The dark color absorbs aquarium light much better slowing down the growth of algae when compared to light-colored plugs. Most aquaculture facilities use black plugs for this exact reason. Purple plugs will also work very well and they will blend in even better with your live rock.

Best For Mass Fragging: Kiln-Dried Ceramic Frag Plugs

These plugs are the most inert and they will not make any changes to your water chemistry. Therefore, adding a lot of them to your system at once should not cause any harm to your tank.

Some Other Frag Placement Tips:

Leaving space or a crack when initially placing your frag will allow you the opportunity to easily remove it should you ever desire to in the future. Also, be conservative with glue for this same reason, it makes it tough to remove the coral down the road.  Covering live coral tissue in glue can also cause poor health and at the very least make it difficult for new coral to grow.