Encrusting acros touching

[HudsonReefer2.0]

It's pretty well encrusted. I'm kind of interested in letting reef politics take its own direction and see what happens so I can better understand the coral dynamics. I see these beautiful SPS tanks with huge colonies all over each other but are there no coral warfare battles going on below the branches where they encrust next to each other?

Let it go then. See what develops. May just meet and stop. I grew things, lost some and grew again. Part of the exp tbh. Only so much real estate. Planning stocking options helps. Not saying that u didn’t. Just from personal exp.

 

[Lavey29]

Let it go then. See what develops. May just meet and stop. I grew things, lost some and grew again. Part of the exp tbh. Only so much real estate. Planning stocking options helps. Not saying that u didn’t. Just from personal exp.

I've kind of tried from day one to let the tank do its thing. Let nature run its course so to speak just as if the corals were in the ocean together touching each other and see what ultimately develops.

Thank you for your posts and all the others that offered good suggestions. I learn something new here everyday.

 

[Lavey29]

Here is an interesting picture from 2 other acros in the tank. Look how they keep a small line of space between their encrusted bases.

 

[Bribo12]

They’re just social distancing. Very covid safe acros

 

[Lavey29]

They’re just social distancing. Very covid safe acros

Now that's funny

 

[Dorado]

I have multiple colonies where a more aggressive acro is invading another acro's space either by bleaching the perimeter or just encrusting right over it. If I don't want to move the colony being attacked, I put a strip of mounting putty (usually 3/4" - 1" wide) along the front line of the aggressor's encrustation and leave it there for a day or two. Then I easily remove the putty with some forceps, revealing a dead patch and temporarily stopping the aggressive coral's advance. This might be something that you have to continue to do off and on, but I have had some success with stopping the aggressor in its tracks.

 

[Lavey29]

I have multiple colonies where a more aggressive acro is invading another acro's space either by bleaching the perimeter or just encrusting right over it. If I don't want to move the colony being attacked, I put a strip of mounting putty (usually 3/4" - 1" wide) along the front line of the aggressor's encrustation and leave it there for a day or two. Then I easily remove the putty with some forceps, revealing a dead patch and temporarily stopping the aggressive coral's advance. This might be something that you have to continue to do off and on, but I have had some success with stopping the aggressor in its tracks.

Very innovative approach, thanks for sharing.

 

[homer1475]

Just like any other coral, where they touch is warfare. One will win encrusting onto the other, they most certainly do not play nice next to each other.

I have a pretty ugly brown encrusting acro(supposed to be snipers blue or something, but it;'s just a large brown ugly turd) that has taken over 60% of my rockwork. It completely overgrew my strawberry shortcake, tried to overtake my oregon tort, and is just a plain fast grower.

On most of my acros, where they touch is usually warfare, and some cyano develops on the dying tissue. I can always tell when my acro's are warring as I'll typically see a patch of cyano on the dying flesh. The dead flesh never progresses past where the 2 corals touch.

I have some tabling acro right next to my copps 24K gold milli, that are pretty entwined with each other now. Where they touch, the milli died, but only where they touch. If a branch is longer, the ends continue to grow just fine. The milli only dies off exactly where they touch, and the damage never increases past where they touch.

 

[SamMule]

Only the touching areas will be affected. Yes, one usually wins over the other, but it's a slow process. Lots of different SPS fighting it out in Here.

PC rainbow on the left edge is encrusting over the sarmentosa front center. Fox flame and sarmentosa have sort of established a DMZ between them that algae has decided to take hold in. If you look up a bit, the sarmentosa is encrusting over the pink monti and has crawled up the ledge and is starting to grow over the the Cali tort.

 

[Lavey29]

Only the touching areas will be affected. Yes, one usually wins over the other, but it's a slow process. Lots of different SPS fighting it out in Here.

PC rainbow on the left edge is encrusting over the sarmentosa front center. Fox flame and sarmentosa have sort of established a DMZ between them that algae has decided to take hold in. If you look up a bit, the sarmentosa is encrusting over the pink monti and has crawled up the ledge and is starting to grow over the the Cali tort.

Very cool, thanks for posting. This is what I thought would occur too. My frags are set up very similar to your placement also.

 

[ClownSchool]

Depending on the stress to the losing coral, STN ‘may’ set in.
depending on how you feel about keeping the losing coral in your tank, it’s something to consider.

This is the confusing part to me. Will the other acros sting only affect the area they are currently touching or will it envelop the whole other acro with STN?

 

[Shevlin77]

Bumping for an update.

I have some that formed a wall, like a big lip between them, some growing over others as well. but have yet to see any major tissue loss. fwiw

 

[HomebroodExotics]

Bumping for an update.

I have some that formed a wall, like a big lip between them, some growing over others as well. but have yet to see any major tissue loss. fwiw

Out of curiosity would you mind telling me what you dose to your aquarium on a regular basis? Thanks.