Encrusting corals vs branching corals

[ScottF]

Hello reefers!

On the right side of my tank, I have this demon skull/alien head that I made out of Marco Rock. I have put a bunch of encrusting corals on it with goal of completely encrusting it in various corals.

I'd like to add some corals to it that are a little more three-dimensional. If I were to stick a euphyllia to it, would the encrusters encrust over the euphyllia and kill it? What about other branching stony corals. I have tried to keep encrusters away from my Acros on the other side of the tank for fear that they would encrust over them.

It currently has Porites and Montipora on the big horn. Montipora and Pavona on top. A Chalice on the broken off horn. Stylocoheniella and Cyphastrea on the front. Porites on the side.

 

[bubbgee]

If I were to stick a euphyllia to it, would the encrusters encrust over the euphyllia and kill it? What about other branching stony corals.

Encrusters will kill the euphyllia, if anything by either encrusting or chemical warfare. For branching, they will encroach each other's territory and either side can overrun the other. It's just nature running its course.

 

[ScottF]

What about something like hydnophora? From what I'm reading it seems like they win most battles. Could a branching hydnophora fight off an encrusting monti or cyphastria?

 

[bubbgee]

What about something like hydnophora? From what I'm reading it seems like they win most battles. Could a branching hydnophora fight off an encrusting monti or cyphastria?

Yes, they are really aggressive. I placed mine at the bottom of the tank on its own.
Other observations: I have a manila spy anacropora and an elkhorn acropora and they fused branches at those points. The elkhorn is next to a purple monti and the purple monti would slime when it gets too close to the elkhorn. I have a superman monti that's encrusting around a TNT anacropora and they dont really care about each other (at least at this point). There will be data about SPS aggressiveness online based on species you can take a look at.

Hope that helps with your research.

 

[ScottF]

Yes, they are really aggressive. I placed mine at the bottom of the tank on its own.
Other observations: I have a manila spy anacropora and an elkhorn acropora and they fused branches at those points. The elkhorn is next to a purple monti and the purple monti would slime when it gets too close to the elkhorn. I have a superman monti that's encrusting around a TNT anacropora and they dont really care about each other (at least at this point). There will be data about SPS aggressiveness online based on species you can take a look at.

Hope that helps with your research.

Thanks. This is a topic that I've had the most trouble finding information about online. Tons of info on things like water chemistry, flow, lighting... But I haven't found a good resource that tells me the most likely outcome of something like having a rainbow monti encroaching on a Foxflame acro.

Thus far I've mostly just tried to group corals with like corals and keep encrusters away from my Acros and Gonis..