GSP rock cover question

NE reefer · Mar 22, 2023

Hello everyone,
I’ve been building my reef tank for about two years. My goal has always been to grow a tank that has that cool natural overgrown look. With that said my end goal would be to have greater than 90 % of my rock work covered.

Here is my question:
If I put GSP on my main rock structure will it bother established leather corals, zoanthids ect or will it grow around and through existing corals.

I’m currently growing GSP on my back glass but have been Leary to let it grow on the main rock structure.
If I can’t use GSP, my alternative approach would be to use mushrooms as “ground cover”

what are your thoughts and experience with this? Please share pictures.
Thank you

Anemone_Fanatic · Mar 22, 2023

I'm trying to do the same thing. My GSP has only been in the tank for a few weeks, so I don't have any personal experience with the concept. I don't believe that it will overgrow larger colonies of a soft coral. It might choke out small frags or overtake LPS and SPS, though. It will also halt most horizontal growth, so while it might not cover a zoa colony, it will prevent its expansion. Mine doesn't seem to have a very powerful sting, it's visibly growing around a hitchhiker discosoma shroom that came on the same rock. Their philosophy of growth seems to be outgrowing everything around them, not attacking and conquering space like other corals do. Wish torch corals grew in the same way.

Aqua Man · Mar 22, 2023

GSP started growing up the stems of my zoas and eventually smothered them. There was Zoas between the GSP and Xenia. Also started to crowd out the Xenia. Xenia tried to hold its own , but eventually started to loose. The Alveopora did keep the right side from spreading some though.