How to mount?

[dopey]

I've had this candycane in the sand for a couple weeks now. I'd like to move him to the rock work.



He is on a branch of some sort. Should I cut it very close to the polyp? or is it better to keep a few cm of it, and glue that? I think the entire piece is too long to mount.

Also suggestions on where:




I am thinking either the front lower left corner on the first picture, but that'll be pretty high flow. Or the left corner on the second picture.

Any tips welcome.. this will be first time trying to mount a coral, i've got a product called corafix.

 

[29bonsaireef]

Candy Cane coral can grow in pretty low light IME. I would not cut anything off of it. If you can buy some reef putty/epoxy you can push the base into the epoxy and glue it to your rock work.

 

[dopey]

The branch is crazy long, 2-3" long. Shouldnt I get the coral as close to rock as possible so it can encrust it?

 

[a6walter1]

A trumpet coral, or candy cane as some call it, is an LPS coral (Large Polyp Stony). These corals do not encrust, but rather grow branches.

I would mount it the way it is, so that it has room to branch out.

 

[DesertReefT4r]

Find a place mid to lower on the rock with a hole that the base will fit in. Get some reef putty and glue it it place. Dont cut it. These corals branch by splitting heads as they grow, the split head will grow in 2 polyps and each will grow out as a branch. This happens over and over again and in a year you will have a baseball sized candy cane coral. Be sure to spot feed it with some decent coral food and mysis about once a week. These corals will eat and grow faster when fed.

 

[dopey]

Thanks for the reply. I knew how the coral grew in terms of one starting to split into two and eventually forming two unique branches, but for some reason assumed all stony corals did encrust.Was also confused since the frag I bought had two polyps still joined somewhat, and have a hard time visualizing how they'll eventually split into two unique heads.

I guess I am confused how this thing will grow, as it's sitting on a 'small' top of a branch. It looks like the two polyps on it are in process of splitting, since they are still connected. Guess time will tell how. My thinking was since these two were sitting on top of this 'stick', it made sense to get them as close to a large base like the rock, instead of continuing to grow on the end of a stick?

Really dumb question, this stick/branch i'm talking about.. is that part of the coral ? I had assumed the polyps encrusted(s) onto the stick.. not that the stick was grown by the coral?!

 

[29bonsaireef]

The branch is part of the coral. This is how many LPS grow. Hammers, Torch corals, Frogspawn, etc.. and most do not encrust. The branch you see is calcium deposit that is generated beneath the living polyp. As the coral grows upwards and out it will leave behind the skeleton (branch) that may still have living tissue inside. So it's best not to cut, and let it continue to grow how it is.

 

[dopey]

Thanks for the information. Surprising that long of a branch grew from those small polyps. I knew they formed branches but that long?

I'm tempted to keep it down in the sand in this case for a while. From what I read they do good with lower/medium light and low/medium flow. I think it could look good front right of the tank down in the sand area as it turns into a cluster.

thanks again!