How to Put Favia on Sandbed?

[VR28man]

Hey all,

Got my first (and last, for several months at least) coral*. It's a neat red favia.

I would like it to grow "massive"style, i.e. on the sandbed in a brain coral formation. It's on a frag plug right now, that it's encrusted onto a bit. I'm a bit loath to remove it off the frag plug.

Should I just put the plug on the sand? Or should I, maybe after a few days, carefully cut it off the plug? And if so should I just put it, base down, directly in the sand?

Thanks!

*if you don't count two zoanthids, which some ppl don't. :)

 

[timrocks311]

If you want it to grow massive in a typically rounded formation you'll want to mount it to a rock. You can break it off the frag plug and mount it to a rock, or better yet, mount it to a small rock, then mount that rock to a bigger rock. Or you can maybe chip off the frag plug where it isn't encrusted so when you mount it doesn't look like a frag disk.

 

[VR28man]

Thanks! (eta for clarity: if massive grown occurs when it's on rocks) How will it grow (i.e. what shape), then, if it's put in the sand?