Intentional predation to stimulate growth

[cilyjr]

 Theory
In natural reefs there are many predators that eat pretty much all species of coral. That predation which would regularly bite tips ect actually keep coral colonies "stimulated" for lack of a better term, to grow faster.


The individual who brought up the notion suggested that smaller frags tend to take off pretty quickly and then significantly slow down their growth. I'm not sure I have seen that per se, but I'm intrigued by this theory.

Many years ago I was at @Greg Hiller house and he had a coral eating file fish. When I asked him about it, he commented that he didn't care that he had so much growth the fish could not possibly destroy the massive colonies that he had.

The idea is if you have a larger Aquarium I would suggest 300 or 400 gallons is keeping a single coral eating fish potentially helpful and stimulating growth?

Thoughts?

 

[gdemos]

This would be a practical application of the ‘broken bones grow back stronger’ theory; and arguably sensible. However I suggest if Bothe the predation were relentless And the environment was not supportive of regrowth, you’d not see the healing rate keep up. Our corals are regenerating machines. Think of it, do corals die of old age or do other factors dictate their fate? Id say the latter.

Balancing the food source of predators of corals to keep excessive predation in check, while ensuring the water & system quality (chemical/bacterial/biological/flow/light) is likely the perfect harmony. Predation to spur regeneration is unquestionably a recipe that can contribute to success providing all else in the system has a proper balance. Id agree that comparing two perfectly balanced systems, one with and one without an ‘in check’ level of predation; the system with predation would enjoy the benefits of greater natural selection .

 

[Reefer Matt]

This may be an interesting solution to a problem some reefers may have with full tanks. I regularly have to trim montipora and pocillopora in my sps tank to deal with shading and coral warfare. Often the frags are discarded because no one wants them. Maybe a small pufferfish or or angel could help instead. But as luck would have it, they may eat my favorite acros.
I have cut the tops off of acro frags that didn't grow much past the nub they came with. This caused the frags to grow out multiple new nubs and branch out. But they were at least a year in the tank though.

 

[Graffiti Spot]

I kept a emperator in a marineland 3’ cube as long as I could and it was eating tips all over the tank. It got big enough to fully change and start grunting very loud, so loud I thought it was a pump about to give out randomly through the day. I would not say it was stimulating anything though. These fish that chop off the tips always eat the healthiest corals though, and it never hurts the coral if it’s a good size.

 

[cilyjr]

However I suggest if Bothe the predation were relentless And the environment was not supportive of regrowth, you’d not see the healing rate keep up

I agree. For this theory to have some merit, I would suggest that we need a large healthy environment to be successful. I concern would be the corallavore would take a particular interest in a specific species.
Maybe a non issue if it's Pocillipora Damicornis but what if it's a small frag of an A. Tenuis that you've been nurturing?

 

[cilyjr]

Here is a scholarly article suggesting 1 potential benefit.

Fish predation on corals promotes the dispersal of coral symbionts - Animal Microbiome

Background The microbiomes of foundation (habitat-forming) species such as corals and sponges underpin the biodiversity, productivity, and stability of ecosystems. Consumers shape communities of foundation species through trophic interactions, but the role of consumers in dispersing the...

animalmicrobiome.biomedcentral.com

 

[cilyjr]

I would not say it was stimulating anything though

Thanks for sharing your experience.

Why would not say that?
Did you add the fish and not anything significant? Was there any measuring or control done?

I'm not picking on you I am truly 100% interested in anyone's insite, even anecdotal, on this idea.

 

[cilyjr]

I have cut the tops off of acro frags that didn't grow much past the nub they came with. This caused the frags to grow out multiple new nubs and branch out. But they were at least a year in the tank though.

This is interesting anecdotal information. Hoping to see more of this.
If one reads the article I posted, it will suggest that there are more benefits to the fish predation versus just cutting themselves. Part of that is the fecal matter that is dispersed from the corallivores. Check it out and let me know what you think!