Same exact corals, same environment but different results overall

[Lavey29]

I am wondering how many have experiences this phenomena in the hobby. I have 2 basically identical hammer corals about 10 inches apart near the bottom of the tank. They get the same par and flow levels yet over the past year one has gone from 2 heads to 10 heads and the other has only gone from 2 heads to 3 heads (but they are big size). I have a row of torches mid tank. They all get the same par and flow. One has gone from 2 heads to 8 heads. The one right next to it 2 heads to only 3 heads. The 3rd one has only 2 heads but they have grown large diameter and the 4th one has gone from 2 heads to 4 huge heads. all 4 torches showing different growth patterns under identical tank conditions. I have 2 vivid blue tort acros on either end of the tank in the exact same spots on the rocks so identical par and flow but on either side of the tank. One has completely based out and grown neon green with purple highlights and blue tips. The other has based out and grown purple color with green highlights and blue tips. Growth patterns basically identical but completely different coloring.

Do you guys experience this much in your tanks? Identical corals but vastly different growth or coloring? I am curious to frag off portions from the same coral and see if they grow differently also. Nature is so cool.

 

[Battlecorals Verified Sponsor]

Yep I definitely do with sps

 

[morrisDR]

Depends. Maybe the corals that grow faster are closer to The dosing pumps. Maybe some trace elements are low meaning that the corals close to it can grab the most Of them.

 

[zheka757]

I believe any coral, until its FULL colony (5-6 heads, or branches is not colony) will never growth same, we don't know what coral is recovering from when it being fragged from colony, they all have different recovery time.

 

[Gtinnel]

I had two acro frags from the same colony (I guess I am assuming they’re from the same colony), bought at the same time, and introduced to the tank the exact same way, and they were placed beside each other on the frag rack. One coral died within a few days and the other one is still alive.
It’s always amazed me that two identical frags treated identically can have vastly different outcomes.