Saving sticks question

[KenRexford]

Suppose you have an sps break off and fall onto a coral below, or whatever. The end result is often a stick like a popsicle with a dead branch ending with thriving coral polyps downbranch, if you will. Suppose you plan to mount the branch by sticking the dead part in some putty and the pushing it into some hole. Would you run the putty up to the good polyps to let them grow more easily onto the dry putty or will the polyps grow down the stem to the base rock, or is this method so idiotic and wrong that the answer is pointless?

 

[MnFish1]

Suppose you have an sps break off and fall onto a coral below, or whatever. The end result is often a stick like a popsicle with a dead branch ending with thriving coral polyps downbranch, if you will. Suppose you plan to mount the branch by sticking the dead part in some putty and the pushing it into some hole. Would you run the putty up to the good polyps to let them grow more easily onto the dry putty or will the polyps grow down the stem to the base rock, or is this method so idiotic and wrong that the answer is pointless?

It seems confusing what you're asking. The stick with the popsicle - will re-grow. when you're talking about the 'branch' is where it gets confusing. I would leave the broken (larger ) piece where it is - and mount the smaller (broken off) piece - somewhere else. Note there is also a debate whether the broken piece shoudl be mounted to something - or the healthy tip - with the broken piece in the free flow

 

[KenRexford]

To be more precise, imagine a straight stick 1.5 inches long. The lower 3/4 inch is dead and white. The upper 3/4 inch has beautiful polyps. I take that, smudge putty around the dead part, and shove it in a live rock hole. Tada! However, there’s a future problem lurking. If the base never fattens up, the new growth weight will snap the dead base off, and I start over. So, I need the polyps to grow down to the live rock to fatten up a nice trunk. Will the polyps grow over the dead branch still sticking out of the putty? Should I make a collar/cone of putty all the way up to the healthy polyps? Is this putty-and-hole solution just an idiotic ticking time bomb?

 

[MnFish1]

To be more precise, imagine a straight stick 1.5 inches long. The lower 3/4 inch is dead and white. The upper 3/4 inch has beautiful polyps. I take that, smudge putty around the dead part, and shove it in a live rock hole. Tada! However, there’s a future problem lurking. If the base never fattens up, the new growth weight will snap the dead base off, and I start over. So, I need the polyps to grow down to the live rock to fatten up a nice trunk. Will the polyps grow over the dead branch still sticking out of the putty? Should I make a collar/cone of putty all the way up to the healthy polyps? Is this putty-and-hole solution just an idiotic ticking time bomb?

OH - I get it - I would cut off the living piece and cement it where I want it. I would not use putty - I would use superglue (designed for reef tanks)