SPS Corals using other species’ skeletons?

[Twink_w_a_Reef]

Corals sometimes die off and regrow, they don’t build a new skeleton they just ‘resurrect’ the dead one. Has anyone heard of any cases of say for instance, a montipora being close to a dead stylophora, and colonizing it’s skeleton?
I have a montipora and stylophora skeleton and I know the idea sounds crazy but should I try it? Does it sound possible?

 

[reefluvrr]

Cool idea to try....that's how great inventions are made.
my guess would be that it would over the skeleton much like how the sps encrust over rocks.

 

[uhgster1]

Absolutely. I have a green slimer that has merged into a garden bonsai and a deep water acro. And I have a bubblegum digi that looks like it’s about to merge with a red cap. The montiporas have my attention right now. I’m curious if they will graft together. Should be interesting.

 

[Twink_w_a_Reef]

Absolutely. I have a green slimer that has merged into a garden bonsai and a deep water acro. And I have a bubblegum digi that looks like it’s about to merge with a red cap. The montiporas have my attention right now. I’m curious if they will graft together. Should be interesting.

Amazing!!! I’ll have to look into getting some more coral skeletons

 

[Softhammer]

It’s totally possible. They overgrow ( encrust) the skeleton, not re colonize it. I blew away some guys at the lfs trading in some “branching” rainbow montipora. simply an encruster that took over and killed an Acro Millepora section of a 20” colony.

 

[speedstar]

Excuse the GHA, been fighting dino cyno GHA for a couple months now it is settled to just GHA so I am letting the cleanup crew eventually just get to it.

This monti decided to like my fox flame that I lost in the dino battle.

 

[Twink_w_a_Reef]

Excuse the GHA, been fighting dino cyno GHA for a couple months now it is settled to just GHA so I am letting the cleanup crew eventually just get to it.

This monti decided to like my fox flame that I lost in the dino battle.

No problem mine was worse lol. And that’s pretty cool!!! I wonder if I could grow something on a Staghorn skeleton

 

[Alexopora]

Corals sometimes die off and regrow, they don’t build a new skeleton they just ‘resurrect’ the dead one. Has anyone heard of any cases of say for instance, a montipora being close to a dead stylophora, and colonizing it’s skeleton?
I have a montipora and stylophora skeleton and I know the idea sounds crazy but should I try it? Does it sound possible?

This is how I frag my porites. Sincd they grow thick club like branches which makes it hard to frag with a bone cutter. I would snip away abit of the top and glue an acropora skeleton (i would buy some dead corals from the lfs) and let it encrust.