Tips for removing SPS from live rock

[kartrsu]

I have some decently large healthy stylo colonies that are encrusted onto live rock. Planning a tank upgrade down the road but with new rock. Is it safe to use a saw and cut the colony off at the base? Ideally I would cut the encrusted base, but if I cut above, I’m wondering if the coral could encrust again. The only issue I can think of is that the base does not receive that much light so the polyps are much lighter in color so I worry it would jeopardize the colony. The alternative would be to frag into pieces and start from a frag again. :(.

 

[mtraylor]

I would take yourself a couple frags from it and sell the colony.

 

[Sumo Reef]

I have some decently large healthy stylo colonies that are encrusted onto live rock. Planning a tank upgrade down the road but with new rock. Is it safe to use a saw and cut the colony off at the base? Ideally I would cut the encrusted base, but if I cut above, I’m wondering if the coral could encrust again. The only issue I can think of is that the base does not receive that much light so the polyps are much lighter in color so I worry it would jeopardize the colony. The alternative would be to frag into pieces and start from a frag again. :(.

Cut it off at the base. You can glue it back and it will re-encrust on the new rock just fine.

 

[X-37B]

I did the same when I broke down my 120. Used channel locks to break most colonies free. Most were to big to cut with bone cutters. Some I had to remove the rock to cut. Many I just fragged and regrew.
The purple stylo I fragged so my wife bleached the rest and used it in her artwork display.
It really depends on the colony size as I had to give some away.

 

[kartrsu]

The base of my purple stylo is white but has polyps, is that a sign it’s better to frag or can it still encrust again? Up in the top left.

 

[Spare time]

The base of my purple stylo is white but has polyps, is that a sign it’s better to frag or can it still encrust again? Up in the top left.

That is how my stylo grows too (white polyps at the base

 

[Sumo Reef]

They are white at the base because no sunlight reaches that spot, so the coral redirects the zooxanthellae to the upper parts. The coral is still alive in that area :)