Will encrusting montis get along?

[gar732]

Will encrusting montis get along like monti caps do or will they sting and kill each other? I have a rock that I would like to put a few different encrusting montis on but I don't want to kill them. Anyone ever try this or have them grow into each other?

 

[ja4207]

IME they don't tend to KILL one another but rather one wins the growth battle and starts to overgrow the other. But my expirence is limited to one episode I had, others may need to chime in here.

 

[gar732]

Which ones did you have?

 

[ja4207]

Sunset and a blue one hehe Can't remember the name.... The blue one is winning.

 

[Aquatic Life Direct]

I saw a friends tank a few days ago and saw that he had a sunset monti that was clearly winning the growth battle against a tropicana twister monti

 

[gar732]

I was thinking a sunset, superman, and mystic sunset or rainbow. I guess their growth rates would have to be taken into consideration. Does the blue one grow faster than the sunset?

 

[gar732]

I saw a friends tank a few days ago and saw that he had a sunset monti that was clearly winning the growth battle against a tropicana twister monti

Killing it or growing over it?

 

[dakotasreef]

I've had them kill each other where they touch. One of my rainbow encrusting killed part of my Tyree undata and start to grow over. But I have had two different rainbows grow together and they now are identical. Luckily it now looks like the nice one.

If they are the same species they might merge.

 

[Nanofins]

As others said, the growth battle is where you will usually see the biggest issue. IME, most montis will have little turf wars where they touch, but it doesn't result in any major damage. In the end one keeps pushing forward more than the other and starts to gain ground. I have my setosa, along with a pokerstar digi and forestfire digi all growing on the same rock. They've basically covered all available real-estate and at this point I keep them in their little corners by occasionally taking the rock out and killing an inch or so border area between each monti with superglue and only allowing them to grow outwards/upwards. Sometimes if I'm more industrious I'll take my chisel gouge to them and hack out the middle areas to make some frags, but that's a lot more work that breaking off outer areas.

 

[Graham's Aquaculture]

I've experienced a few growing together, never experienced any stinging or extending filaments. Looking at a pokerstar and rainbow growing into each other, it seems to be which can grow over the other.

 

[m and m]

They will kill each other and if they dont one will out grow the other.

 

[RalphsReef]

I have a combo rock with sunset and mystic sunset that have grown against each other. They seem to be at a stalemate, as neither is killing or overgrowing each other.

 

[Curtie44]

I think it depends on the monti's. In my case, my Sunset is outgrowing AND killing this purple monti:

 

[SteezySPS]

i have a superman and rainbow and rather than fight, the rainbow grew over it by sorta plating.

 

[Joe Knows Reefs]

i have a superman and rainbow and rather than fight, the rainbow grew over it by sorta plating.

I have the same exact thing happening right now

 

[gar732]

I guess the key is finding a few that have the same growth rate.