Acros encrusting eggcrate

[Sangheili]

So those of you with large frag setups, how do you handle the acros trying to encrust your eggcrate? Do you ignore it? Mount them to larger tiles? Or do something else?

Lots of mine are starting to grow under the plugs and some onto the egg crate. Wondering if there are tricks on how to handle it :wink:

 

[Joeganja]

put them on rocks lol

 

[kacrocorals581]

+1 what you waiting for

 

[DomC]

Just bring them to my place.

 

[ksfulk]

I find that once my frags start encrusting onto the rack its time to move them to an area of the rack with slightly less flow. Generally sps will encrust and thicken if they are in really heavy flow areas so they have a better support structure. I have a 34" long frag rack in my setup at the moment, and at the end of the rack (nearest the powerheads) I tend to place the thinner, more spindly frags. They tend to encrust and thicken at the main branch for several weeks/months before starting to take off. I then move those towards the center of the rack (more light, less direct flow) and they usually start sending up branches from the base at that point. If I do get a stubborn frag that keeps encrusting onto the rack, I let it go a little bit, and then break off the encrustation (?) and mount it onto another frag after moving the original culprit. Ive had good success with moving the frags around on the rack this way. With some montis and other encrusting corals (psammacora and leptos) I place them on a small tile (3x3 is the measurements I think) and then they get moved off the rack (usually onto the sand) at that point.

Might be difficult to move the frags if you dont have a good sized frag rack, but thats how I deal with the issue.

 

[Sangheili]

I find that once my frags start encrusting onto the rack its time to move them to an area of the rack with slightly less flow. Generally sps will encrust and thicken if they are in really heavy flow areas so they have a better support structure. I have a 34" long frag rack in my setup at the moment, and at the end of the rack (nearest the powerheads) I tend to place the thinner, more spindly frags. They tend to encrust and thicken at the main branch for several weeks/months before starting to take off. I then move those towards the center of the rack (more light, less direct flow) and they usually start sending up branches from the base at that point. If I do get a stubborn frag that keeps encrusting onto the rack, I let it go a little bit, and then break off the encrustation (?) and mount it onto another frag after moving the original culprit. Ive had good success with moving the frags around on the rack this way. With some montis and other encrusting corals (psammacora and leptos) I place them on a small tile (3x3 is the measurements I think) and then they get moved off the rack (usually onto the sand) at that point.

Might be difficult to move the frags if you dont have a good sized frag rack, but thats how I deal with the issue.

Interesting note on the flow. I have been pretty much doing the clip and mount to tiles thing. Boy do those tiles take up space in your frag tank! I have a big frag setup but its nearly full now :bigsmile:

I have way more acros then I will ever mount in the display. And many of the ones I plan to mount are growing out in the frag tank first. I want to get a good idea of the color and growth form before finding the IDEAL location for them in the display. Not to mention I can get them acclimated to the right light before moving them and not have to do the light acclimation in the display.

 

[ksfulk]

Interesting note on the flow. I have been pretty much doing the clip and mount to tiles thing. Boy do those tiles take up space in your frag tank! I have a big frag setup but its nearly full now :bigsmile:

I have way more acros then I will ever mount in the display. And many of the ones I plan to mount are growing out in the frag tank first. I want to get a good idea of the color and growth form before finding the IDEAL location for them in the display. Not to mention I can get them acclimated to the right light before moving them and not have to do the light acclimation in the display.

Having a "mini-colony" to mount is so much nicer, in my opinion. I was looking at my rack this morning and I have several micro sps that are growing between the plugs. Some of the coral growing there I havent had frags of in months! Its like a built in back up! The worst part for me is when they overgrow the plugs, I cant read what the name is of the frag anymore. I should start keeping a notebook or something....