Coral coloration

[Bennett Ladenheim]

Does all of a particular coral need to receive sufficient PAR for all of it to color up as desired (all other parameters and conditions being ideal for discussion sake)? For example, if an encrusting monti is placed very high on a large vertical rock and tends to grow downward, if it is receiving adequate PAR at the top and coloring nicely would it likely retain the same/preferred colors as it grows downward even if so much so that it reaches depths far below the target PAR it is receiving above? I’d be inclined to think so and that the coral “forwards” the high PAR benefits throughout itself much as medicine circulates through our bloodstream to different body parts but that’s just my uninformed guess. Let me also ask the question under two scenarios:

1. the new downward growth is in to unshaded areas and
2. the new downward growth eventually reaches shaded areas

Thanks for any input.

 

[Gtinnel]

I can tell you that on the few sps corals that I have that have grown to a decent size, and part that gets shaded underneath do not display the coloration of the parts on top.