Pocollipora, a good idea?

Pennywise the Clown · Jan 31, 2020

My first couple of SPS frags were a neon green birdsnest and a green pocillopra. The birdsnest has grown massively whilst the pocillopra is only just starting to take off.
I hear the stories of polyp bailout and I don't want a display of rather boring pocillopora.
Do happy, healthy pocillopra still shed polyps to colonise the display or is this only a last ditch attempt to stay alive?

Reefer40b · Jan 31, 2020

Poci will at some point spread it really no to big of a deal as a little epoxy over it can take care of it... but you will be doing this often especially if its stressed!

Tahoe61 · Jan 31, 2020

I would not have one in my tank.

SeaDweller · Jan 31, 2020

IMO, I’d never have that GSP of SPS in my tank.

ScottR · Jan 31, 2020

I’m curious as well. I’ve had pocillopora in my tank for 8 months or so. I have yet to see it become the beast people say it has. Anyone have pics of proof? I won’t believe it until I see it. My monti caps see more of a nuisance to me.

Bluespottedjawfish1 · Jan 31, 2020

Pennywise the Clown said:
My first couple of SPS frags were a neon green birdsnest and a green pocillopra. The birdsnest has grown massively whilst the pocillopra is only just starting to take off.
I hear the stories of polyp bailout and I don't want a display of rather boring pocillopora.
Do happy, healthy pocillopra still shed polyps to colonise the display or is this only a last ditch attempt to stay alive?

Don’t do it- remove it.

Tahoe61 · Jan 31, 2020

ScottR said:
I’m curious as well. I’ve had pocillopora in my tank for 8 months or so. I have yet to see it become the beast people say it has. Anyone have pics of proof? I won’t believe it until I see it. My monti caps see more of a nuisance to me.

Naww, just spouting nonsense we see on the forums.
I have seen others tear down tanks because of Poccillopora.
One moderator @evolved had such an issue, pretty sure he might still have images.
My personal experience is that this coral does drop polyps, I removed mine before it overwhelmed my tank, back in 2013.

Reefer40b · Jan 31, 2020

ScottR said:
I’m curious as well. I’ve had pocillopora in my tank for 8 months or so. I have yet to see it become the beast people say it has. Anyone have pics of proof? I won’t believe it until I see it. My monti caps see more of a nuisance to me.

I have housed mine a year before it started doing it, a little stress and it will show up... I still keep it and sell it. Never has been a real problem. and yes MONTIs are a nuisance lol more so than the poci for me also...

Kyl · Jan 31, 2020

If you want the pocillipora look, go for a stylo. Get it out of the tank imo, I regret putting it in mine. Once the colony to to about the size of my fist it started sending out little bundles of joy, that pop up all over the tank now.

Proteus Meep · Jan 31, 2020

I broke off a branch of pocillopora once under just blue lights to see a glorious light show of thousands of beatiful florescent green dots spread out from my colony it was a wondrous sight.....until a couple of months later i was chiseling hundreds of pocillopora from around my reef

.....Aiptasia of the SPS world

Pennywise the Clown · Jan 31, 2020

The evidence is damning. Add the fact that it is taking up prime position that a nice acropora could take, I think that it is coming out. It gives me a good excuse to buy another frag.
Thanks guys.

Silent · Jan 31, 2020

Things not to have in my tank: pests, disease, aiptasia, hydroids, gsp, and pocillopora.

Graffiti Spot · Jan 31, 2020

Silent said:
Things not to have in my tank: pests, disease, aiptasia, hydroids, gsp, and pocillopora.

Add Xenia types and certain palythoas.

They will do fine for a while until suddenly babies pop up in random places. Cool at first for the beginner but once you have colonies of nice acros everywhere and the poci start forming small colonies everywhere that sting your acros you will regret it. Ime, they don’t even take stress to do this, they just spread.

evolved · Jan 31, 2020

Tahoe61 said:
I have seen others tear down tanks because of Poccillopora.
One moderator @evolved had such an issue, pretty sure he might still have images.

Yeah, here: https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/evolveds-190g-dsa-reef-wrasse-retreat.110197/page-12#post-3420019
Never again...

Pennywise the Clown · Jan 31, 2020

evolved said:
Yeah, here: https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/evolveds-190g-dsa-reef-wrasse-retreat.110197/page-12#post-3420019
Never again...

Wow,
My pocillopora was removed approximately 2 minutes after I saw those pics.

ScottR · Mar 6, 2020

@W1ngz ~ I posed this same question a few weeks ago and I was also sent to @evolved thread. The consensus seemed to be 50/50. I had a friend give me some a year ago or so. His tank is beautiful and packed with SPS so the pocillopora stays in check. The one we keep is pink (don’t know the exact name). Both of us haven’t had problems... yet. I had a frag of it fall off and I left to see if it would do anything on the bottom and it got shaded and died. I’m curious if certain types act different than others.

ca1ore · Mar 6, 2020

I’ve small colonies of pocilopora popping up in multiple places. Always the beige one though, not the nicer violet one ..... figures.

evolved · Mar 6, 2020

ScottR said:
@W1ngz ~ I posed this same question a few weeks ago and I was also sent to @evolved thread. The consensus seemed to be 50/50. I had a friend give me some a year ago or so. His tank is beautiful and packed with SPS so the pocillopora stays in check. The one we keep is pink (don’t know the exact name). Both of us haven’t had problems... yet. I had a frag of it fall off and I left to see if it would do anything on the bottom and it got shaded and died. I’m curious if certain types act different than others.

The species definitely matters; P. damicornis is the known offender. Other species of pocillopora are not nearly as risky.