SPS growing into another- what to do

Hairmetal89 · Jun 22, 2019

Finally looking for advice how to deal with a good problem. I’ve got a Stylophora that’s got a group of thick branches (red circle) that are going to grow into a higher mounted adjacent sps. Both corals are thriving. I’ve found that most success in my tank is when I leave it alone. Feed, skim, dial in Alk and Calcium. I feel like this issue requires proactive intervention. Should I:
A) relocate the higher sps
B) snip the encroaching branches of the lower sps
C) do nothing
D) other

ScottR · Jun 22, 2019

I’ve seen many SPS tanks have branching that intertwined with others. Especially birds nest. They seem to know how to avoid each other. But if you see them head butting each other, snip a piece off. I usually let nature take its course.

minus9 · Jun 23, 2019

Make frags and sell them if you can. My monti cap would get hit from several acros next to it, then it decided to grow above them and block the light. Nature has a way figuring things out, but it's not what we always want. In my 22g I had battle after battle and I had to frag something almost every other week. I also had pieces growing out of the water.

The monti cap grew on the glass and everywhere it could. When I fragged it, I would have to stop dosing alk for a day or two, otherwise I would get an alk spike because it consumed so much alk on its own. Good times.

Hemmdog · Jun 23, 2019

Frag it & bag it. Then hawk it at your local frag hawker meet up. Buy alk & cal with frag hawking $$, repeat.

najer · Jun 23, 2019

I would frag it, the whole branch.

Katrina71 · Jun 23, 2019

I'd definitely frag it. Send me all of it for punishment!

Hairmetal89 · Jun 23, 2019

All- Great responses. Thanks! Maybe I bust the branch off. Frag it n bag it seems to be most popular.
Minus9- wow crazy awesome corals.

ScottR · Jun 23, 2019

Bag it I snag it

29bonsaireef · Jun 23, 2019

Depends if you want a filled in look, or more spaced out corals. It's nothing new to them, they've been finding ways to grow around each other for thousands of years on the reef. I never frag SPS that are encroaching others space, and I've only ever seen just the slightest injury to one or the other near the base. Nothing to slow down the coral, though. Biocube that I pretty much let fill in wall-to-wall. Almost everything was growing into one or multiple corals.

hart24601 · Jun 23, 2019

I enjoy the growing together look so my initial reaction was to leave it unless it's something like a cap that really shades, however with that growth it looks easy to frag that part off. I don't sell frags (just personal preference to share the love locally), so I would either glue to back to the base where they will merge, or give it to someone.

Hairmetal89 · Jun 23, 2019

29 & Hart-
Sound advice. Maybe I let it go for a bit and decide.

Hairmetal89 · Jun 23, 2019

29 - sweet pik.
Hart- makes sense.
I think I’m leaning to do nothing till they engage then make a call based on how they react.

minus9 · Jun 23, 2019

Hairmetal89 said:
All- Great responses. Thanks! Maybe I bust the branch off. Frag it n bag it seems to be most popular.
Minus9- wow crazy awesome corals.

Thanks! I really miss that tank. When I upgraded to my shallow 90 I lost a huge portion of them to heavy metals. Rusty magnet in the water change bucket that held the airline. Ugh! Luckily I fragged most everything and have been getting them back, but there were a few(a couple milli's included) that didn't make it. I really like the look of corals growing on top of each other, it's how it looks on real reefs. I think the best thing to take away from all of this, is everything is growing and flourishing and this is the best bad situation to be in.

SeaDweller · Jun 23, 2019

Unless they’re killing each other, I tend to leave them alone.

Bpb · Jun 24, 2019

Those particular ones? I'd leave them. If we were talking about acros that sell for $500 1/4" I'd be fragging just enough to leave 1" constantly between. It turns into a constant pruning, like bonsai, or a planted tank, or a well manicured garden. The benefit is they can eventually allow the hobby to pay for itself and then some. Not that that's the goal, just a side effect of success. And i'm not knocking Stylos and poccilopora. Just saying those are usually such prolific growers and easy to come by, losing a little due to warfare isnt exactly a tragedy. I'd let them keep growing personally. They'll sort out the shared space and continue growing the other direction. One will eventually win completely on a long enough timeline.

Crabs McJones · Jun 24, 2019

I have a similar issue, my sunrise mille is growing into my blueberry stag. So far the two are getting along and the mille is growing around the stag. Nothing is dying, just growing around