Tips for removing SPS from live rock

kartrsu · Jul 2, 2022

I have some decently large healthy stylo colonies that are encrusted onto live rock. Planning a tank upgrade down the road but with new rock. Is it safe to use a saw and cut the colony off at the base? Ideally I would cut the encrusted base, but if I cut above, I’m wondering if the coral could encrust again. The only issue I can think of is that the base does not receive that much light so the polyps are much lighter in color so I worry it would jeopardize the colony. The alternative would be to frag into pieces and start from a frag again.

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mtraylor · Jul 2, 2022

I would take yourself a couple frags from it and sell the colony.

Sumo Reef · Jul 5, 2022

kartrsu said:
I have some decently large healthy stylo colonies that are encrusted onto live rock. Planning a tank upgrade down the road but with new rock. Is it safe to use a saw and cut the colony off at the base? Ideally I would cut the encrusted base, but if I cut above, I’m wondering if the coral could encrust again. The only issue I can think of is that the base does not receive that much light so the polyps are much lighter in color so I worry it would jeopardize the colony. The alternative would be to frag into pieces and start from a frag again. .

Cut it off at the base. You can glue it back and it will re-encrust on the new rock just fine.

X-37B · Jul 5, 2022

I did the same when I broke down my 120. Used channel locks to break most colonies free. Most were to big to cut with bone cutters. Some I had to remove the rock to cut. Many I just fragged and regrew.
The purple stylo I fragged so my wife bleached the rest and used it in her artwork display.
It really depends on the colony size as I had to give some away.

kartrsu · Jul 6, 2022

The base of my purple stylo is white but has polyps, is that a sign it’s better to frag or can it still encrust again? Up in the top left.

Spare time · Jul 6, 2022

kartrsu said:
The base of my purple stylo is white but has polyps, is that a sign it’s better to frag or can it still encrust again? Up in the top left.

That is how my stylo grows too (white polyps at the base

Sumo Reef · Jul 6, 2022

They are white at the base because no sunlight reaches that spot, so the coral redirects the zooxanthellae to the upper parts. The coral is still alive in that area