when does a coral become a colony?

[Backreefing]

At what point does a acropora or montipora, birdsnest becomes a colony?
Is it when there is 5 or more branches or 10 or more or is it size ? Is it when you start fragging it and giving frags away? Or SWAG ( scientific wild butt quess)
Here is a couple random pictures for my fellow coral pervs.

 

[Katrina71]

Very nice!

 

[Guttersnipe]

I wouldn’t call those colonies yet. But they are well on their way to becoming colonies real soon.

 

[road_runner]

Depends on who you ask. I have seen what I call a frag called colony
In theory any coral size is a colony, it's a colony of algae and coral coexist on calcified structure.

 

[Hemmdog]

At what point does a acropora or montipora, birdsnest becomes a colony?
Is it when there is 5 or more branches or 10 or more or is it size ? Is it when you start fragging it and giving frags away? Or SWAG ( scientific wild *** quess)
Here is a couple random pictures for my fellow coral pervs.

Very nice. I’d call those mini colonies as of now, the birdsnest is close to calling a colony. My definition is: when you can no longer easily keep track of new branches/baby heads and watch each one grow out; basically when the coral gets to the point where you say, “whoa! When did those branches/heads start growing! “ and the new growth is fragable sized.

 

[ZaneTer]

I go with 4” in diameter or more.

 

[Katrina71]

Call them all frags when you are buying! Anything with the word colony on it here raises the price!

 

[vetteguy53081]

When it has multiplied several times to the point it has space requirements and can be fragged

 

[BoomCorals]

Defiantly is a little subjective as technically anything with more than one polyp is a colony. I would call those two mini colonies and good looking ones at that!

 

[Stigigemla]

In the exact world it is a colony if it has more than one polyp.
In the aquarium world it is the seller who decids. And the buyer that gets angry.

 

[AdamNC]

Subjective and only MY opinion, is when it’s about the size of an average persons closed fist or baseball size at minimum.

 

[C-Reefer]

Very subjective but for me a colony is when I can very easily take good size frags off the colony. No I'm not taling about 1/4 inch frags. This is usually abou the size that @AdamNC is talking about, baseball size. Of course, it varys with different corals as well. Euphyllia compared to acros for example.

 

[Halal Hotdog]

I have the answer. So in my experience a coral that I have been growing out for a couple of years would have turned into a colony, but I killed it a day prior. Kind of like getting to the middle of a blowpop, the world may never know (yes I am old).

 

[McPuff]

I've written an algorithm that will decide when a coral frag has become a colony... unfortunately, I can't share it because of a CA with NASA. :0)

Totally subjective. To me, a colony is pretty big. Anything else is a mini colony or still a frag. Also depends on the species.

 

[shred5]

I wouldn’t call those colonies yet. But they are well on their way to becoming colonies real soon.

Agreed!

I do not think there is a set size.. There is a point where they are a mini colony.

It also seems colony size nowadays is much smaller. I see colony for sale and look and go wait that not a colony it is a large frag...

 

[tqpolo]

Those are not colonies but what the For Sale section would call colonies.

 

[W1ngz]

Not sure it's so simple to define what a colony is, but maybe a little easier to make a few statements of what a colony isn't.
-If it's loose, on a plug or on a disk, it's a frag not a colony.
-if you can still see the glue or putty holding the base on the rock, it's a frag not a colony.
-if it only has one point of attachment to the rock, it's a frag not a colony.
-if you're trying to sell it to me, it's a frag not a colony

 

[Stigigemla]

A Fungia or Scolymia are never colonies. They are single polyps.
Single Polyp Stone coral. Just joking.

 

[Jettareefer223]

I define it somewhat overall size, I think most importantly after it grown out enough it takes natural form/structure and intended color. Like stags have be a decent 12” multi branch forming in a circular mass, where as my wwc Heartbreaker/pc supermman tables grow merely 2.5” into a mature colony (two extremes for ex).

These pictures are 11 months apart you can see the foxflame measures 3.5” and the freak of nature tenius is about 2x2”x3.5” T they’re small mature colonies but the giant green acro didn’t show it’s true form on until it was 5” W x 7”Lx 3” tall (currently add 1.5-2in to all measurements). Example my definition.

 

[Hans-Werner]

Never (or very soon). A colony means a number of individuals. When a coral gets a colony it means it has developed a number of polyps or mouthes.

In my opinion a coral never gets a colony because also an individual with a great many of polyps and mouthes remains an individual, even when fragments of the same individual are spread over a large area. A coral is an individual of modular structure, like plants. No one would call the leaves of a shrub individuals. So a coral remains a coral and never gets a colony, like a shrub remains a shrub, also with many branches and leaves.