I have a number of small coral frags in my tank. They’re doing well and growing (albeit much slower than I’d like!).
They’re currently sitting on the plugs I bought them on and as a result are on a bit of a “pedestal”. They’re starting to hang over the edge of the plug. Do I just let them drape over the edge until they reach the rock below? Or, should I be moving them at this point to another home?
Thanks!
Greg
let them hang… they will attach to the rocks and spread out. what corals did you buy?
Favia sp. “Mystic Green Moon Coral Frag”
Echinophyllia sp. “Pink and Green Chalice Coral Frag”
Montipora danae “Sunset Monti Frag”
any pics?
Not yet. I’m slowly cataloging my aquarium with pictures. Haven’t gotten to the corals yet.
What I have so far is at http://myfishtailz.blogspot.com/. Keep in mind I’m new to the hobby. So the blog is really just for me… sort of a diary.
Yes. What is going on is the coral frag is just growing out and like John said, it will attach to the rocks and become very stable. Good luck with them all.
Looks nice, and well progressed… bet those damsels are nasty and territorial… nice
Surprisingly, except for the one deceased blue damsel (who was downright nasty), everyone gets along really well right now – even the damsels.
I know this is a “it depends” question in a lot of way, but how fast, under good conditions, do typical frags grow? That is, a small frag would typically double in size in _____ seconds/minutes/hours/days/years…?
Well it all depends what coral, and its behaviors… People can correct me if I am wrong, but here is what i see in my mind.
All corals have growth spurts and show an growth that is sharp and first and then settles down. Depending on the coral and the condition the length and the amount in the growth spurt can change.
Zoanthids. From what i know in my experiences they have a fast growth rate, or most do. Zoanthids can bud new heads from 360 degrees so it gives them a lot of places to go. Newly cut frags will be in a growth spurt for 4-6 weeks in my opinion, and double in size in the first 2-3 weeks. The problem becomes once the polyp surrounds itself with other heads it can not grow more heads. So there is not 360 polyp growth so the growth rate slows down, but is still fast.
SPS. Everything grows differently. My Montipora are very fast. I would say the Cap was growing 1/4 a week, and the digi’s were doing a new stalk a week plus 1/4 on the old one. My Pearlberry acropora grows but not at alarming rates 1/4-1/2 in 3-4 weeks.
Leather. Depending on the species it can grow alarmingly fast or slow. My finger leather does not grow too much, but the lettuce leather i had doubled in size in a week, and sent out runners that were 2" long within a week or two. So much in fact that i had to give it away.
If you do a quick reef central search or google search you can find other peoples specific experiences with the corals you have. If they all grow fast and yours grows slow it could mean there is something off in your tank. But all corals act different so it just might be the frag you have.
Everything grows at different rates. Placement of the frag or coral will have a determining factor on the growth. Watck your frags and see what they look like in their current position, and if they have polyp extension and look like they are doing well, great. Check on line to see info about each coral for placement in the tank, as far as lighting and flow. And ask questions from other reefers on this medium.
Oh,yeah and one thing you must definetly have is … patience.
Unfortunately there are just soooooo many variables it’s tough to say anything will grow x in y amount of time.
Lighting, water quality, feeding, dosing, skimming, bio-load, genetics, etc. etc. etc.