[Social D]

I thought it might be a good topic to get a little thread going over time about the interaction of acroporas and montipora.

How many leave your corals to touch and mingle? Or do you constantly frag back, as you dont like this look or are afraid of them touching

This is a grey area i feel for many SPS keepers, so any information gathered together would be a good starting point for anybody in the future.

[Tony B]

SPS Nut, on May 8 2008, 10:45 AM, said:

I thought it might be a good topic to get a little thread going over time about the iinteraction acroporas and monitporas.

How many leave your coral touch and mingle? Or do you constantly frag back as you dont like this look or are afraid of them touching

This is a grey area i feel for many SPS keepers so any imformation gathered together would be a good starting point for anybody in the future.

IME, most SPS do not like to touch each other - VERY rarely, two acroporas can touch, merge and form a new 'twin' combining both qualities from their previous forms, but this is VERY rare. IME, if left one coral will over power and kill the slower growing and/or less strong rival.

That said, I've seen pink hysterix growing in and around plating monti and that was happy for years. To conflict this, I've recently had to re-site some stylophora that was being killed by an orange plating monti.

Suck it and see is the best advice, if you must site corals close together. Better advice is give them more room to grow.

[Si Clark]

I completely agree with Tony you never can tell and you should always suspect they will fight, I will put up piccy of two monti's growing together.

Its a shame it doesn't happen more often as colour difference would look stunning with various corals growing together

[Tony B]

Si Clark, on May 8 2008, 02:56 PM, said:

I will put up piccy of two monti's growing together.

C'mon Mr C, where's the piccy then ?

[Social D]

Couple of mine are getting real close so im going to let them battle it out
Not to sure of the outcome, but i think the blue stag will wipe out a major part of the green acro

[wayne g]

unless it was prized acro i always let nature find it's way.
in my last tank i had a monti cap growing around a staghorn but strangely they never met and always kept a small gap.....like a mutual respect thing.
as they grew the monti grew around the stag in a sort of 'spiral staircase' effect.
i feel mad i never took a photo of it before i sold up.

[Si Clark]

Here you go actually touching and growing together no fighting at all

[Social D]

Cool pic Simon got any more?

A days growth on mine and its started to touch as you can see the Monofilaments are starting to sting one another not a very clear pic tho.



Got two digi's growing into each other in the tank but cant get pics atm but they look good mixed together

[Social D]

Some serious battle going on now still hard to say which way its going to go but i think i might need a life

[ben]

great pics tim. intresting how the polyps are still out, right up to the point its touching.

[pete1234]

nice pic tim. interesting to see whats going to win. keep the pics comming!!

[reefclown]

a bit of passive monti mingling



and a top down

[Si Clark]

Nice pics Nav some nice colours there too

[reefclown]

Cheers Si, I really need to get a hold of someone that can advise on a camera and teach me some skills. Fuzed has threatend, but he's up North now . I need to get some coral shoots from someone who knows how to handle a camera to give some real perspective. The colours really are move livid, I live in wait for that artistic Bailey to turn up on my doorstep

[Tony B]

reefclown, on May 23 2008, 06:41 PM, said:

a bit of passive monti mingling



and a top down

Very nice Nav, looks superb

[Social D]

Agreed that top down is sh!t hot, Cant stand top downs that are blatantly photoshopped and messed with.

[Gary Smith]

first time i have posted a picture on this forum i hope this works cheers gary

[Social D]

Cool pic it really shows it well .. Nice one

[Si Clark]

Nice pic's Gary

Nav what lamps you using?

[lindsay]

I think a lot of sps grow a calcium wall betwean the 2 corals as they touch but i think the corals would need to be a good size for this to happen .The above corals look great ,different colours side by side ,wow . ..Keep the pics updated on the acros Tim .