Blasto Mertalleti Question

[madamo]

My LFS has a huge mother colony of this species of coral for like $150.

http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_Display.cfm?pCatId=2622

However, a set of 5 tubes broke off and are laying on the sandbed. I currently have a 12 gallon AP HQI System. Therefore, I don't need the mother colony. With this colony of 5 stalks multiply by growing new stalks? If not, how do they replicate?

Further, what is the care level on this species.

Thanks for the help.

 

[killagoby]

Dude, real easy to care for. I have always kept them on the bottom of my tank. I've kept them under PC, MH, and Solaris lighting. I started with a 1" frag and now I have a whole colony on the rock it attached to. It grows fast for a LPS. Try to feed it Cyclops-Eeze if possible. It will grow if your conditions are right...

 

[dendro982]

You should be fine with 5 tubes colony - in your tank you likely can keep it at the bottom, feeding - cyclop-eeze, frozen cyclops, baby rine, rotifers or a mysis, chopped to the mouth size, given by pipette or by tweezers.
Can't tell, how they multiply - when polyps are extended, nothing can be seen under them. Growing new tubes, I guess.
I have small colony, grown from few tubes, fragged from big mother colony - doing good, growing.

Blasto welsii could be more colorful.

 

[madamo]

Thanks for the reply and help.