Coral skeletons useful?

[Birdee]

I'm wanting to get some encrusting type corals, maybe a Leptastrea to start, and I was wondering if a bleached coral skeletons would make a suitable base for frags to spread onto?

The bleached sipper coral skeletons are oval plates about 1.5 inches thick... typically 6x4, 5x3 or so. I thought maybe these would be nice sized bases... and better than just letting the frag spread to rock in case it needed to be moved or I wanted to rearrange things. Also possible... blue coral skeleton, since it is pretty flat but more irregular.

I live in FL and there are shell shops everywhere... the coral skeletons are easy to get, and broken pieces are deeply discounted if you ask for them... but could be useful to me I figure.

Thanks.

 

[SushiGirl]

They also look great covered in zoas...

 

[Birdee]

Thanks Sushi!
I didn't think of zoas, but yes! I have some zoa rocks that a re a pain when I have rearranged the scape. =)
I was thinking with the long thin style they would make great little shelves. I'm glad my thinking was heading in the right direction.

 

[sqwat]

they do great for live rock and coraline growth also with all the holes in .also i have had supposedly dead coral grow back from nothin i had a dinner mint blasto rock grow heads out of the old coralite and now is a thriving colony and i had a ora red gonipora do the same also with a old porites and christmass tree rock came back to life for me and is now allmost covered fully with some worms growing in the old holes not christmass worms but cool anyway so i say yes.all my live rock i bought as dry at petsmart as ancient coral and i cured it myself and it is loaded with coraline also keeps my ph nice and steady.it was allot cheaper than buying live rock i just bought a couple bags and hung it in the current at my freinds boat dock for a year and wow it looked great just had to get rid of some aptasia but no prob.