Cyphastrea Frag

[donut0079]

Now I know this is an LPS/SPS tweener. I added this frag of meteor shower to my tank on Saturday and as far ask can see it appears to be relatively happy. I placed it low, almost shaded, based on what I have read on it and I would consider the flow medium in that area. My biggest concern is that I have read about it becoming semi invasive. It is currently the only coral I have on the rock it is placed on but I do have my Duncan and plan on some Zoas for the rock that is above it. There are about 6 inches that the coral would have to grow before it would reach that rock. My question is does this seem like enough room for the cyphastrea or should I expect crowding issues fairly quickly.

 

[Reef Frog]

IME it grows fairly quickly but isn't invasive. Not like green star polyps for example. I've never seen long sweeper tentacles (but they may exist IDK) and it hasn't hurt anything.

In my tank, it encrusts on the rocks but is growing around & avoiding some things like a small colony of acan lords. 6 inches sounds like a good margin. I bet most zoas colonies could hold their own. I would bet lots of other corals would be more likely do this coral harm than the other way around.

Good call on the low light location. They get their best Miami Dolohins color that way. They're one of the first corals to lighten up under lighting that's too intense. They're pretty much in the same class as many Chalices with regards to light in my experience. Nice looking colony.

 

[donut0079]

Thanks it is one of my favorite corals so I am really hoping I can control it enough that it doesn't become a pain. I am encouraged by the acan thing as I would not mind adding some if I really end up needing a barrier.

 

[cloak]

Once the coral starts encrusting over the live rock, if you ever want to slow it down just use some epoxy and smother the tissue. I have to do this all the time to keep a Leptastrea at bay. Here's a picture just to give you an idea of what I'm talking about. GL.

 

[thedon986]

Good idea. I'll have to keep that in mind as my tank gets more crowded. Have you tried this on soft corals as well?

 

[cloak]

Yeah, but only on green star polyps, blue clove polyps and some zoanthids. It won't work on soft tissue alone. It needs to be in contact with the rock as well so it will stick. In the picture below, all that epoxy was used to smother a big patch of blue clove polyps. You can still see a few at the bottom.

 

[donut0079]

Good to hear it sounds like the cyphastrea is manageable. Thanks for the techniques.