Encrusting corals.....How to control?

[Atomic081]

I have a few Encrusting Monties that are growing very well, but at this rate they will be very large for a small tank soon. Is there anyway to control this growth? maybe create some type of barrier so they dont grow on everything?

 

[LoJack]

2 part epoxy that you knead together to activate.

People make a little strip out of it and make almost a perimeter where you don't want the monti to grow. Once it encrusts over the hardened epoxy a few months down the road, you peel the epoxy back and the monti comes with you. You now have an awesome frag to sell, and the monti has to start its invasive manoeuvres all over again

 

[Crna]

Neat trick! I am considering an encrusting monti and had wondered how to handle that situation. Thanks!

 

[SantaMonica]

Yes that is a very neat trick.

 

[scar79]

For this reason I always stick the encrusters on their own rock island

 

[jda]

^ This works very well.

If you just want it dead, then turn off all of your pumps and cover the perimeter with kalk paste. Leave the flow pumps off for a few hours. This will effectively kill the outside area, but leave the stuff that you don't put the paste on unaffected. I use a 5ML salifert syringe with kalk mixed up so thick that it will barely go in the syringe... squirt it out very slowly and you will be able to paint with it with good precision. If you are worried about the kalk (no reason to be), then you can siphon it back out before you turn the pumps back on. Once it is dead, it will typically cover with coralline before the coral encrusts back over the area... so it sets them back pretty well.

 

[Arkayology]

I really like the perimeter idea. I usually take my bone cutters and chip away with it. I glue the big pieces to frag plugs and siphon out the small bits.

 

[MammothReefer]

I put them on isolated rocks, or next to each other so they just sort of duke it out, or sometimes they just sort of stop growing just a little bit short of each other. In other cases where I didn't want them to do that or one needed some help, I take a razor blade and push straight down on it in a couple spots and typically the monti will pop off the rock at the crack.

 

[leveldrummer]

place rock rubble around it, just like the putty, when it encrusts onto the rock, lift the rock and it will break away as a sweet new frag, sell the rock and replace with a new peice of rubble.

 

[Jcreefer1]

2 part epoxy that you knead together to activate.

People make a little strip out of it and make almost a perimeter where you don't want the monti to grow. Once it encrusts over the hardened epoxy a few months down the road, you peel the epoxy back and the monti comes with you. You now have an awesome frag to sell, and the monti has to start its invasive manoeuvres all over again

That's a great idea....thanks

 

[jda]

The stuff can make your skimmer go crazy when it is setting up underwater. Be prepared.

 

[burnah]

ive seen people use small lps frags as a barrier, they dont grow that fast and usually sting stronger.

greetings