green star polyps

[rescue]

how fast do these guys spread? i am putting my lights on for 12 hours a day (1 actinic and the other 10,000k)

 

[Andrew]

Mine did. Why would you want them to grow fast? They are like weeds and take over your rocks.

 

[papagimp]

If water quality is good enough, and lighting sufficient, they can spread extremely fast......fast enough that if you are not smart when intially placing the coral, you can find yourself in a world of frustration when it spreads to all the nice rocks you didn't want it on....and might I add, it's far easier to stick a star polyp colony to a new rock than it is removing one from your tank.

 

[fancyfish]

They are like weeds. very hard to keep control of. I personally would not put them in my tank

 

[sabbath]

Can they just be peeled off the rock if they go on a rock that he does not them want on?

 

[jaymz101]

I got a small piece a year and a half ago about the size of a silver dollar. I just got rid of a 12 lb rock that they had taken over. They were overgrowing nearby corals and starting to spread to other rocks. I had a veritable meadow1.5 square feet. They can not be peeled off the rock. You need to scrub them off with a wire brush to really do the job. Good riddance.

 

[jhentr]

It took mines about two weeks to settle down. From there on, I would gestimate about 1/16th to 1/8th of an inch a day in growth all directions.

 

[YoitsArson]

YEa they spread like mad. I put mine on a rock that can easily be taken out once they spread.

 

[ChrisB]

What about sticking it to the back glass and let be a living background?

 

[reefworm]

I've seen the back glass idea, and it looks pretty cool, if you like it. Also, no guarantee they'll stay on the glass. I've had them spread pretty quickly under PCs, and now that the lighting is being upgraded I'm reluctant to put them in. You might try a small rock of GSP in a darker area, and be sure to have smaller rock or rubble pieces around for it to spread onto. What I did was to put rubble in the direction of growth [generally toward the light] and cut the purple mantle with an exacto knife when it spread onto the new rock. I'd trade it for whatever I could get at the LFS - small hardware, food, etc. Once it's established over a substantial area, however....
As others have posted here, good luck!!

 

[bbehring]

what about the blue daisy looking polyps?

 

[Moby Dokie]

i want some so bad but i cant find them in my LFS =(

 

[davidryder]

Mine all died for some mysterious reason, all at once, overnight... I had the colony for more than 5 years. I had porites, feather dusters, frogspawn, bta, fish, macro algae - all of it survived. just the gsp died i almost wonder if something ate them

 

[spinninmidwater]

mine started quite well for half a year and spread a little then started to decline a bit. i noticed many of my hermit crabs are picking at the new growth and i find purple matt bits everywhere! gonna get rid some of the offenders..... snails are much nicer creatures IMO

 

[davidryder]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10282453#post10282453 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by spinninmidwater
mine started quite well for half a year and spread a little then started to decline a bit. i noticed many of my hermit crabs are picking at the new growth and i find purple matt bits everywhere! gonna get rid some of the offenders..... snails are much nicer creatures IMO

Welcome!!!

Yeah, I think hermits are pointless....

 

[markreefer]

I had a couple of nice pieces to start with. Now I dont have much else, its like a green lawn in my tank.