growth rate multiplier? sibling frags

[karimwassef]

So I accidentally ended up running an experiment with different frags and noticed an unusual growth rate difference.

I glued frags on their own.

I glued frags next to a sibling frag (same parent colony).

I glued multiple sibling frags on the same rock.

The frags all grew and originally, they were all growing at a similar growth rate.

But once the sibling frags made physical contact and started to merge, the growth rate changed. Not just because there were twice or 3x as many frags... The growth was disproportionately faster.

In the case of three frags, the growth was so fast that the entire rock was nearly all covered. The same frag sizes separate are about half the size cumulatively.

Has anyone else experienced this?

Here's one frag
<a href="http://s1062.photobucket.com/user/karimwassef/media/471971e6-6170-4c3e-80fe-8a438aa3d631_zpstk3ceqad.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1062.photobucket.com/albums/t496/karimwassef/471971e6-6170-4c3e-80fe-8a438aa3d631_zpstk3ceqad.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo 471971e6-6170-4c3e-80fe-8a438aa3d631_zpstk3ceqad.jpg"/></a>

Here's two frags
<a href="http://s1062.photobucket.com/user/karimwassef/media/b1377afa-55b3-41e4-bc85-b785eb40541f_zps5lrybkop.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1062.photobucket.com/albums/t496/karimwassef/b1377afa-55b3-41e4-bc85-b785eb40541f_zps5lrybkop.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo b1377afa-55b3-41e4-bc85-b785eb40541f_zps5lrybkop.jpg"/></a>

Here's three frags
<a href="http://s1062.photobucket.com/user/karimwassef/media/018C3222-FD70-468B-9A0B-341D018B6693_zpspfpi28di.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1062.photobucket.com/albums/t496/karimwassef/018C3222-FD70-468B-9A0B-341D018B6693_zpspfpi28di.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo 018C3222-FD70-468B-9A0B-341D018B6693_zpspfpi28di.jpg"/></a>

and here's the parent "frag" - there wasn't much left on it.
<a href="http://s1062.photobucket.com/user/karimwassef/media/21286518-4e1d-48e0-9503-225419fb4fe2_zpsimglbkx4.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1062.photobucket.com/albums/t496/karimwassef/21286518-4e1d-48e0-9503-225419fb4fe2_zpsimglbkx4.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo 21286518-4e1d-48e0-9503-225419fb4fe2_zpsimglbkx4.jpg"/></a>

I know this wasn't a controlled experiment - different flow, different locations, etc...

Still - seemed significant enough for my kids to notice the difference.

 

[karimwassef]

Here's the three frag piece four days later

<a href="http://s1062.photobucket.com/user/karimwassef/media/554BB9A6-668E-4C61-A3BF-749DDF0A3DBC_zpsx2go720x.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1062.photobucket.com/albums/t496/karimwassef/554BB9A6-668E-4C61-A3BF-749DDF0A3DBC_zpsx2go720x.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo 554BB9A6-668E-4C61-A3BF-749DDF0A3DBC_zpsx2go720x.jpg"/></a>

<a href="http://s1062.photobucket.com/user/karimwassef/media/C7E14200-DDCC-44E1-8198-59FF3D48162A_zpsuemeccw1.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1062.photobucket.com/albums/t496/karimwassef/C7E14200-DDCC-44E1-8198-59FF3D48162A_zpsuemeccw1.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo C7E14200-DDCC-44E1-8198-59FF3D48162A_zpsuemeccw1.jpg"/></a>

 

[karimwassef]

Has anyone else experienced this sudden sps growth due to sibling frags connecting?

 

[Chibils]

I don't have anything to contribute here but this is fascinating so I'm going to give you a bump and follow along.

 

[SoloGarth]

As corals get larger the rate at which they grow increases. Just a matter of more surface area for growth and biological functions. It would make sense that the merged frags would grow faster than the separate ones. Just my thoughts on it.

 

[defchild84]

Yes,I have- which is why I place my accidental frags near the mother, or another frag, of the same, in the direction that I want it to grow. I know it's not controlled, like you stated, but I've found great success this way.

 

[karimwassef]

I realize growth is a function of size, but comparing three separate frags to three touching frags, the volume of the sibling growth is much higher over the same period of time.

def - thanks for confirming I'm not imagining things here

 

[karimwassef]

Double post

 

[jimbob321]

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/scientists-try-regrow-dying-coral-reef-25-times-faster-nature/

 

[karimwassef]

Wow

So it's real. Does everyone know this? Why isn't everyone breaking frags and gluing them close to other siblings to get this kind of healing growth?

Maybe it's news to me, but this is a big deal.

 

[gendiaaa]

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/scientists-try-regrow-dying-coral-reef-25-times-faster-nature/

Thats very nice video and its good way to get the corals grow faster than normal actually i have no sps corals but i have very good collection of red sea lps brain corals and i always likes to frag them now i know the way thank you guys its very good news

 

[SoloGarth]

???? He says it takes 10-15 years to grow s coral to approx 8" in diameter? These guys don't seem to have a clue. Corals are very capable in tanks and in the wild of growing large much more quickly. I have corals bigger than those that have grown to that size in under a year.

 

[karimwassef]

I agree, but I think it's because we frag constantly.

I think the close proximity of growing siblings is the key differentiator of this faster growth rate.

 

[DopeCantWin]

???? He says it takes 10-15 years to grow s coral to approx 8" in diameter? These guys don't seem to have a clue. Corals are very capable in tanks and in the wild of growing large much more quickly. I have corals bigger than those that have grown to that size in under a year.

While that's way too long in general, it still depends on the coral. Some obviously don't take off, others do. For a montipora that might be 8 months worth of growth, for a harder Acro that might be 4 years. I'd expect in the wild they'd grow much faster, but they'd have fish that eat SPS to contend with, so you never know.

 

[SoloGarth]

Yeah. There are certainly a lot of factors. I would just expect someone that is conducting coral propagation on that scale would have a better understanding of how long it takes corals to grow. If they are basing their 25x rate on this idea of it taking 10-15 years to achieve a dinner plate sized brain coral then their data is very skewed. Also the idea that corals grow very slowly is very dated.

 

[SoloGarth]

April

September

So that's less than 6 months.

 

[karimwassef]

I think they are accounting for the constant nibbling of hundreds of parrotfish.
Maybe big rigid metal net domes are the answer.

 

[Pife]

I just glued a couple red planet frags in close proximity. I'll see if it works for me.

 

[karimwassef]

Cool - I didn't see the growth rate spike until the two growth lines overlapped.

 

[SoloGarth]

Well this makes perfect sense to me and I have noticed it as well. The total perimeter of the coral (previously two corals) has decreased by their merging. The same amount of energy is able to be used on a small growth perimeter => greater growth rate.