How do you "prune" SPS colonies to get increased growth?

[Pike614]

I've read in a couple threads that if you snip off the tip of an SPS colony or frag, it will grow a lot faster and branch out....is there truth to this? If so, how is it done?
Thanks!

 

[CHUBAKAH]

Yes it works.

Personally I use a set of coral cutters, and snip off about a 1/4" so that I can mount that piece on a frag plug.

 

[Pike614]

so you take more than just the lasy polyp off, do you see 2 branches grow back then where you cut it?

 

[GSMguy]

2,3 sometimes 5 or 6 new branches

 

[29reef]

I'd advise againsed this, unless you need to remount the coral. The larger the coral, the faster it grows. They won't grow bigger if you keep cutting their growth stems. This is because there are more growth stems on that larger coral. Ime just leave them alone and they will do fine. Now if your trying to make a bunch of Frags that's a whole different method. I believe your best bet will be proper husbantry of your corals; and time.

 

[29reef]

I like April first thank you RC

 

[shelburn61]

Clipping the tip does work to create multiple branches rather than a single, long branch. This also sometimes works to "wake up" a dormant branch and induce growth.

 

[reefer334]

Clipping stags make them grow faster and have more branchs, IMO. But be careful to only cut the tips. But they get out of conrol and take over the tank so be thinking of that to.

 

[29reef]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14743196#post14743196 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by reefer334
Clipping stags make them grow faster and have more branchs, IMO. But be careful to only cut the tips. But they get out of conrol and take over the tank so be thinking of that to.

I get that your creating more growth tips by cutting the coral but how does this cause "faster" growth?

 

[2farNorth]

I'm not sure about 'faster' growth, but If I notice a branch of coral going dormant, which isn't showing any growth for a while, such as a month, I'll clip that branch, and usually within a week, there are a couple new growth tips producing..... and within a month, new branches are formed....

so in a way, faster, because it grew more in 1 month then it has in the last 3..... after being cut.

 

[Racenrich]

FWIW....to promote growth...i only snap off (with fingers) the very tip of the coral....cutting more than that, the corals will have to heal first.

just an insight!

Cheers,
Rich K.

 

[fred fishstone]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14746725#post14746725 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Racenrich
FWIW....to promote growth...i only snap off (with fingers) the very tip of the coral....cutting more than that, the corals will have to heal first.

just an insight!

Cheers,
Rich K.

Do you mean, snap of the smallest amount you can hold between your thumb and finger, or an even smaller amount, using your fingernails?

Sorry to be picky...just curious what has worked well for you.

 

[swhaley40]

Fred Fish, when I just use my fingernails the growth is not as good. It just repairs itself. When I clip off 1/4" or a tiny bit more, the branch will really go.

 

[CleveYank]

I bump into them with my hand or I knock them over when I'm moving something else. Probably how they get pruned in the wild. Something just comes along and runs into them and breaks off a chunk here or an end there.

 

[reefer334]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14744166#post14744166 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by 29reef
I get that your creating more growth tips by cutting the coral but how does this cause "faster" growth?

If you notice when a coral is damaged or clipped how fast they heal, this is because they send a lot of energy to that area to heal it and from my experiences that area of the coral then grows much faster thant the rest of the coral, I have seen this mainly in stags like the Steve ellias but I have also noticed this in my Larry Jackson Tri color Valida to.

 

[Pike614]

I noticed that the coral is starting to add branches on its own all over the coral!! It is a green milli, and I also hit it by accident while feeding the fish, took the frag that broke off and mounted it to a frag plug. Since that happened the mother colony has gone into hyper-growth! Branches appearing all over the coral! I might just let it go for now, it is growing so fast that I can notice changes daily!

 

[dots]

The theory I have heard was this triggers a survival mode, such as after a storm.

Considering I never frag a thing, and my pieces are still tiny....I think there is some validity here somewhere.

Try for yourself.

 

[Gary Majchrzak]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14754907#post14754907 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by reefer334
If you notice when a coral is damaged or clipped how fast they heal, this is because they send a lot of energy to that area to heal it and from my experiences that area of the coral then grows much faster thant the rest of the coral, I have seen this mainly in stags like the Steve ellias but I have also noticed this in my Larry Jackson Tri color Valida to.

ditto.
pretty much applies to all my acros- not just stags or LE's.
Not often discussed here but this is a way that fishes can impact coral growth.

 

[WaterssretaW]

Interesting topic...

When people snip the tips. Do you submerge your cutting tools?

How do you clean them afterwards?

 

[2farNorth]

Just rinse off with fresh water, and shake dry, most are Stainless.