Intentionally stopping coral growth?

[FunkieReefJunkie]

Why couldn’t you just stop dosing/providing calcium & alkalinity once your corals have gotten a good size instead of having to constantly trim them back? Anyone try this? Yes I truly believe fragging for hobbyist‘s is a common courtesy but why not let them plateau and end all this dosing and trimming.

 

[Reefing102]

If I’m not mistaken, it won’t stop the growth but just make the corals suffer as those levels are needed not only for growth but to maintain health too

 

[JohnL]

If I’m not mistaken, it won’t stop the growth but just make the corals suffer as those levels are needed not only for growth but to maintain health too

I agree with Shane.

 

[Subsea]

Macroalgae going sexual is a somewhat similar process.

 

[Misled]

I agree. Things will suffer if the levels stay low or fluctuate too much. At some point things will get out of wack and just getting them back to normal will create too many problems.

 

[Lemonade2reef]

Calcium and alkalinity is needed to maintain a coral in its current state, that's like growing a plant to a certain height and then saying you don't want it to grow so you stop watering it.. In both cases the plant or coral will decline in health and likely die.

Maybe look into getting a parrot fish as a in-tank coral trimmer.

 

[Timfish]

Stopping carbonate and bicarbonate dosing will not stop coral growth. Endoliths and biofilms will be breaking down any carbonate substrate and fish poop will be another source as well. Depending on what all the biology in a system is doing a tank may go a long time without out supplements and maybe even with "apparently" low bicarb and carbonate numbers. At some point coral demand may outstrip supply and when that happens besides unpredictable responses and deaths of the corals there will be a spike in nutrients as corals demand for nitrogen and phosphorus slows dramaticely. One likely scenario then would be algae blooms as corals are no longer competing with them for N and P. As sponges in reef systems differentially process DOC from algae and corals the cryptic sponges in a well documented feedback loop reinforcing algae growth instead of corals is also a probable result further compromising corals.

 

[MichaelP121579]

Calcium and alkalinity is needed to maintain a coral in its current state, that's like growing a plant to a certain height and then saying you don't want it to grow so you stop watering it.. In both cases the plant or coral will decline in health and likely die.

Maybe look into getting a parrot fish as a in-tank coral trimmer.

Perfect answer

 

[Subsea]

Calcium and alkalinity is needed to maintain a coral in its current state, that's like growing a plant to a certain height and then saying you don't want it to grow so you stop watering it.. In both cases the plant or coral will decline in health and likely die.

Maybe look into getting a parrot fish as a in-tank coral trimmer.

Or frag & sell coral for nutrient export.

 

[FunkieReefJunkie]

Very compelling thoughts. Thank you. At some time being the rebel that I am I’d like to see if large water changes in a nano could keep corals in stasis after I’m happy with size/growth from dosing. The N & P would not be a problem and I wouldn’t be constantly chasing the dragon from pushing dosing to the edge that most people do.

 

[Noah_Reefing]

if it isnt growing, its dying.

 

[FunkieReefJunkie]

if it isnt growing, its dying.

Maybe you are right.