Monti Cap encrusting on Green Slimer

[jharding08]

Will an Encrusting monti cap that is growing up my live rock be able to kill a green slimer from the base?

I am seeing tissue necrosis on the slimer near where the monti is. It isnt touching it yet, but i guess close enough.

The cap is getting really big, can I just break off the encrusting pieces?

 

[SaltyWalter]

Its going to depend on the species of monti, but yes one will probably beat out the other. In a healthy tank it shouldn't kill a whole colony just because one part got stung up. However, if one is growing significantly faster then yes you might have to frag some back.

 

[Maskpainter67]

Yes just break off the pieces touching. But it will eventually grow back

 

[jharding08]

Really cant break it off if its encrusted to the rock. Had to scrape it away a little bit. There is actually a red monti cap under that green umbrella. Should I break it way back? How do I get it to grow up in spirals?

 

[kevin_e]

It should grow around it. In my experience, the acropora always wins this battle. In your case, the montipora looks to be yielding and growing around the acropora.

 

[TylerHaworth]

I agree, looks like the Monti is taking a detour... Break off those pieces if you want to slow it down.

 

[jharding08]

I was able to shave it back off the rock, it had encrusted so fully on the rock that I couldnt break full pieces off.

It looks like there was a battle, with the white on the green slimer base.

 

[daaznguy]

Acropora will not always win. All the random crap people post online about Montipora being passive is a myth. Corals will war, some tie, some win some lose, best to try to keep that cap trimmed back. Some of my caps are aggressive enough to do major damage on the acros.

 

[jharding08]

I was going to say, it looks like some tanks are so tightly packed with mixed corals that there would be no way they could trim back. I guess at that point it is battle of the most aggressive.

My monti cap could use a good trim. Maybe a frags to go in the frag tank. IT is just growing like an encrusting monti vs a multi-level plating monti (like the one in the TOTM)