Mountain of tiny frags

[karimwassef]

One more... I have a rock that reaches to about 2" from the water surface. I want to put something there but it needs to be encrusting or flat plating, not branching...

It gets intense flow and very powerful lighting.

Any of these candidates to go there?

 

[Aquattro]

Honestly, I'd take a good healthy frag of each, and toss the rest in the trash. Start fresh and grow some nice colonies.

 

[karimwassef]

I'm thinking of attaching the frags directly to my rock walls. Underwater super gluing...

If I glue a plate of the montipora capricornis vertically flat to a wall, will it bud out and grow new horizontal plates?

 

[Aquattro]

If I glue a plate of the montipora capricornis vertically flat to a wall, will it bud out and grow new horizontal plates?

Yes. It may also encrust a very large area of the rock, which you may or may not want.

 

[karimwassef]

Thanks. I've had a barren tank for a while...

Also, I was thinking of gluing the acro nana in the middle of the mother colony of the capri... Advice?

<a href="http://s1062.photobucket.com/user/karimwassef/media/60317A65-64E9-40BA-8644-4FDE870B018A_zps81ldhcaq.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1062.photobucket.com/albums/t496/karimwassef/60317A65-64E9-40BA-8644-4FDE870B018A_zps81ldhcaq.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo 60317A65-64E9-40BA-8644-4FDE870B018A_zps81ldhcaq.jpg"/></a>
<a href="http://s1062.photobucket.com/user/karimwassef/media/EEDB0C4A-690D-4A35-B2DE-CD4BDB226700_zpsu1tal4td.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1062.photobucket.com/albums/t496/karimwassef/EEDB0C4A-690D-4A35-B2DE-CD4BDB226700_zpsu1tal4td.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo EEDB0C4A-690D-4A35-B2DE-CD4BDB226700_zpsu1tal4td.jpg"/></a>

My think is that their growths are so different, one rock can sustain both?

 

[Aquattro]

Maybe, but again, I'd cut the good portion off and start fresh.

 

[karimwassef]

Ok. Not knowing what's best. I did a little of everything.

1. I took a large empty branch and glued frags to it:
<a href="http://s1062.photobucket.com/user/karimwassef/media/52201DDD-2C4A-48ED-BFE2-619F7FD7946E_zpsbullfscv.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1062.photobucket.com/albums/t496/karimwassef/52201DDD-2C4A-48ED-BFE2-619F7FD7946E_zpsbullfscv.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo 52201DDD-2C4A-48ED-BFE2-619F7FD7946E_zpsbullfscv.jpg"/></a>

<a href="http://s1062.photobucket.com/user/karimwassef/media/CFA00F6E-7465-4C38-A98E-5638166F5655_zpszmhc5fle.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1062.photobucket.com/albums/t496/karimwassef/CFA00F6E-7465-4C38-A98E-5638166F5655_zpszmhc5fle.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo CFA00F6E-7465-4C38-A98E-5638166F5655_zpszmhc5fle.jpg"/></a>

2. I glued a bunch onto a large rock ledge:
<a href="http://s1062.photobucket.com/user/karimwassef/media/16967D2C-CF04-432C-85CF-622F48F91031_zpssu4qr4sa.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1062.photobucket.com/albums/t496/karimwassef/16967D2C-CF04-432C-85CF-622F48F91031_zpssu4qr4sa.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo 16967D2C-CF04-432C-85CF-622F48F91031_zpssu4qr4sa.jpg"/></a>

<a href="http://s1062.photobucket.com/user/karimwassef/media/BCC4D87E-AC7F-4077-8DA5-A8E431DA3FF0_zpsgedxp9kk.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1062.photobucket.com/albums/t496/karimwassef/BCC4D87E-AC7F-4077-8DA5-A8E431DA3FF0_zpsgedxp9kk.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo BCC4D87E-AC7F-4077-8DA5-A8E431DA3FF0_zpsgedxp9kk.jpg"/></a>

3. I glued some into the rock wall directly:
<a href="http://s1062.photobucket.com/user/karimwassef/media/55D65FF2-4CA1-43C5-AA43-6CA55DEB0F85_zpsvyf6lpac.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1062.photobucket.com/albums/t496/karimwassef/55D65FF2-4CA1-43C5-AA43-6CA55DEB0F85_zpsvyf6lpac.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo 55D65FF2-4CA1-43C5-AA43-6CA55DEB0F85_zpsvyf6lpac.jpg"/></a>

<a href="http://s1062.photobucket.com/user/karimwassef/media/8414FBEF-CB45-4CB2-9EB3-E50630E94003_zpsv73hswke.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1062.photobucket.com/albums/t496/karimwassef/8414FBEF-CB45-4CB2-9EB3-E50630E94003_zpsv73hswke.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo 8414FBEF-CB45-4CB2-9EB3-E50630E94003_zpsv73hswke.jpg"/></a>

<a href="http://s1062.photobucket.com/user/karimwassef/media/DC50154D-9BDA-4F90-A703-C109403521F6_zpswmd0p8zn.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1062.photobucket.com/albums/t496/karimwassef/DC50154D-9BDA-4F90-A703-C109403521F6_zpswmd0p8zn.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo DC50154D-9BDA-4F90-A703-C109403521F6_zpswmd0p8zn.jpg"/></a>

<a href="http://s1062.photobucket.com/user/karimwassef/media/82B8A0A8-C33D-48A1-B7AB-88A4885808D6_zps7isqztjn.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1062.photobucket.com/albums/t496/karimwassef/82B8A0A8-C33D-48A1-B7AB-88A4885808D6_zps7isqztjn.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo 82B8A0A8-C33D-48A1-B7AB-88A4885808D6_zps7isqztjn.jpg"/></a>

 

[karimwassef]

4. I glued some on smaller rocks trying to keep one species per:
<a href="http://s1062.photobucket.com/user/karimwassef/media/5B4B0EB0-37DF-4360-A850-5B5745E0563E_zpstya9nt80.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1062.photobucket.com/albums/t496/karimwassef/5B4B0EB0-37DF-4360-A850-5B5745E0563E_zpstya9nt80.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo 5B4B0EB0-37DF-4360-A850-5B5745E0563E_zpstya9nt80.jpg"/></a>

<a href="http://s1062.photobucket.com/user/karimwassef/media/A9FACA31-6E87-41A0-8E16-15E2F4EF7CCE_zpsysmi7vnl.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1062.photobucket.com/albums/t496/karimwassef/A9FACA31-6E87-41A0-8E16-15E2F4EF7CCE_zpsysmi7vnl.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo A9FACA31-6E87-41A0-8E16-15E2F4EF7CCE_zpsysmi7vnl.jpg"/></a>

<a href="http://s1062.photobucket.com/user/karimwassef/media/54AECAEF-3CE0-47F7-93AA-52A3737BDD06_zpsfn5vj2vn.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1062.photobucket.com/albums/t496/karimwassef/54AECAEF-3CE0-47F7-93AA-52A3737BDD06_zpsfn5vj2vn.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo 54AECAEF-3CE0-47F7-93AA-52A3737BDD06_zpsfn5vj2vn.jpg"/></a>

<a href="http://s1062.photobucket.com/user/karimwassef/media/8AF344FC-53C8-4FD8-8B42-798AC9D26E62_zps3skouopp.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1062.photobucket.com/albums/t496/karimwassef/8AF344FC-53C8-4FD8-8B42-798AC9D26E62_zps3skouopp.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo 8AF344FC-53C8-4FD8-8B42-798AC9D26E62_zps3skouopp.jpg"/></a>

<a href="http://s1062.photobucket.com/user/karimwassef/media/EC05DA64-165C-4B09-A590-CF1729B14AD0_zpsgyyac7f8.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1062.photobucket.com/albums/t496/karimwassef/EC05DA64-165C-4B09-A590-CF1729B14AD0_zpsgyyac7f8.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo EC05DA64-165C-4B09-A590-CF1729B14AD0_zpsgyyac7f8.jpg"/></a>

5. I glued some frags on my main massive coral tree rock (center stone):
<a href="http://s1062.photobucket.com/user/karimwassef/media/5896408A-9D45-4684-B3AD-6EC2AF5B5EFD_zpshinvnkpl.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1062.photobucket.com/albums/t496/karimwassef/5896408A-9D45-4684-B3AD-6EC2AF5B5EFD_zpshinvnkpl.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo 5896408A-9D45-4684-B3AD-6EC2AF5B5EFD_zpshinvnkpl.jpg"/></a>

<a href="http://s1062.photobucket.com/user/karimwassef/media/60075069-31CF-4A41-AF1A-657739B552B2_zpschupcgmo.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1062.photobucket.com/albums/t496/karimwassef/60075069-31CF-4A41-AF1A-657739B552B2_zpschupcgmo.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo 60075069-31CF-4A41-AF1A-657739B552B2_zpschupcgmo.jpg"/></a>

 

[Pife]

Good luck.

If you can't tell the difference between a live coral and dead one you won't be disappointed.:lolspin:

 

[karimwassef]

Gee thanks.

I can tell the difference between dead and healthy. It's the dead vs. unhealthy that I have trouble with.

Unhealthy is curable. Dead is not.

 

[Sps_Reef]

you know if its dead or unhealthy by if it still has flesh or not. They can be white but if you look at them they still can have flesh and these can rebound. a dead coral is just white dead coral. Also I see some of your frags you left a bit of the dead coral at the base. Cut that off. The frag base should be alive because that way it can encrust. The coral cant encrust and heal if there is still dead coral banch under the flesh.

 

[karimwassef]

I wasn't sure where to cut so so left it all on.

My tangs, snails and hermits are cleaning things up better so I can see what is just skeleton vs. white tissue.

One coral has green tissue but not like the luminescent green on its polyps elsewhere...

I'll give the crew a week and then go back in after everything's more stable.

My goal is to be able to turn my surge back on today without destroying the frag placements.

 

[Sps_Reef]

Well there doesnt need to be color for it to be alive

 

[karimwassef]

Hence the problem. I couldn't decide what to keep and what to cut.

I glued it all down hoping for the living tissue to recover enough for me to tell.

 

[undertai]

The Monti. Caps. will encrust then start plating no matter what. There will probably be some vertical grow but not much.

 

[undertai]

This is what I did with a Monti cap. and a couple of across frags.

The cap hit the edges of the acros and starting growing upwards.

 

[karimwassef]

This is the one I'm still thinking I should drag? It has different zones and colors?

<a href="http://s1062.photobucket.com/user/karimwassef/media/90C46723-3EA0-4DD5-A740-8A04E94E1389_zpshbkoelkm.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1062.photobucket.com/albums/t496/karimwassef/90C46723-3EA0-4DD5-A740-8A04E94E1389_zpshbkoelkm.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo 90C46723-3EA0-4DD5-A740-8A04E94E1389_zpshbkoelkm.jpg"/></a>

 

[MMA]

That's pretty cool you got all those frags. Personally I would get pretty aggressive cutting off dead or even parts that might just be unhealthy. I would definitely dip too.

 

[karimwassef]

Lack of experience.
If I knew what I'm doing, I'd be bolder. I'd hate to kill it due to my own ignorance.

 

[karimwassef]

So after much experimentation , I found a superglue that doesn't immediately film over in water. Other versions from Loctite or gorilla glue didn't work very well

<a href="http://s1062.photobucket.com/user/karimwassef/media/9CE58B11-9AE6-4A2E-BE0F-DF275FEB3B12_zpsrxsswr8c.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1062.photobucket.com/albums/t496/karimwassef/9CE58B11-9AE6-4A2E-BE0F-DF275FEB3B12_zpsrxsswr8c.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo 9CE58B11-9AE6-4A2E-BE0F-DF275FEB3B12_zpsrxsswr8c.jpg"/></a>

Must be ultragel to stand up to a water cure.

Wish someone had told me, so hope this helps someone else.