Sps touching question

[ReefCowboy]

I see many mature tanks with sps growing so wild that you can't tell which colony is from the top, bottom, side...all branches growing crossing together.

I have mine starting to take off, and soon will have them touch sticks.

Question is, if they touch, should I start clipping the branches to avoid them touching each other or should I just leave it all alone? Would that possibly kill/ start a problem with the colonies?

 

[shih87]

I see many mature tanks with sps growing so wild that you can't tell which colony is from the top, bottom, side...all branches growing crossing together.

I have mine starting to take off, and soon will have them touch sticks.

Question is, if they touch, should I start clipping the branches to avoid them touching each other or should I just leave it all alone? Would that possibly kill/ start a problem with the colonies?

I don't know there is a 100% correct answer. I can only share mine. I keep all branches touching each other and enjoy their nature look. However, for my new tank, I will definitely trim them to avoid they touch, just for different kind of fun.

Happy Lunar New Year.

 

[ReefCowboy]

Thanks for the reply. The ones touching now in the tank, do you see them die off?

 

[Reefer54]

sooner or later different species are going to "fight" it out so to speak. You can clip the loser's white, bleached branch afterwards if you dont like looking at it, or frag it before and share the life of another coral.

It is your preference, but i would also be inclined to say that chemical warfare in a tank that is mixed is going to have progressive effects which will not imminently seen....even if you run carbon, softies\sps often are notorious (pending placemen upstream, downstream, etc) for exuding noxious chems, etc.

 

[swhobbie1]

sooner or later different species are going to "fight" it out so to speak. You can clip the loser's white, bleached branch afterwards if you dont like looking at it, or frag it before and share the life of another coral.
.

+1 This is what I do. Doesnt seem like it happens too often but when I see it, I'll clip back the corals that I don't like to give the one I do space to grow.

 

[ReefCowboy]

Great info. That's what I needed to know.
Thanks for the help everyone

 

[trueblackpercula]

I have a few few that they encrusted and started to touch one of them gets burned then it stops over powering each other. The. They grow over and around each other without touching but get very close. Just stick it out and if they get too close jus prune them back.

 

[ReefCowboy]

I have a few few that they encrusted and started to touch one of them gets burned then it stops over powering each other. The. They grow over and around each other without touching but get very close. Just stick it out and if they get too close jus prune them back.

Good info! Thanks for the help

 

[tfp]

I gots all kinds of stuff that blends, collides, meshes into each other . it gets kinda crazy but I just let them go at it.

 

[twon8]

Battles have losers and corals are lost