Will SPS corals (like birdsnest) ever grow downward and cover the point where they were attached to the rock/plug?
SPS attachment questions
- Thread starter OgreMkV
- Start date
Most SPS corals, the answer is yes, Birdsnest being one of the few exceptions that doesn't encrust.
IME, they do encrust, but not anywhere near to the point that any other acropora will. You should make sure they are pretty secure.
I have also noted that how you position the frag will make a difference. I've experimented with gluing sideways and upside down and found that either of those two ensure a better base. They may or may not necessarily be conducive toward extra linear extension, but you definitely get the basal growth.
If I didn't have hair algae all over the base I would take pics. lol. Here is how I see birdsnest compared to acroporas. Birdsnest, you take a branch and stick it in a little hole in a rock. The base of the birdsnest will grow to fill into that hole and just a little area, no more than 1/16th of an inch around the outside of the hole, just to secure itself. When I think of something encrusting, I think of it growing continuously around the rock and with acropora, branching out further down the new encrusting growth. This is a trait birdsnest don't do, at least from my observations. Just clarifying my earlier statement on why I don't think they really encrust, but I guess it depends on your definition of encrusting. 
If I didn't have hair algae all over the base I would take pics. lol. Here is how I see birdsnest compared to acroporas. Birdsnest, you take a branch and stick it in a little hole in a rock. The base of the birdsnest will grow to fill into that hole and just a little area, no more than 1/16th of an inch around the outside of the hole, just to secure itself. When I think of something encrusting, I think of it growing continuously around the rock and with acropora, branching out further down the new encrusting growth. This is a trait birdsnest don't do, at least from my observations. Just clarifying my earlier statement on why I don't think they really encrust, but I guess it depends on your definition of encrusting.
Haha. We agree.
also some acros seem to encrust more than others ime even from the same colony, might have to do with flow or something.
pocilopora and stylophora dont seem to encrust as much as acros and montipora digi encrust the most out of what ive kept so far
pocilopora and stylophora dont seem to encrust as much as acros and montipora digi encrust the most out of what ive kept so far