SPS encrusting vs. growing "up"

[Anonymous]

So what causes an SPS coral to mostly encrust vs. adding height to itself? It seems like many of the SPS that I have in my tank prefer to simply encrust vs. creating branches. I'm sure there is a reason, but I just don't know what it is.

 

[Anonymous]

I found that small frags spend alot of time creating base before they start shooting up new limbs.

Mine always seemed to base for about 6 months before start developing limbs.

Are these small frags that you're talking about?

 

[Anonymous]

I found that small frags spend alot of time creating base before they start shooting up new limbs.

Mine always seemed to base for about 6 months before start developing limbs.

Are these small frags that you're talking about?

One is a small green milli frag, the other is a decent sized purple haze piece. I'm going to convert my bigger tank to more SPS after I get my nano setup, but I have noticed this in the past with other frags and was just curious if this was a water movement/light/elements issue or if it is more of a standard behavior, as you seem to suggest.

 

[Ben1]

Mine typically base out more at first as well, to provide it slef with stability. Maybe if my tank had less flow they would start branching up faster but I am not sure of that.

 

[Anonymous]

Flow.

 

[Anonymous]

Flow.

Explain.

 

[Anonymous]

Well I'm no expert.... but when Jake Adams did a talk for our club on flow, he talked about his work with physically measuring growth rates in coral (how accurate I can not say... had to do with measuring oxygen(??) or something though in and out of a fixed area.

Anyways one thing he mentioned was "ever see how a coral puddles out maybe sprouting little vertical branches then all of a sudden shoots right up, it's the flow"...

My guess is there's a "break even" point to where the flow gets to a point that it becomes beneficial for a coral to go vertical rather than continuing a horizontal growth.

 

[Anonymous]

Well I'm no expert.... but when Jake Adams did a talk for our club on flow, he talked about his work with physically measuring growth rates in coral (how accurate I can not say... had to do with measuring oxygen(??) or something though in and out of a fixed area.

I think calcification (growth) can be measured by measuring alkalinity depletion.

Back OT: I've noticed the same process in my tanks. Frags spend several months laying down a base, encrusting the LR around them. After the base is good and solid, they direct their energy into growing upwards. From then on, they grow up and branch out.

What I've always wondered is this: How do the polyps on the growth tips 'know' to wait for the base to encrust? After all, each polyp is an individual. So what tells the colony to encrust first, and branch out second?

Not sure I explained that very well...

 

[Ben1]

What I've always wondered is this: How do the polyps on the growth tips 'know' to wait for the base to encrust? After all, each polyp is an individual. So what tells the colony to encrust first, and branch out second?

They use their coral brain silly :lol:

 

[Anonymous]

What I've always wondered is this: How do the polyps on the growth tips 'know' to wait for the base to encrust? After all, each polyp is an individual. So what tells the colony to encrust first, and branch out second?

Not sure I explained that very well...

This is exactly my question, which is why I figured it would be more of an environmental response vs. a standard procedure for the coral frag. I'll have to see if this is in fact the case or not.

 

[Anonymous]

Flow is what brings food to coral, allows them to breath, and brings their waste away. Now most encrusting corals don't have too much of an issue with the rest of the colony redirecting flow patterns, but they will eventually nub up and once they get high enough where they hit a nice flow stream they take off like a rocket, because all those things are cycled out that much quicker.

 

[Anonymous]

interesting!