Metallic Green Star Polyps

[Aurortpa]

One of my LFS, we luckily have 6 in the immediate area, was nice enough to pull a metallic gsp frag about 3” from his 1500 gallon display for just $10! He warned me they grow fast, but I love how long and green the polyps on this colony are.

 

I needed a lower light coral for my base rock which is partially exposed to light, as the top “circular” rock is set a thrid back on it and can be detached if necessary. Can I put sand or rubble around it to kind of ward it from attaching to adjacent rocks or will I be cutting into it and peeling it regularly in the future?

 

I also thought of placing in middle of sand bed but really want to try to keep that area open if possible. 

 

Hey 

 

[This guy is extra salty]

Put it on a rock island 

you will thank me later

[Aurortpa]

I think I could make it work either way Altho, I am looking for an excuse to go to LFS again—buy a rock for the island, lol. Decisions 😓

[Kellie in CA]

Yeah..... I have one that grows like crazy and it is a weekly task for me to trim it back and scrape it off so it doesn't bulldoze the other corals.  I didn't place it where it ended up, but it moved itself all the way up my rock structure to the top where all the light is. 

 

Make sure that coral is on a rock of it's own.

[Aurortpa]

Ok ok I will defer to the experience of others and buy some rocks to make an island. 😌Weekly trimmings, taking down rock, seems high maintenance to me and I like it simple—things are complicated enough. Maybe I can put a coral at the tippy top, so it’s like a green oasis, lol. 

[ninjamyst]

I give mine out for free.  You can also just leave it on the sand.

[Aurortpa]

Island completed! Only took hours of OCD rock arrangement! 😅. It does NOT connect to main rock work, it’s an illusion. 

[1891Bro]

8 minutes ago, Aurortpa said:

Island completed! Only took hours of OCD rock arrangement! 😅. It does NOT connect to main rock work, it’s an illusion. 

It’ll get there. 

[Oldsalt01]

Don't worry. In 6 months, if not before, that new rock will be totally covered. I would recommend at least 3" between the island and your main structure (nice rock work, BTW). This stuff sends out "feet" that will grow across the sand and colonize the main rock if you don't stay on top of it. For instance; i got a piece on a normal 11/2" frag plug in February. Glued it to a 6" long "island" which it promptly started to cover. 2 weeks ago I popped the plug off and gave it to my LFS. As of tonight, that 11/2" bare spot is covered with new growth..... in two weeks! Thank goodness I decided against putting the plug up against the back wall of my 14g Biocube. It looks great covering a wall like that in tanks I have seen, but there would have been a constant battle to keep it from covering my filter intakes. Just keep an eye on it.

[Aurortpa]

1 hour ago, Oldsalt01 said:

2 weeks ago I popped the plug off and gave it to my LFS. As of tonight, that 11/2" bare spot is covered with new growth..... in two weeks! 

Wow, I’d be temporarily happy if a coral grew that fast for me lol. Thanks for the heads up and advice!!!  I think I’ll look forward to it for a short lived while haha.

 

Thanks for the rockwork compliment, TBH I think I get OCD over placement. Getting new rock or coral is like a double edged sword, drives me bonkers. Here’s a FTS.

[Lula_Mae]

5 minutes ago, Aurortpa said:

Wow, I’d be temporarily happy if a coral grew that fast for me lol. Thanks for the heads up and advice!!!  I think I’ll look forward to it for a short lived while haha.

 

Thanks for the rockwork compliment, TBH I think I get OCD over placement. Getting new rock or coral is like a double edged sword, drives me bonkers. Here’s a FTS.

Forget the GSP takeover, I want to know about the crab in the bottle.

[Sancho]

glue it to the back wall

[Sancho]

I am serious. it grows out nice on the back wall its pretty and doesn't require scrapping and prevents crappy pest from growing on the back wall just keep it clear of your intake. look at Lawnman and Veng"s tank threads. 

[Aurortpa]

15 minutes ago, Sancho said:

I am serious. it grows out nice on the back wall its pretty and doesn't require scrapping and prevents crappy pest from growing on the back wall just keep it clear of your intake. look at Lawnman and Veng"s tank threads. 

True, just read stories of those that had trouble with it on the back wall, guess it varies tank to tank. I’ll see how well it does in mine first. 🙂

[Sancho]

its an older TOTM but one of my favorite tanks on NR

 

[Aurortpa]

44 minutes ago, Lula_Mae said:

Forget the GSP takeover, I want to know about the crab in the bottle.

Some mysteries are best left unsolved...jk lol

 

I use coke bottle tops to protect coral or livestock as needed, like for target feeding...but in a pinch it’s for isolation of scheduled evictees. 

 

Upon further investigation he isn’t reef safe so he’ll go back to LFS tomorrow. ??

[KNelson]

22 hours ago, Aurortpa said:

Island completed! Only took hours of OCD rock arrangement! 😅. It does NOT connect to main rock work, it’s an illusion. 

That's going to look great!  I did something similar with a pinkie-nail-sized GSP trimming on coral skeleton.  It has a ways to go, but should look like a tree when it covers. 

[Aurortpa]

3 hours ago, KNelson said:

That's going to look great!  I did something similar with a pinkie-nail-sized GSP trimming on coral skeleton.  It has a ways to go, but should look like a tree when it covers. 

I sure hope so! That was my intention to look like it is some kind of coral that is naturally shaped like that. ☺️