ENCRUSTING MONTIPORA: HOW TO FRAG ONCE ON ROCK...

[TopClamSkoo]

Hey fellas!

Hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving!

So... Im getting cold feet with placing my scatter brain montipora on the rock. I have no qualms about putting zoa's on the rock since I've done it before in the past.. but I've never glued an encrusting monti on the main rock structure other than a monti plate. Plates, I have no issues controlling them, but encrusting corals I def worry.

I'm just focusing on the long term of my reef.. I would hate for the monti to take over my entire rock structure with no more real estate for zoas. Or worse, kill off my zoa's for space.

If I do decide to place the encrusting monti on the main rock, how can I control it other than using glue or putty to stop it in it's track? Is it hard chipping it away on rock ? I would imagine it being really messy and a lot of work..

I did thought about gluing the frag on the back glass but not sure if it'll be easy to chip it away once it grows out.. is a razor blade effective in scraping off monti on glass such as a montipora palawanesis?

Anybody with real world experience? Especially fragging the palawanesis variety?

Thanks!!

 

[damsels are not mean]

Hey fellas!

Hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving!

So... Im getting cold feet with placing my scatter brain montipora on the rock. I have no qualms about putting zoa's on the rock since I've done it before in the past.. but I've never glued an encrusting monti on the main rock structure other than a monti plate. Plates, I have no issues controlling them, but encrusting corals I def worry.

I'm just focusing on the long term of my reef.. I would hate for the monti to take over my entire rock structure with no more real estate for zoas. Or worse, kill off my zoa's for space.

If I do decide to place the encrusting monti on the main rock, how can I control it other than using glue or putty to stop it in it's track? Is it hard chipping it away on rock ? I would imagine it being really messy and a lot of work..

I did thought about gluing the frag on the back glass but not sure if it'll be easy to chip it away once it grows out.. is a razor blade effective in scraping off monti on glass such as a montipora palawanesis?

Anybody with real world experience? Especially fragging the palawanesis variety?

Thanks!!

Surround it with other corals, plants, sponges. generally it won't out compete things that are shading it before it gets in stinging range. It can't sting plants either. Use natural barriers (such as the ends of rocks) as limits to growth.

 

[TopClamSkoo]

How bout fragging? Does anyone do any chiseling?

 

[SamMule]

Just glue some frag rubble around the border where you want it to stop. When the monti grows over the rubble, pop it off and glue new stuff in. Easy way to control and make frags

 

[SaracensRugby]

Put this on its own rock. I had one and it was growing all over my zoas, and everything else.