Noob Question: Do LPS skeletons eventually grow/integrate onto our rocks?

[Enad]

Hi all,

So this is seems like a noob question coming from someone who has been in the hobby over 2 years now, but I've never gotten a straight answer. We all know that soft corals, SPS and certain encrusting LPS will grow on our rocks, however I'm more curious about the ever popular branching LPS varieties, or even wall varieties.

Essentially, I'm wondering if corals like Branching Hammers, Wall Hammers, Torches, Gonioporas, Candy Canes, etc will ever grow and integrate their skeleton into the rock work we glue them onto?

Would love to know!

 

[Gumbies R Us]

Following this question

 

[GlassMunky]

Hi all,

So this is seems like a noob question coming from someone who has been in the hobby over 2 years now, but I've never gotten a straight answer. We all know that soft corals, SPS and certain encrusting LPS will grow on our rocks, however I'm more curious about the ever popular branching LPS varieties, or even wall varieties.

Essentially, I'm wondering if corals like Branching Hammers, Wall Hammers, Torches, Gonioporas, Candy Canes, etc will ever grow and integrate their skeleton into the rock work we glue them onto?

Would love to know!

If the coral encrusts at all, yes. So things like gonis will.
But things like torches, candy cane etc that are branching types, no they won’t. They hit the rocks and stop there and branch a different direction

 

[Enad]

If the coral encrusts at all, yes. So things like gonis will.
But things like torches, candy cane etc that are branching types, no they won’t. They hit the rocks and stop there and branch a different direction

How does that work for them in the wild? How does a Wall Hammer, for example, attach to something in the wall where it begins to grow out its skeleton?

 

[GlassMunky]

How does that work for them in the wild? How does a Wall Hammer, for example, attach to something in the wall where it begins to grow out its skeleton?

They settle on the substrate during larval transformation when going from free swimming to benthic.
Once they find a spot and settle down that’s it. They won’t attach anywhere else

 

[shcrimps]

If the coral encrusts at all, yes. So things like gonis will.
But things like torches, candy cane etc that are branching types, no they won’t. They hit the rocks and stop there and branch a different direction

i had a hammer that started out kinda small (branching) it grew out some flesh and started to cover the frag rock that it was on and over time formed a skeleton over the rock connecting to it so much so you couldn’t see the spot it was glued anymore, however that was the only time it happened for me and it has since died (peppermint shrimp) i left the piece in the tank and a couple months later i noticed a tiny little hammer managed to overcome and is growing from that skeleton