A
Anonymous
Guest
I thought I would post about my project this weekend - trying to keep an overenthusiastic colony of GSP from taking over my reef - in hopes of saving someone some of this effort.
In one year, a rock with GSP completely took over one large adjacent rock, and was making serious inroads on two more. It was encroaching on a bubble coral, which had not been inflating well lately.
So, I moved the two main GSP rocks away from the rest of the rock structure, giving them their own isolated island they can't spread beyond. I also cut away a bunch of "psuedopods" that were projecting off of this main colony; I literally had GSP growing on top of other GSP.
Then I pulled the other rocks that were being colonized out of the tank and scrubbed off the GSP with a plastic-bristled brush. This was not an easy task at all, but I finally got them off so I could return those rocks to the main rock structure in the tank. Now I have a perfect spot for another colony of m. capricornis I have been dreaming about.
The final effect of the GSP island apart from the main reef is pretty cool; when I finally get a digicam I will post some pics! (Maybe Santa will be good to me).Plus, the bubble coral showed its approval right away by inflating more fully and looking happy again.
My advice to anyone adding GSP to a reef, don't just place it on the main rock structure or you will eventually have the same problem I had. Give them their own separate rock(s), or let them grow on a flat surface like the back of the tank where they will be easily controlled. A healthy colony of GSP is beautiful, and its great to see any coral thriving like that, but I want to have other things in my reef too!
In one year, a rock with GSP completely took over one large adjacent rock, and was making serious inroads on two more. It was encroaching on a bubble coral, which had not been inflating well lately.
So, I moved the two main GSP rocks away from the rest of the rock structure, giving them their own isolated island they can't spread beyond. I also cut away a bunch of "psuedopods" that were projecting off of this main colony; I literally had GSP growing on top of other GSP.
Then I pulled the other rocks that were being colonized out of the tank and scrubbed off the GSP with a plastic-bristled brush. This was not an easy task at all, but I finally got them off so I could return those rocks to the main rock structure in the tank. Now I have a perfect spot for another colony of m. capricornis I have been dreaming about.
The final effect of the GSP island apart from the main reef is pretty cool; when I finally get a digicam I will post some pics! (Maybe Santa will be good to me).Plus, the bubble coral showed its approval right away by inflating more fully and looking happy again.
My advice to anyone adding GSP to a reef, don't just place it on the main rock structure or you will eventually have the same problem I had. Give them their own separate rock(s), or let them grow on a flat surface like the back of the tank where they will be easily controlled. A healthy colony of GSP is beautiful, and its great to see any coral thriving like that, but I want to have other things in my reef too!
