Coral on top of coral

[duke62]

I have this orange digi thats taking up alot of space in a great lighting and flow spot. It is encrusted 6x6 and has branches forming all around it but open in the center. I was thinking of placing one of my JF acros in the center of it glued to a plug. Think this will work if i keep trimming the digi when it starts to shade the acro? I dont care if the acro grows and starts to kill the digi. I have 2 large colonies of it

 

[prattreef]

I do this all the time. Eventually when the coral below encrusts the plug above there may be some localized battles, but in the main, it has proved a very successful strategy. Hey, we're NYers. When you can't build out, you build up!

 

[duke62]

Randy the acro should win in a battle of digi vs acro am i correct?

 

[prattreef]

That would be my guess, but you never really know. I generally consider M. digitata and all Montipora as pretty wimpy aggression-wise, but I have this very aggressive Pavona that has spread throughout my tank that routinely damages all sorts of things and much to my surprise it has spread on to the back glass of the tank directly in contact with some orange digi that has done the same thing, and they have reached a clear boundary line where neither advances any further. I would have bet real $$$$$ the digi would have been toast in that encounter. Alas, corals are strange and mysterious and full of never- ending surprises.

 

[duke62]

ok maybe i will put it on a small rock on top of the digi so it will give it more time if it starts to encrust and i can easily remove the digi encrusting off that rock. thanks Randy

 

[MIKE NY]

I've done it many times... sometimes they just find a neutral ground or one will over take the other...not going to know untill you try....also don't rule out the monti as the losers.....in most cases they lose the battle, but win the war because they grow so fast outgrowing acros that they surround, shade out and block the flow for the acros...especially caps.