How to mount/install a monti cap (montipora capricornis) coral?

[Uslanja]

Good Morning everyone!

I was just given a piece of monti cap coral. I do not know how to mount/install the coral. Should I just lay it on/next to a piece of reef rock and let it go? Should I glue it too the rock? What type of glue or epoxy would work on live rock or on glass if I decided to mount it on the back of the tank? The monti isn’t very thick so there is limited surface area available for the glue. Does anyone have any opinions regarding mounting it right to the glass? If I decide I no longer wanted it on the glass, how difficult would it be to remove? This is the first piece of coral that I have acquired that didn’t come already mounted to a rock or frag plug. Right now the monti is just lying on my reef but I would like to get it mounted before something undesirable happens.

Thanks for all your help and advice!

Dave

 

[Frankie]

I just always jammed them into a crack in the rock. Or wedge it in between two rocks. If your water parameters are dialed in right it should encrust fairly quickly to the rock.

 

[Uslanja]

Hi Frankie! Thanks for the advice. That would be easy to do! What are your thoughts on mounting it to the glass along the back of the tank? Currrently I can clean the glass on all four sides, but this location would begin to limit cleaning the back, but I was thinking of letting the coraline grow and cover the back glass anyway. My other question would be; the monti grows out like a tree fungus, what problems have you had, if any, regarding shadowing your reef? And now that I think of it, I have one more question; what do you do when it grows too large? Can I just trim it?

Dave

 

[Frankie]

Hi Frankie! Thanks for the advice. That would be easy to do! What are your thoughts on mounting it to the glass along the back of the tank? Currrently I can clean the glass on all four sides, but this location would begin to limit cleaning the back, but I was thinking of letting the coraline grow and cover the back glass anyway. My other question would be; the monti grows out like a tree fungus, what problems have you had, if any, regarding shadowing your reef? And now that I think of it, I have one more question; what do you do when it grows too large? Can I just trim it?

Dave

IF your tank is dialed in correctly and all water parameters are good then your going to find it easy to grow.
You can mount it to the glass with aqua putty.
Don't be afraid to cover some polyps with the putty or a rock if you wedge it. It will encrust over in time.
As for shading, your going to need to trim it overtime to stop this from getting out of control. You can just snap off pieces and sell them or replant them. This is one of the easiest corals to grow imo. Easier then most.

 

[Uslanja]

Hi Frankie!

I guess the biggest problem I'm having is where to put it. The boss (my wife Tracy) and I are just hanging out in front of the tank and we have so many ideas about where it should go that we just can't decide. It wasn't a planned purchase, but a gift from another marine enthusiast. However, I think we have identified a place between two rocks that form a pretty straight vertical climb, so it will already be hanging out into the water column. Ok, here we go, we're placing it into its new home! Well, it actually looks pretty good there and isn't shading anything yet. Thanks for the advice Frankie!

Now I can get my big magnifying glass and get back to searching for all the cool stuff going on in there!

Dave & Tracy

 

[BigAl07]

Sounds like a GREAT lil frag project

Just keep in mind that when happy they do grow OUT a lot and will shade (completely in some instances) anything under them. Plan their long-term placement well and consider what you might want to place under them. Under them (but with ample room) is a good place to place Non-Photosynthetic Coral.