What to do with broken pieces of Birdsnest?

[neonstingray]

Hey everyone,

I met a local reefer last night to buy some frogspawn. While I was there I also bought some birdsnest from him. While clipping it some pieces broke. I still have a good sized frag, but he also put the smaller broken pieces in the bag.

 

1. What's the smallest size that will actually grow?

 

2. And can I glue them like a little cluster onto the rock spot that I want to be their permanent growing spot, or should I keep them separate from each other?

 

3. Is it ok to glue them directly to the display rock or should I glue them onto rubble for now?

 

4. The main frag has one tiny branch with some algae on the tip, should I clip this off? I know birdsnest sometimes suffers from algae on the tips.

 

Thanks!

[Deleted User 3]

Well this is a different coral but I broke off a 1/2 inch peice of german blue monti digiata and glued it to a frag plug and it's alive.

[doppelganger]

1. They seem to be able to grow from pretty small pieces if the conditions are right. I don't know exactly tho. the smallest I've had grow is probably <0.5 inch

 

2. You can glue them in a cluster if you want. I'm not sure aesthetically if it will be appealing tho. I would keep them separate tho. there's no point really having them grow into each other.

 

3. Yes that's fine. frag plug will be easier tho especially if you have to move it. You'll find that with some coral, you'll have to play with the lighting and flow. This is much easier to adjust if it's on a frag disk or a piece of rubble. It allows you to move it around better and find a spot it likes.

 

4. gently brush it off. If it's easy to clip and then you can do that as well.

[Mr. Microscope]

I've broken off tiny pieces of my BN a few times while cleaning the tank, etc. Each time, I glue them to the display rock or on the back wall. They were tiny little tips when I mounted them. Now they're about a half inch to an inch long and starting to branch out. I think it's fun, like mini frags that fit anywhere. Just mount it, forget about it, and let it take off. It might surprise you.

 

Also, I figure this is about as close as one can get to seeing how a sexually produced wild colony will grow in your setup (aside from pocillopora).

[neonstingray]

Great, thanks for the responses!

[Asureef]

I break pieces by accident pretty often. What I do is just throw the pieces into the main colony and it will reattach itself to the other branches within a weeks time. I do this with my branching montis also, as my clowns will break off branches while the montis continue to grow into their area.

[Reef Casa]

I keep birdnest pieces that break of even 3/8'' and put them on plugs

after 6-8 weeks they are an inch big