Growing Gsp On Back Black Glass On Aio Tank

[Canadianeh]

I read that some people is growing zoa, GSP, and other corals on their back glass.

I am interested on this idea as well. I think it looks better than just a back black glass.

What kind of husbandry I am looking at if I want to grow GSP on the glass? How to make sure they don't grow pass the top water line? Or, it won't?

How hard is it to peel them off from the glass if they start to grow to the side of the glass? What tools do you use to peel them off? Thanks

[RIP Sebastian]

 

I read that some people is growing zoa, GSP, and other corals on their back glass.

I am interested on this idea as well. I think it looks better than just a back black glass.

 

What kind of husbandry I am looking at if I want to grow GSP on the glass? How to make sure they don't grow pass the top water line? Or, it won't?

 

How hard is it to peel them off from the glass if they start to grow to the side of the glass? What tools do you use to peel them off? Thanks

 

 

Just glue it up on the back where there is light and flow. To remove, use a razor blade.

[Canadianeh]

 

Just glue it up on the back where there is light and flow. To remove, use a razor blade.

 

Will it grow past the top water line? Or, it will stop growing on the water line since it "knows" there is no water pass the line?

[TJ_Burton]

 

Will it grow past the top water line? Or, it will stop growing on the water line since it "knows" there is no water pass the line?

It will stop, sometimes curl over and touch the surface to try and keep growing, but either way it won't grow out.

[RIP Sebastian]

 

Will it grow past the top water line? Or, it will stop growing on the water line since it "knows" there is no water pass the line?

 

 

It will stop, sometimes curl over and touch the surface to try and keep growing, but either way it won't grow out.

 

^^

[Canadianeh]

It will stop, sometimes curl over and touch the surface to try and keep growing, but either way it won't grow ou

 

 

 

 

^^

 

 

thank you guys! Off to buy GSP frag and magnetic frag plug

[holy carp]

I'm covering my glass with cyphastrea. It doesn't grow as quickly as GSP, but may be easier to contain at the edges with a razor blade.

[Canadianeh]

I'm covering my glass with cyphastrea. It doesn't grow as quickly as GSP, but may be easier to contain at the edges with a razor blade.

Pics?

[holy carp]

Once it becomes more established on the glass, I'll remove the frag rack. You can see it on my sig pic on the left pane of glass. I hope it will some day encrust the plumbing, but it doesn't grow super fast, so I'm not afraid of it spreading out of control.

 

 

I'll try to get a close-up later.

[lkoechle]

Once it becomes more established on the glass, I'll remove the frag rack. Here it was a week ago - you can see it on my sig pic as well on the left pane of glass. I hope it will some day encrust the plumbing, but it doesn't grow super fast, so I'm not afraid of it spreading out of control.

 

 

I'll try to get a close-up later.

That'll look pretty sick when its grown out. I have thought about doing something like that, but I like the clean and open look too much. Did you see the one where the guy grew the cyphastrea on fake skull?

[Michael_Price]

That'll look pretty sick when its grown out. I have thought about doing something like that, but I like the clean and open look too much. Did you see the one where the guy grew the cyphastrea on fake skull?

I would love to see that!!!

 

I have GSP on my back glass, I like the green glow at night. I cut it with a razor when needed to keep the growth where I want it. I pulled it off the frag and glued it to the back, and it has now started growing onto the glass.

 

[holy carp]

Did you see the one where the guy grew the cyphastrea on fake skull?

 

Yes, it looks awesome.

 

I didn't mind covering the small side panel because that isn't really a viewing pane due to the plumbing. But I would not have done it on my back glass, which I like being open. But you can't beat a coral covered wall for low maintenance.

[Michael_Price]

 

Yes, it looks awesome.

 

I didn't mind covering the small side panel because that isn't really a viewing pane due to the plumbing. But I would not have done it on my back glass, which I like being open. But you can't beat a coral covered wall for low maintenance.

 

EPIC!

 

I wonder how many months that took!

[Polarcollision]

I have GSP on the back wall. It's super easy to trim back, just peel it off. And yes, it just builds up at the water line. You have to watch it when it gets near overflows and pump returns. I'm switching it out in favor of encrusting corals like montiporas.

[holy carp]

 

[Michael_Price]

 

How long did it take to grow out like that? That's Awesome!

[holy carp]

If you look at the first page of my build thread, you can see some FTS progress of it. It pretty much spread out like that over about 6 months.

[samnaz]

 

 

Looking good! Cyphastrea covered walls are the best. Can't wait for mine to grow out.

[mitten_reef]

On 2/7/2017 at 4:58 PM, Polarcollision said:

I'm switching it out in favor of encrusting corals like montiporas.

Any idea what Montiporas might be a good candidate? I got mystic sunset and 'regular' sunset that seems to just keep on encrusting. But I believe they also could turn plating if they want to(?).  All the other monti's I have are plating-type or digi's, so those definitely won't work.

[holy carp]

1 minute ago, micoastreefing said:

Any idea what Montiporas might be a good candidate? I got mystic sunset and 'regular' sunset that seems to just keep on encrusting. But I believe they also could turn plating if they want to(?).  All the other monti's I have are plating-type or digi's, so those definitely won't work.

I think either of those sunsets would look great.  Superman, Rainbow, and Blueberry Fields might work nicely as well.  Montis just won't cover the back as fast as cyphastrea, but you could make a cool mosaic of multiple types.

 

Sorry to hijack for a moment here - What salt mix and water parameters do you keep for your encrusting montis?  Mine have all been struggling lately and I haven't pinpointed the cause, but I think it might trace back to a change in salt...

[mitten_reef]

4 minutes ago, holy carp said:

I think either of those sunsets would look great.  Superman, Rainbow, and Blueberry Fields might work nicely as well.  Montis just won't cover the back as fast as cyphastrea, but you could make a cool mosaic of multiple types.

 

Sorry to hijack for a moment here - What salt mix and water parameters do you keep for your encrusting montis?  Mine have all been struggling lately and I haven't pinpointed the cause, but I think it might trace back to a change in salt...

Awesome, I've been thinking of a new way to do something with the big chunk of mystic sunset that I have. Thanks for the feedback on that!

 

I use Red Sea Coral Pro...I don't test very often, unless something looks 'really wrong'.  15% weekly water change. The last time I checked was a few weeks ago, most parameters matched what RSCP prescribed range Cal was somewhere 400-450, dKh around 11 and Mg in the 1200's. So one could say I keep a high-alk tank, when looking at other alk conversation out there. But my corals look to be happy, and I don't feel the need to go and mess it up at the moment.  

 

My mystic sunset did suffer the "browning/dulling" a while back, so I start regular manually dosing aquavitro's "8.4", along with their "calcification" (just the basic maintenance level on the label). The bright color is starting to come back!

 

    

[holy carp]

The polyps definitely look great on that mystic sunset.  

Those leptoseris would do nicely on a wall also...

The other coral I had thought about that might do well on back glass is porites.  At least so far, my darth maul has been encrusting pretty quickly and has great color and patterning.

 

BTW, what are those little stars?  Feather dusters of some sort?  Or some kind of hydroids?

[mitten_reef]

15 minutes ago, holy carp said:

The polyps definitely look great on that mystic sunset.  

Those leptoseris would do nicely on a wall also...

The other coral I had thought about that might do well on back glass is porites.  At least so far, my darth maul has been encrusting pretty quickly and has great color and patterning.

 

BTW, what are those little stars?  Feather dusters of some sort?  Or some kind of hydroids?

Darth maul would be cool! I don't have any experience with porites. You're giving me all sorts of ideas with the back wall encrusting options, thanks!.

I thought those are tiny, tiny feather dusters, they don't get much bigger than that. They have tubes, but now you have me a little worried  - they're all over my tank.  

Since I have a TOTM person's attention, would you mind dropping by my tank thread and let me know what you would/might do to spruce up the scape? I have a NBR quad incoming, and can use some ideas/inputs. I like the way your tank look in that there are peaks and valleys (positive/negative spaces) across the view, used to have a tank set up that way once.  My tank's dimension won't really lend itself to so the low linear look very well, but thinking about going with the two islands with fairly even heights with just the right gap in between. 

[Polarcollision]

22 hours ago, holy carp said:

I think either of those sunsets would look great.  Superman, Rainbow, and Blueberry Fields might work nicely as well.  Montis just won't cover the back as fast as cyphastrea, but you could make a cool mosaic of multiple types.

 

22 hours ago, micoastreefing said:

Any idea what Montiporas might be a good candidate? I got mystic sunset and 'regular' sunset that seems to just keep on encrusting. But I believe they also could turn plating if they want to(?).  All the other monti's I have are plating-type or digi's, so those definitely won't work.

I have a bunch of different encrusting montis like sunset and mystic. Like micoastreefing mentioned, the intention is to make a patchwork backdrop. They grow pretty slow... so I'm also planning psammacora, stylocollenia, and some encrusting favias.