Will I regret putting my Favia on main rockwork?

[drtechno]

Just like the title says. I know they encrust and I know they are aggressive - have sweepers. However, am I going to run into trouble keeping it in check as it starts to encrust? Or can I keep it back somehow? I have it on a nice ledge, but the ledge is off of the main rockwork. So over time, I imagine it will hit the main rockwork and start spreading on it.

Am I asking for trouble? Should I just put it on the sandbed or are people successful in keeping them from encrusting over everything?

 

[TX_REEF]

they don't grow so fast that you won't be able to break/chisel off pieces that start growing where you don't want them. Free frags!

 

[mfinn]

Just like the title says. I know they encrust and I know they are aggressive - have sweepers. However, am I going to run into trouble keeping it in check as it starts to encrust? Or can I keep it back somehow? I have it on a nice ledge, but the ledge is off of the main rockwork. So over time, I imagine it will hit the main rockwork and start spreading on it.

Am I asking for trouble? Should I just put it on the sandbed or are people successful in keeping them from encrusting over everything?

I guess it would depend on what favia.
I don't see much in the way of sweepers on most of mine.
I love the way they grow up and down over rocks.
Here is one of my favorites.

 

[JGT]

Do you mean like this?

 

[mfinn]

Do you mean like this?

I have a larger type polyp favia that does battle with a snakeskin chalice ( I think that was the name ) every once in a while.
I'm wondering if the size of the polyp on the favia has something to do with it.

 

[VintageReefer]

This dragon soul grew from single polyp and took…1.5 years maybe? So they are slow growers for sure.

It does have sweepers that come out at night. Usually short but some randomly can extend long. I hope the pictures help show what I mean. When I see them going crazy like in the first two photos I squirt a bunch of flake / powdered food over the colony and they go way. i assume they come out because it’s hungry and is trying to capture food

I have a favia of the gods frag also, it is a smaller polyp favia compared to dragon soul, and it has little baby sweepers. I don’t have photos of its sweepers. But it’s just like the ones in the photos, but smaller as the coral is smaller

 

[VintageReefer]

small polyp favia sweepers
Black tile is 2”x2” for reference

 

[drtechno]

Ya. My favia of the gods has small sweepers and seems to encrust. It is definitely NOT growing slowly. So I’m just questioning my ability to control its spread on the main rock work.