"Planting" Coral

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KellyFrancis

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Feb 14, 2012
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Somerset WI
I am in the process of setting up a reef tank and even though I have a LONG way to go before I attempt coral (I'm still testing out inverts to see if they'll live), I had a thought that might look cool if it would work.

I was wondering what to do with my corals because my LR is so erratically shaped and I really can't find a spot where I'm happy with it (I rearrange it once or twice a week) and thought it would be cool to have like a coral 'garden' (if you will) in the center of my tank.

I want to know if its possible to get tiny terra cotta pots from my LCS (local craft store, lol) and 'plant' my corals in them. I'm told some move around but others just hang out on rocks and stuff. Those would be the ones I'd be looking at, obviously.

I was just wondering what people thought of the idea and if you guys had any suggestions for things to 'plant.'
 
you cant really plant corals like you would real plants. Corals will move and spread the only ones that may work would be sps or lps because the have a skeleton they are most likely to stay put. They will grow kinda like a tree but without the root system of course.
Soft corals dont like their base to be in the sand and will either grow up on top of it of just free themselves and float away.
 
Ok. That's good to know. I kinda figured I'd have to anchor some on rocks that I set in the pots. I really didn't mean plant as in 'plant a tree.' I guess I really meant it more like; would they tolerate the pots and stay where they are put? You think I could keep feather dusters in the pots? I really know very little of corals in general...so any info would be an enormous help!
 
I'm not sure what you are meaning by 'planting' them... like fill a teracotta pot with sand and put the corals in the sand?

I use a type of reef-safe epoxy that allows me to stick my corals to the live rock where I want them. It usually comes in a tube shape and you just mix them together with your hands - it has the texture of puddy and sticks well. That is what I would recommend.
 
yeah, that's the basic gist of it. I thought it would look cool if it gave the tank kind of a gardeny look. but i didn't know enough about coral to know if that was possible. thanks for the tip about the epoxy. I didn't know that it would be safe to glue corals. That's an interesting idea.
 
KellyFrancis said:
yeah, that's the basic gist of it. I thought it would look cool if it gave the tank kind of a gardeny look. but i didn't know enough about coral to know if that was possible. thanks for the tip about the epoxy. I didn't know that it would be safe to glue corals. That's an interesting idea.
Click to expand...

They make a putty that matches the color of LR in the aquarium so you cant see it until the coral grows over it. They also make a "super glue" that works under water. Both are aquarium safe as they are made for frags.
 
You can epoxy them to the sides, back, or bottom of your tank. They will be fine on glass. Just make sure food, lighting, and water are great.

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