Thick/Thin branching

[Brian]

Can someone tell me what thick and thin branching growth on SPS corals are due to.

Thanks

[CAReefer]

Waterflow, and the individual coral (some are thick branched, some aren't). In our environment, we can't even come close to the natural currents and their chaotic movement.

[Brian]

Ok so beside the coral species, waterflow is the major factor for this ??

Havent you guys read a thread in RC sometime ago about an italian that was dosing some hormonal stuff (human use) and his branches were stunning very thick .

[Aged Salt]

Accelerated skeletonogensis results in thinning of the radial coralites, as Marshal mentioned with increased current flow & HCG[growth hormone] which btw, is not contained in any of the zeo-products. Bob

[mesocosm]

Greetings All !

Ok so beside the coral species, waterflow is the major factor for this ?? ...

Depending upon the species ... waterflow is the primary influence determining morphology. Secondary influences of morphology include light, nutrients, sediments, turbidity, predators, cryptofauna, competition, and ontogeny of neighboring corals.

Generally speaking, "... hydraulic energy, in the form of currents, surge, tides, and the relative exposure or protection of a given habitat, is the key factor in determining growth forms" (Borneman 2001).

It might also be worth noting that there are underlying factors beyond the environmental. The formation of colonial skeletal structures provide advantages to coral polyps in the following ways: (1) strength, stability, and protection; (2) cooperation and integration between polyps; and (3) asexual reproduction through budding, which can rapidly increase biomass (Coates 1973) ... but these factors are more within the context of natural selection, rather than within the context of husbandry.

... Havent you guys read a thread in RC sometime ago about an italian that was dosing some hormonal stuff (human use) and his branches were stunning very thick .

Sure ... HGH. Intriguing stuff ... but a little too "out there", even for my experimental husbandry interests. JMO.


HTH

[coralite]

The growth forms of arborescent stony corals represent a compromise between building a skeleton that is strong enough to resist the force of the water motion while having just the right amount of space between the branches to allow diffusion to take place. speaking on just a photosynthetic point of view, we can define several characteristics about coral branching.

Branch thickness- the average diameter/thickness of a single branch
Branch density- the number of branches per given surface area or volume, so including side branches
Skeletal density- the mass of the skeletal per volume
surface texture- the amount of roughness that the surface of the coral actually has, these include verrucae, nodules, pimples, dimples, spines and on and on. . .

everyone of these things are positively correlated with flow. If you have more flow you will have denser, rougher, thicker and more densely spaced branches. Lighting has more of an influence on form, which can also be dramatic.

For the most part, corals can breathe fine on their own. It is their symbionts that create an oxygen deficit at night and a sublethal overabundance during the day. light is a big factor in how corals grow but their morpholgy and overall growth form is how the coral deals with the effects of light.

Here's a little case study. Pocillopora damicornis, from the same colony, many many "generations" captive grown in separate tanks. The one on the left was in moderate intensity lighting and flow, maxi jets and vho. The one on the right was under very intense light and flow, multiple 400W iwasaki and 45 gallon surge and eductor on closed loop

[mesocosm]

Greetings All !

Here's a little case study. Pocillopora damicornis, from the same colony, many many "generations" captive grown in separate tanks. The one on the left was in moderate intensity lighting and flow, maxi jets and vho. The one on the right was under very intense light and flow, multiple 400W iwasaki and 45 gallon surge and eductor on closed loop

VERY cool ...

[coralite]

I forgot to mention that the cora on the left took about twice as long to grow also. It had approximatley twice the mass of the lolite loflo coral.

[Brian]

Will excess of kh, way above natural sea levels, cause thin branching