Bubble Coral Question

I've had this bubble coral for about a year now and it does expand out pretty far but I feel as if its growth is limited. I bought it as a frag from LFS and its attached to like a cube of rock. Is there anything I can do to remove it from the cube or encourage it to do so itself? Thanks

 

I had bought almost the exact same looking bubble coral a while back only mine looked more sickly. I know you can't remove it as that is its skeleton but I'm not sure how you can encourage it to get bigger...mine has just slowly withered and is about the size of a nickel now but its still hanging on.

Sent from my DROIDX using Tapatalk

 

Dosing calcium?

 

I dose calcium and while the amount of individual bubbles has increased, the skeleton has remained virtually the same size. I have read that it sometimes will grow onto the substrate. I have yet to find a place on my live rock to place it where this could happen due to the cube shape of the skeleton. Has anyone placed a bubble coral in their substrate with any success in growth?

 

my bubble has gotten huge over the past couple of years. but it's mostly bubble growth. I can't really tell if the skeleton is any bigger. The flesh was originally just around the skeleton top layer where the "teeth" of the skeleton are.

Over the years it spread down the rock it came on (similar to yours, more wedge like though) and got almost to the bottom. Receded up and has since grown over the old flesh (it left like a skeleton layer) again and this time onto the adjoining rock.

I'll take some pictures and put in some arrows to help explain. A visual would really help this.

Anyway, this has taken a couple years. They do not grow fast at all.

Also, FYI, they come on pieces of rock like that because you can't move them off. People use band saws to cut the rock they are on to frag them.


P

 

Do y'all feed them anything? I used to feed mine. Couldn't tell you if they grew or not, since back then I wasn't dosing calcium & had them directly under the MH light so they didn't last very long LOL.

 

I feed them directly on occasion but most times when I throw a chunk of rod's coral blend in the tank a few pieces find their way to it.

 

I feed mine. Usually half or whole silversides or some other chunky meat. sometimes other meaty things. still haven't got a good pic

 

Here it is.

This is an original picture. Notice how much space is in the rock it is attached to.




This one is some random time between then and now but you can see how the flesh was starting to grow over all those big spaces in the rock.



In this one, notice where the flesh is. Notice how the rock is smooth past the flesh and not so porous looking. That is old flesh. It is hard. It laid down a foundation for itself there I guess.

Also notice on the left side it is starting to grow up on the rock next to it. It's hard to tell but it is there.



I fully expect I'm going to have baby bubble coral at some point the way this thing is going. Why else would it be spreading flesh ya know? One day a new bubble is going to pop up somewhere on the side or the rock next to it and i'll be so happy ;D