Green Star Polyps spreading without contact?

[Dez]

I have a mainly sps dominated tank, but I have a love for Green star polyps because they are so bright. i have a rock on it's own that is on the sand bed with green star polyps.

Is there any possible way that the GSPs will just pop up somewhere else in the tank? I don't want it becoming a pest later on down the road like xenias.

Anybody have any experience with it just popping up out of nowhere without physical contact of another rock?

I know that xenia, and musrooms and even colt corals will have a tendancy of just popping up somewhere else in the tank.

How about zoo's. If I find some bright coloured zoo frags I might start a zoo garden on a seperate rock on the sandbed if they won't just pop up elsewhere.

Thanks in advance.

[Ryan]

I am not sure about the GSP but the Zoanthids pop up especially with frags. I find some of the polyps on my frag discs can come loose and start floating around the tank. Its never very many but somtimes I see new heads sprouting around. If they start in a spot I dont want them to I hit them with aptasia killer.

[mark]

Haven't noticed my GSP spreading without contact but sure wish I never
placed them on the rock work, very hard to contain.

Add to the list clove polyps spreading without touching.

[hillegom]

I have seen my GSP just growing into the water column. Later on it separated itself from the main colony. Luckily I noticed it and got rid of that piece before it established itself

[kien]

I have a GSP rock that grew/spread a little bubble like appendage into the water column and then popped off of the main colony and started rolling around the tank.

[bauder1986]

GSP mainly stays together. But if what the other folks say is true, then keep an eye out for that type of grow in your GSP. Oh yah, GSP will grow over substrate though. But that is easy enough to trim down. Just take a knife, cut the extra junk off, and pop it some where else for a few days to lower its stress levels and then take that piece to another tank or sell it or trade it.

[Danny]

As above, they can be a pain. I use boiling water through a feeding tube to keep them away from my suns and other corals. This works well. Knowing what I know now I would not have placed them in my tank. To answer your question, I have not seen them anywhere else in my tank .

[Dez]

Thanks for all the response, I will gather that it is fairly safe as long as my little rock is isolated and I keep watch.

Any others with the safely of zoo's on it's own little island rock on the substrate? Thanks again everyone.

[Bugsy]

I too love the GSP they add that punch of nice color in the tank for sure.

I have mine on a small rock, I constantly trim this rock. I have been lax these few weeks and have noticed that without trimming they are spreading on the sand bed now. They are easy to trim like this but if you only want them on one rock make sure they donot touch any other rock or they will spread there.

Good Luck
Bugsy....

[Delphinus]

I have a mobile colony of GSP in my 40g tank (on a point of interest, incidentally you made this tank ). No really, the colony moves all over the place. It's not the fastest thing in the world, it's about equivalent in speed to, say, a blue tuxedo urchin. Whom, incidentally, I haven't seen since I noticed the mobile GSP colony. Weird coincidence huh!!!!

The funniest thing is it's been this way (the urchin wearing the GSP colony) for like SIX MONTHS NOW. It amazes me the urchin doesn't let it go, ever, and in fact the GSP are growing like crazy ("fat dumb and happy" is I think the expression they would use in Texas to describe this).