kenya dropping branches

[sinkingbeach]

My kenya tree has dropped 2 branches and they have started to grow on other rocks. I'm now noticing the mother colony has more branches about to fall off and was wondering if this is normal? Is there any way to prevent these branches from attaching to other rocks in my tank without killing these new branches.

thanks

[sinkingbeach]

- How long you have had the coral 4 months
- How long it has been having problems 3 weeks
- The rate at which the problem is occurring/spreading ?
- Any changes to the tank - equipment, additives, new livestock, etc. no
- How long the tank has been set up 8months
- size of the tank ( gallons or liters) 75g 30g sump/ref
- nearby corals zoos and mushrooms

Water quality:
- pH 8.3
- temperature fluctuates between 78early am and 80late pm
- salinity 1.025
- nitrate .10
- phosphate Haven't tested lately
- alkalinity Haven't tested lately
I do water changes every other week

Tank information I care about :
Lighting - 2 x 65W PC or 400W MH is fine 260 pc
Water flow - number of powerheads/pumps and the flow rate 2seio 620's, mag 9.5 return
What you add to your tank on a regular basis and how much
2 part b-ionic 20cc daily

[horkn]

thats good news.

sell the frags, or give them away to other reefers...

[cb747]

Perfectly normal. Mine do it all the time. Soon youll have more than youll know what to do with. Some people consider it a nuisance because of this

[ONEMANBAND]

You might want to isolate the rock with the Kenya trees on it a bit. I have them growing in my tank, fuge,overflow, and sump even ,not by choice, it just frags itself all the time. If it pops up in your tank where you dont want it, just inject it with kalk paste.

[sinkingbeach]

How do I attach the branches to rubble rock to prevent them from going throughout the tank?

[dj synystr]

put some snail shells or rubble in a small conatainer in a low flow area in your tank on the bottom. put the frags in there and they will attach themselves. mine attach to dead snail shells on the bottom of my tank all the time. if you didnt know kenyia grows like a weed.

[sinkingbeach]

thanks dj, I'm finding that out now.

[racrumrine]

When a branch attaches to a rock, you can usually pull them off it you're careful.

Kenya Tree (Capnella) are easy to attach to a piece of rubble, or shell, with superglue gel. Just pat dry the bottom of it before you glue it.

Based on my observations, the brighter the light, the faster they grow and drop branches. I've even been able to keep them in tanks were there is no extra light beside what's in the room during the day. Even in those conditions, they will still occasionally drop branches.

It's a great beginner coral; but, eventually, many people think of it more as a pest because of the dropping branches.

If you like the look of the Kenya Tree; but, don't like the branch dropping, a good substitute is a Colt Coral. Colts also can sway back and forth with the current, which is nice.

Best of luck,

Roy