(nice) Clove Polyps: invasive, or welcome additions?

[ChrisV]

Hey Reefers,

Who has experience with the the mandarin/rainbow/fireworks clove polyps? What has growth been like? Is this a coral that spreads like og purple monster acropora, or a coral that spreads like wwc purple monster zoanthids?

Thanks!
Chris

 

[thrillreefer]

They spread medium fast and send out long runners so are hard to fully contain. However, they don’t seem to sting or irritate other corals; not as invasive as GSP for example. May smother or overgrow low/slow neighbors.

But, I like how they look and I kept a couple sections on one side of my main rock structure (invasive side).

 

[MarkSzy]

I just put a small frag on an island in my tank, I’ll be more help in a few months.

 

[BlueBadger]

Started with 2 polyps in February of orange line cloves. The colony is now about 2 inches across. They are getting high light and high flow, and seem to be beginning exponential growth with a lot of runners that look a lot like Zoas putting out runners. I like them and want to get some other colors cloves.

 

[MarkSzy]

Started with 2 polyps in February of orange line cloves. The colony is now about 2 inches across. They are getting high light and high flow, and seem to be beginning exponential growth with a lot of runners that look a lot like Zoas putting out runners. I like them and want to get some other colors cloves.

If your near Coventry Ri OSA has some pink and green ones, my plug had pink and green on one plug.

 

[Drichards]

Good grower for me. Don't seem to bother anything, I also have mine on the sand bed. They will stretch out and attached to things like a spider web

 

[ChrisV]

Good grower for me. Don't seem to bother anything, I also have mine on the sand bed. They will stretch out and attached to things like a spider web

Do they cross the sand bed or are they isolated on a rock?

 

[ChrisV]

Thanks for the feedback everyone! I've not really kept them before, but some of the strains seem pretty nice.

 

[Drichards]

Do they cross the sand bed or are they isolated on a rock?

Isolated, I don't consider them an invasive species