melev

After a cursory google search, I didn't land on a satisfying answer to how birdsnest shows up in different areas of the tank. It's an easy coral to frag, and can be glued where you like. It can break accidentally and grow where it lands. But how does is show up on the side of some random rock all of a sudden? Are polyps blowing around and landing elsewhere, growing new colonies? If so, that's news to me.

I spotted this little guy in April. Granted, it's low enough that there is the possibility I'd left a few branches in that spot and some grew onto the rock. Also, the birdsnest to the right in this image is a totally different type. I referred to it as Birdsnest DNA.

It it is again in June.

And then again, today (July 21). (Shot under 10,000K lighting)

But I spotted this one yesterday, away from any other birdsnest colony, and again it is growing on the side of a rock. This rock has been there for over eight months. It too is the green kind, although not obvious in this photograph. I happened to see it because it was glowing under actinic lighting.

It's nice to see new life spring up elsewhere, but surprising just the same.