can i just cut these guys off?

these 4 heads wont take up zooxanthellae and they wont die either... im pretty sure they are sucking energy from the rest of the heads.
Can i just cut them off at the base of the stalk with like scissors or bone cutters without hurting the colony.

 

you can Dingo

just be aware you need to wear gloves as I believe they have palytoxins that can make you ill


Steve

 

just leave them, u never know, they may morph into something different. and besides, ure colony is thriving, they wont 'suck up energy' from the rest of them. leave em and see what becomes....its nature!

 

I think what you're seeing is probably part of a separate colony that got intertwined with the rest of them. I wouldn't worry about it, it sounds like you might be applying plant gardening concepts to a colonial animal. I wouldn't worry about them "sucking up the energy", if they are not in an optimal location for some reason they will die and the rest will continue to thrive.

That said, if you just don't like them or something, you can cut them off if you like but unless you really scrape them down to the rock there's a chance they will come back if the conditions are right.

 

I've kept them like this for two months now, thinking yet would eventually pick up some zooxanthellae or else die themselves... In the beginning they would really drop overr and look like they were on their death bed. For the past few weeks they hve been getting bigger so I know they are sucking energy and they just look ugly... I'm cutting them tonight haha