9 month old acropora not branching

[bigbuckdown]

Had this acropora now for around 9 months. It was sold to me as a 3/4 pineapple looking acropora when i first started with SPS. Since then i have accumulated quite a collection but this guy just wont start branching. It has encrusted a 8x5 area of rock with no sign of a branch. It just keeps encrusting. All my other acros in that area have branched beautifully except for this one piece. I thought for awhile i was sold a monti but i cut a small piece that was fighting with my blue/green tenius and it def has that acro smell to it what could be the problem? I thought light maybe but its getting a good dose of light and the tenius,red planet and purple nana are branching beautifully on that same rock

 

[Alex T.]

Had this acropora now for around 9 months. It was sold to me as a 3/4 pineapple looking acropora when i first started with SPS. Since then i have accumulated quite a collection but this guy just wont start branching. It has encrusted a 8x5 area of rock with no sign of a branch. It just keeps encrusting. All my other acros in that area have branched beautifully except for this one piece. I thought for awhile i was sold a monti but i cut a small piece that was fighting with my blue/green tenius and it def has that acro smell to it what could be the problem? I thought light maybe but its getting a good dose of light and the tenius,red planet and purple nana are branching beautifully on that same rock

I've had a few like that, and have a Red Planet that's doing it now. Many times SPS like yours will lay down a large base and then start sprouting. If you have a picture of its' mother colony, I'd be willing to bet its' branches were rather thick. This has been my experience. My Red Planet was glued to its' current location over 6 months ago, and just a few weeks ago did I see it start sprouting up.

Patience is a virtue. Give it some time. It may be a winner in a year or so.

 

[Reef Bass]

+1 for patience. I've also seen sps puddle and encrust for months and then send up vertical growth from the puddle. It's as though the old, original part of the frag was done with growing up. New growth took the form of encrustation which then launched a vertical assault. From the size of the puddle you describe, it's likely you'll soon see some nubs starting to protrude.

 

[Flyfisherman]

Cut the tips off the original frag branches if there are any. That might stimulate new branching growth. Otherwise you have to wait for the enrusting base to shoot upwards.

 

[bigbuckdown]

I just went back in my records and i purchased this in november of last year so its 13 months in my tank. That little piece you see on the right looks like a branch but it actuall covered a piece of birdsnest that was growing there from one of my colonys. The pinapple looking piece in the center is the original frag. sorry for crappy cell phone pic

 

[REEF SMAC]

Sounds like the making of an awesome coral.

I personally like the ones that encrust alot. I love the look, especially if its got a nice contrasting color on the growing edge.

I hate the ones that don't encrust (like birdsnests). They grow up and out and end up top heavy, always breaking off eventually. They are a PITA to keep mounted somewhere.

 

[Duc1098]

How much flow is it getting where it's at? I have a Green Slimer that didn't send out any branches, just grew straight up since it was already about 2" long when I bought it. Put some flow to it and it just shot out.