Dormant Red Planet

[preef]

I bought my frag right after thanksgiving, almost 5 months ago, and it refuses to take off. It has fully encrusted the ORA plug and is encrusting on the rock now. A couple of polyps on the base started toe get enlarged and I thought these would take off but they stopped. Color is great having both the red and the green color still. Its mounted low in my tank under T5s.

A couple tips seem to be white almost as if the tissue is missing. I know RP growth tips can be white but mine aren't growing. Sometimes I see some mesenterial filaments.

How long have yours taken to take off?

Here's what it looked like in January which is pretty much the way it looks now. The pic really doesn't capture its true color. All my other SPS have decent growth.

 

[Gary Majchrzak]

I would move it.

The first thing this coral wants to do is form a secure base and it appears the bed of zoanthids is hindering that.

Epoxy the plug to a clear area of liverock located in good flow and lighting.

 

[mr86mister]

Gary hit it spot on. As soon as I looked at the picture I was questioning the location of the frag. Down the road the Red Planet may shade out the zoanthids but as of now they are the aggressors, and not letting the base grow.

 

[preef]

Interesting. I hadn't thought about the zoas. I really don't have a better place for it so I'll use some epoxy and superglue to smother the ones nearby. The sunset monti is also creeping up to it too. I hate beeing out of space.

 

[therman]

Mine is just starting to grow up after laying down a base 5x that size. You've got a ways to go yet...

 

[acrohead500ppm]

if you think its stable (shows good axial polyp ext when dark)
maybe try clipping one of the very tips of the branches.
I do agree with others that the zoas are the big problem, however I have found that some acros will go dormant for a while after an episode of stress (rough shipping, overdose, temp spike)
I have found that clipping the axial corallite on a few branches can somehow kickstart new growth.

 

[GhostCon1]

I hate beeing out of space.

Time for a bigger tank!

My RP has growth tips that look completely bleached. It started growing upwards with branches extending out, then kinda stopped and started to encrust. Now it is doing both, os it may just be a weird one you have.

 

[Gyr]

I agree with both recommendations above. I have personal experience with a bali green slimer (of all corals) that would not grow. I moved it several times but it never changed from what it looked like when I bought it. After almost a year I cut the frag about half way up and both the stump and tip pieces immediately started growing. Like most reefers have found, this is now the fastest growing acro in my tank.

 

[preef]

Tonight I created a skirt of epoxy around the plug to clear out the zoas and sunset monti from the immediate area. Lets see what happens.

 

[flyyyguy]

not speaking specifically to this coral, but in many cases the cure for a dormant and or very slow growing coral that shouldnt be, is if small to cut it in half and remount the top. If already a colony cut a bunch of frags off of it.

Water parameters willing this will usually get it moving

 

[malac0da13]

if you think its stable (shows good axial polyp ext when dark)
maybe try clipping one of the very tips of the branches.
I do agree with others that the zoas are the big problem, however I have found that some acros will go dormant for a while after an episode of stress (rough shipping, overdose, temp spike)
I have found that clipping the axial corallite on a few branches can somehow kickstart new growth.

Can you go into a little more detail with this? Maybe a picture with a line referring to where to cut. I have had a red planet acro for quite a while not and is barely grown in almost a year now. and would like to try something to boost growth.

 

[Spazdad]

I would move the coral up to about the top 1/3rd of the tank.. Mine grows out of controll at only 4" under water with both 250w halides and multiple t-5s .

 

[ChicagoReefOne]

I'd agree with the others Preef, the zoas are not allowing it to expand the base. And from what I've read RP's spread a very large base before branching, and the one I have is doing that as well. But on the plus side it does look healthy, with time and more space around it, it should start to go up.

 

[acrohead500ppm]

the axial corallite is the very very tip, usually a solitary tubular "lead" corallite, if branches are roubust enough, and you want a really bushy growth pattern try taking a small ice pick like tool and placing it directly on one of the axial corallites and giving it a LITTLE tap with enough force as to cause a few small fractures.
kind of like bonzai gardening for acropora

 

[carloschali]

Let's also remember that this is a tabling acro, it needs a base in order to grow new nubs and table over.

 

[tjw00]

let's also remember that this is a tabling acro, it needs a base in order to grow new nubs and table over.

+1