Golden Milli not extending

gmate

MASC Member
I have a small mini-colony of Golden Milli (don't know if there's a designer name to this coral) that just won't extend.

All my other SPS - various monti's and different species of acro's (fuzzy or not) extend with great variety. This Milli is the only one I can't get to show full polyp extension. I know Milli's are usually pretty fuzzy so this is bothering me. I want to get more Millipora (and am currently set to purchase a nice frag from somebody in my local club) but not if I have problems with this variant.

The tank parameters are all in check. It has strong, indirect flow and great lighting under a reefbreeder's LED fixture. Every other SPS grows, encrusts, and seems to have a really easy time extending in my tank. This particular guy is giving me some trouble.

I can tell there are polyps inside the coralite structures but they never come fully out, just peek enough for me to tell that they're in there.

This isn't the exact coral, but this is a picture of a bigger colony I found online. My coral looks somewhat like this, maybe with a little less extension.

3inch-golden-millie-bali-mari-68.jpg



I know that this pretty much comes down to a few things: Tank parameters, flow, light, or nipping. I'm really not worried about the flow or light as all other corals are perfectly happy. This coral is on a frag rack with others that are doing fine. The nipping I doubt - I have 9 clown gobies who do perch on my corals regularly but this hasn't upset anything else. I know the SG is 1.024 and I have zero Ammonia/Nitrite/Nitrate. I can't speak for the PH or DKH as I don't have the means to test those currently. It's a 30g tall tank with an AquaC remora skimmer that cranks out the watery-tea skimmate and I do a 5-gallon water change weekly.
 
How long have you had it? I bought a Millipora from Ron and it took over a month and a half to reach full polyp extension. In the first week or so it was showing just a little bit of PE but it stayed like that for about a month. It look way longer that I thought it would to reach full PE.
 
I've had it maybe a month and a half now? It's my 'hard piece', everything else gives me no grief in my tank. I've tried feeding everything (cyclopeeze, reef frenzy, reef chili). The stuff that makes your tank go nuts.

I've tried it in high flow, medium flow, low light, high light. It isn't whiting out or losing any coloration at all over time. It's just not extending. Too soon to tell if it's growing or not.
 
It looks like a Tenuis to me. You sure that it is a millepora?

Disclaimer - I did not even stay in a Holiday Inn Express last night... and I am 20 miles away from my Veron Books... so take this ID for what it is worth... nothing.
 
If it was me I'd leave it where ever you have it now and just let it be and let man made nature take its coarse. I'm sure it will eventually do its thing.
 
It looks like a Tenuis to me. You sure that it is a millepora?

Disclaimer - I did not even stay in a Holiday Inn Express last night... and I am 20 miles away from my Veron Books... so take this ID for what it is worth... nothing.

That was not a picture taken by me. I will provide this one now:

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No pests in this tank for sure, especially not on this particular coral. You'd be able to see it in these macro shots.
 
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