One sps frag not growing

[AC-WEB]

I have an 46 gallon reef primarily dominated by sps. I received a small frag that was sold to me as a red planet, but it has not shown any growth whatsoever since it has been in my tank, two months. I have other sps growing well, including Aquadelights, tricolor validas, birdsnest, millis, and some monti caps. I have a programmed bubble magus doser dosing alk, ca, and vodka. I check mag levels twice a month and add as needed.

I just checked my levels today, and alk is at 9dkh, ca is at 450, mag is at 1400, temp is at 78, 0 phosphates, 0 nitrates. I have an mp40w providing flow in my tank. I dip all corals before placing in tank and all corals look pest free. I have a 6 bulb 39w t5 nova extreme pro fixture. I placed this frag higher to get more light, to no avail. I also clipped the tip to see if it would encourage growth, but no dice. I know it's alive because it is not white, even though pale, and i can see some small polyp extension.

Any other ideas?
AC-WEB

 

[chrischin29g]

Not a sps pro but I heard the red planer is a super slow grower?

 

[Gyr]

I believe RPT's are usually moderate to fast growers. They do tend to encrust before they start to branch out, sometimes they'll encrust a LOT (for several months) before they start showing branching growth. If yours is encrusting don't worry it's just doing its thing. There is a thread here on RC that shows quite a few RPTs encrusting for a long time before they start to branch: http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1579687

If there is no encrusting/growth whatsoever, check for other corals in the area that might be inhibiting it (Zoa). If that is not the problem, I suggest you frag your frag. I had a green slimer frag that did not grow/encrust for almost a year. All the other SPS's were doing well. I moved it several times, but that didn't help. I finally cut the 1 inch frag about half way up and within a few weeks both the stump and the tip pieces started growing. It soon became the fastest growing acro in my tank.

Good luck, when healthy, the RPT is stunning.

 

[njhcnwk]

Red planets usually are fast growers. I feel that you should give it more time before you be concerned. I've had frags do absolutely nothing for months before they started growing (most notably wild acropora). +1 on the crazy amount of encrustment that red planet usually does before it takes off.

 

[AC-WEB]

Thanks for the replys. I will be more patient with this piece. It has not been encrusting. What i may do is take it off the old plug and glue it to a piece of live rock if things dont progress.

Red planets usually are fast growers. I feel that you should give it more time before you be concerned. I've had frags do absolutely nothing for months before they started growing (most notably wild acropora). +1 on the crazy amount of encrustment that red planet usually does before it takes off.