Red Planet Growth

[DallasSVT]

Hello fellow reefers!

I have a Red Planet Acro that has been growing very well!!

My question is that why does it continue to grow on the rock and not branch out? And will it over take the other Acro (green) in the pic?

Thanks

Dallas


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[stevedola]

I believe sps encrust because its easier (takes less energy)for the coral to grow tissue on the rock rather than create its own skeleton. Eventually it will take off and grow vertically.

 

[aandfsoccr04]

Mine does the same thing. I don't know what's up with it.

 

[fishguy597]

mine too but the last few months started growing verticaly. new stalks all over the place. mine also encrusted and its probably a 5"diameter. I wanted to call it a red monti instead.

 

[Dustin1300]

That's pretty common for red planet..Seems to like to grow out rather than up for a while. Maybe they are a little paranoid of heights

 

[DallasSVT]

It is growing like a weed!! Will it overtake my other SPS that it's getting close to?

And had nothing to do with Flow or lighting?

 

[karsseboom]

It looks like there new growth on the tips.

 

[nonstopfishies]

I believe corals grow outward first for 2 reasons(this is just my opinion, no scientific evidence). 1. It's like building roots for a tree. Making a solid base for it to grow up and be sturdy. 2. Occupy as much real estate on the reef as possible in competition with other corals.

 

[SputnikNYC]

I believe corals grow outward first for 2 reasons(this is just my opinion, no scientific evidence). 1. It's like building roots for a tree. Making a solid base for it to grow up and be sturdy. 2. Occupy as much real estate on the reef as possible in competition with other corals.

Both make sense! I always thought that when SPS encrust or grow downward because there's too much light for them, not enough light - grow upward, but that's just my theory

 

[MammothReefer]

I find my sps has a very hard time encrusting down in most cases however given enough time and limited space they will do so. When I mounted my Pink lemonaide it accidentally used to large a piece of putty, so there is an hour glass shape between the plug and the rock. It's grown to be about 2" tall or so, has covered the plug but just barely now is reaching the rock. I would say 90% of it's growth has been up. Even though it gets great flow around it all around it there are 0 polyps, or signs of temil growth from where it's trying to grow down.

This is a photo from january, and it's just continued on the same path. It filled out the plug and it's just kinda stuck seems to only get denser and denser on that plug instead of spreading

With that said most all other pieces I have if possible try to encrust first when they can. I personally glue most of my frags side ways. In hopes they will encrust firs then grow when you get a good sized puddle you get a lot more termil polyps things seem to grow quicker when that happens.

As far as over taking it's hard to say. I've been watching my acros (or better yet noting the growth over the months) and I've noticed acros try to grow around each others (in a lot of cases) while montis tend to try to over take the other. I need to take an updated pic of the one above but those 2 pieces have grown VERY close to each other then just sort of curved away. While at the same time my superman/sunset monti are at war with each other (super man is loosing)

 

[allsps40]

Pretty normal for acro frags to want to encrust a good stable base before growing branches.

 

[ReefyReef]

As stated, the coral needs a good base before it will start to shoot up. My red planet frag encrusted 3 inches in diameter before 3 stems formed. It encrusted next to a frag of kentucky bluegrass. Red planet won that battle