Why is my Alien Eye acting so, well, alien

[MJAnderson]

Posted this in SPS by accident, so here it goes again.

Why is my Alien Eye acting so, well, alien
Here is the chalice I've had for about 9 months. Got him as a quarter size frag and was told it was a Tyree Alien Eye.

Notice it's growing up, not out. Here is what I was expecting:

Are there certain tank conditions that promote the columnar growth? He's pretty close to my tunze 6055 and high in my tank (lit by an aquactinics 5xT5 fixture)

 

[MJAnderson]

bump. Am I doing something wrong with this one?

 

[Scythanith]

Don't have a good answer for you aside from most organisms adapt to their environments to one degree or another. Maybe the lighting and flow is indicitive to vertical growth. I doubt it's due to inadequate lighting and it's "trying" to get more light. In that case it would be bleaching and not growing well at all. Look at Acropora sp. for example, they grow in every which way, even frags from the same colony will grow different in different systems.

I wouldn't be worried, just be happy you have a stellar specimen!

Cheers

Scott