Birdnest coral branching towards the bottom

[Etienne 97]

Why my birdnest coral is branching towards the bottom it is growing fine and in every direction i use a jebao slw20 into a wave mode at the minimum for flow i have around 150 to 180 par my light is a ai prime hd not the 16

 

[archipelago]

Could you provide some details about your lighting and flow?

A pic would help here in addition to your description.

 

[Etienne 97]

My light is a ai prime hd not the 16 version am running the ab+ spektrum i have around 150-180 par where my sps are for the flow i have a slw 20 on wave mode at the minimum there is some pic of my birdnest in my first post

 

[archipelago]

Light seems to be OK - there is a pretty big range of PAR and spectrum that these will thrive in.

I have found however that (especially Seriatopora) occasionally grow toward wherever flow is coming from. If possible, I might add a small powerhead blowing towards the Birds Nest (or angle the current powerhead slightly towards the coral or in a way that adds some turbulence/disruption to the original powerhead's flow) - being careful of course not beat it up with high velocity flow.

It is not lost on me that it probably took some time to get the powerhead's flow and direction situated in a way that didn't constantly disrupt your sand bed. But, it is what I would try. Below is an illustration of a possible flow path that may be contributing to the odd growth pattern.

 

[Etienne 97]

I have a slw3 slw5 and slw10 on hand what do you think if i add the slw3 or 5 on the back wall way lower than my slw 20 but pointing towards the top at my sps on a random or wave mode ?

 

[archipelago]

I have a slw3 slw5 and slw10 on hand what do you think if i add the slw3 or 5 on the back wall way lower than my slw 20 but pointing towards the top at my sps on a random or wave mode ?

Yes I think that would be great. It wouldn't take much to randomize the flow. Give it 3 weeks or so and see if the branches start growing up. If not, throw the 5 on there.

With the exception of damaging a corral or blowing sand everywhere, there are many detrimental side effects of increased flow.

I might take a pic of the corral today, and another pic in a few weeks and compare sides by side to truly tell if the new flow pattern/volume are impactful.