Branching SPS growing Flat

[door knocker]

I have been fragging red branching montiporia and attaching them to shells.
They have a deep purple skin under the red polyps and bright neon green on the white tips.
I have about 15 health frags now from 1"-6".
I have had two spots in my tank where it has just shown up on the rocks and is growing.

My problem is that it seems to not be growing vertically.
It's spreading along the deeper grooves in the rock.

It's just as healthy as the rest of it I have growing vertically, but it's creeping like it's GSP.

In total, it's about the size of a half dollar coin.

Any ideas on what to do about it or with it?

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

It is basing out. IME this coral will encrust a large area of rock, it will likely kill anything it touches

 

[56longroof]

What are your concerns? I'd just let it do its thing.

 

[door knocker]

What are your concerns? I'd just let it do its thing.

It's taking up prime real estate in my high par area.

 

[56longroof]

It's taking up prime real estate in my high par area.

Then you either going to have to remove it or place it lower in the tank. Which might help it grow in the branching shape.

 

[get-salty]

looks like a digi forest fire ..(?)

Ignore the red circle , but they grow towards the light and also will encrust.

Put it up high with high flow.
They grow fast (at least in my tank) so i had to remove that whole section - the red circle.
Now only the encrusting part with two heads.

 

[56longroof]

looks like a digi forest fire ..(?)

Ignore the red circle , but they grow towards the light and also will encrust.

Put it up high with high flow.
They grow fast (at least in my tank) so i had to remove that whole section - the red circle.
Now only the encrusting part with two heads.

Thats what I was thinking it was also. I haven't noticed mine encrust that much.

 

[Baldyreef]

It's taking up prime real estate in my high par area.

they can grow in different ways depending on their flow and light levels, what kind of flow is it in? with montipora digitata random moderate to strong flow stimulates them to grow up and branch, if flow is good then it may be under too high light

 

[door knocker]

they can grow in different ways depending on their flow and light levels, what kind of flow is it in? with montipora digitata random moderate to strong flow stimulates them to grow up and branch, if flow is good then it may be under too high light

It's there in the center towards the back at the edge of the rock..
The rest of my stuff is growing up and healthy. (ignore the 2 sick ones, trying to bring them back for the LFS)
This is also a highpoint and dead center in my tank.

It's around 250 par where it's growing at the base, and I thought that was the lower end for them. The ones to the left of it are around 5-6" tall. The flow seems to be ok for everyone else I think, and they all seem to be doing well. (There is more not int this picture to the left that is even slightly lower than these and they are growing up and look the same.

 

[Baldyreef]

It's there in the center towards the back at the edge of the rock..
The rest of my stuff is growing up and healthy. (ignore the 2 sick ones, trying to bring them back for the LFS)
This is also a highpoint and dead center in my tank.

It's around 250 par where it's growing at the base, and I thought that was the lower end for them. The ones to the left of it are around 5-6" tall. The flow seems to be ok for everyone else I think, and they all seem to be doing well. (There is more not int this picture to the left that is even slightly lower than these and they are growing up and look the same.

in this case then I would agree with @Mr. Mojo Rising that its just basing out and will grow up later on

 

[get-salty]

I truly believe they grow towards the light. Mine didnt encrust first, it grew up for few months then started the encrust.

250 par is high so no issues there...

Was it a broken piece and started to grow back ?
Sorta like what i did to mine, cut off the top

 

[door knocker]

in this case then I would agree with @Mr. Mojo Rising that its just basing out and will grow up later on

I agree, I think he's right on and I'm thinking about taking that rock out and breaking out what I can, save what I can, and throw out the rest.

I have it on a second rock at a lower level near my zoanthids but it's just about the size of a dime, might need to do the same.

Thanks everyone.

 

[door knocker]

I truly believe they grow towards the light. Mine didnt encrust first, it grew up for few months then started the encrust.

250 par is high so no issues there...

Was it a broken piece and started to grow back ?
Sorts like what i did to mine, cut off the top

I have two spots in my tank that this just showed up and started growing. This one is high up so naturally it grew faster, the other one is in the lower 1/3 of my tank near the zoanthids.

In the pic I took, you can barely make out a pale red spot on the rock below the yellow soft coral, thats the second one.

 

[Privateye]

What kind of lights do you use? I had a few SPS branch sideways exclusively in the past:

Monti. setosa
Green tort
Pink milli

They just fanned-out. All were placed high in the tank under T5 lighting.

 

[door knocker]

What kind of lights do you use? I had a few SPS branch sideways exclusively in the past:

Monti. setosa
Green tort
Pink milli

They just fanned-out. All were placed high in the tank under T5 lighting.

I'm running Orphek QR4 reef day light and a secondary blue light

 

[Acro Junky]

This is how I feel about my POTO COFFEFE mother trucker just bases out lol.