Cespitularia advice

larrysaltisfun

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Hi, I’ve been new to reefing for the past six months formally a FOWLR guy.

I’ve been fortunate that my softies and LPS are really looking good, however i’m wondering if it was a mistake to get this cespitularia . I know it’s in the same family as Xenia, but doesn’t grow as fast or as aggressively..

However, in about 10 weeks, it has gotten twice as tall and you can see it branching ….on the left it has adhered to the rock and then there is another “foot“ to it’s right coming across the sand. Both of those are new growths about three weeks old.. if I let this thing go, will it get out of control? If I let it go too long, is it difficult to scrape it off the rock. I mean, is it like Aiptasia in that scraping off may help it to grow even more? To keep it under control can I just trim off those two new arms put them on frag plugs? and take them back to the LFS?. Or , will this get to a certain point and just stay one size once it’s reached full size?


20260318_152959_4F7F74A9-6A6E-404A-B5CC-4AE43404680F.png
 

Mr. Mojo Rising

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Its a beautiful coral but I had to get rid of mine after a year, it just grew too fast, it doesn't stop growing. Those grabber arms get longer and longer until they reach something, then they stick and start growing. I tried cutting them off but they just grow back
 
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larrysaltisfun

larrysaltisfun

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So do you think pruning it is an option will those grabber arms come right off the rock if I gently pull ?
 

Mr. Mojo Rising

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Pruning it will work if you don't mind doing it every few days. But even without the arms, the coral itself gets bigger and taller and just takes more room. I had it in a 15 and it took up half the tank by the time I got rid of it.
 
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larrysaltisfun

larrysaltisfun

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Thank you where on the Internet says it gets to be 6 inches tall I think in the words of the guy that does that timeshare commercial “that a lie”(say with a big southern draw)
 

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