Help selecting encrusting coral

[Perpetual Novice]

So my tank is about 8 months old now but many corals are handmedowns from the tank before I upgraded. I built the aquascape with a nice shelf right in front to be the centerpiece. But I haven’t actually grown any coral there yet. I’ve got GSP growing on a peninsula on the side of the tank and I don’t want to duplicate it. I want something that will grow over the shelf that will either grow fast or can be bought in a decent size colony to start. I don’t work as hard on water maintenance in this tank as my others so I don’t want something high maintenance as well. I am already growing xenia in the upper right and am ok with it populating the tank and growing out of control. But this center shelf should be something special and I’d like advice on what to grow there. Below is a picture of the tank for reference. The shelf is about a foot long and 4 inches deep.

 

[DSC reef]

A fast grower but can become out of control if not kept in check would be an encrusting montipora like mystic sunset. It's a nice bright pink with blue polyps, very hardy IME. Sunst montipora looks nice as well.

 

[KrisReef]

Montipora, lots of colors to choose from.
I like M. Undata myself. They seem to do ok with lower water quality than other encrusters and they will grow quickly ime.
Edit;
@DSC beat me to it.

 

[DSC reef]

Montipora, lots of colors to choose from.
I like M. Undata myself. They seem to do ok with lower water quality than other encrusters and they will grow quickly ime.
Edit;
@DSC beat me to it.

I love undata!

 

[C. Eymann]

Cyphastrea is pretty bulletproof, fast growing too!

 

[DSC reef]

Cyphastrea is pretty bulletproof, fast growing too!

A lot of awesome colors to choose from too.

 

[Perpetual Novice]

I’ve grown playing monti before and I have a sunset in another tank but it’s taken about 6 months to double from 2 inches around to 3. Do you think that kind of growth is normal is can I expect somewhat faster growth in a different environment like this tank in question.

 

[DSC reef]

I’ve grown playing monti before and I have a sunset in another tank but it’s taken about 6 months to double from 2 inches around to 3. Do you think that kind of growth is normal is can I expect somewhat faster growth in a different environment like this tank in question.

Mystic sunset grew way faster than sunset for me. It can get out of control.

 

[mfinn]

favias can be pretty hardy and have ton of colors.

 

[madweazl]

DONT DO IT! Encrusting corals are the bane of my reef-keeping existence right now. The two montis on the left (capricornis and undata) are out of control. I also have a patch of cyphastrea on the right side that remains (thought I got rid of it all but nooooo). Seriously, they're all but unstoppable. Unless they're on a rock off by themselves, avoid them. If you dont heed my advice, and least put them very low and off to the side so they dont shade anything below them. I removed the tubastria that was on the right side as it was about to hit the glass too. The only encrusting coral I'd half way recommend is a leptoseris (i.e. jack-o-latern); it grows fairly slowly with intense lighting but even it is almost pest status.

 

[DSC reef]

IMO, encrusting corals are great. Yes you have to maintain them but I actually enjoyed it plus I gave free frags to fellow hobbyists. Win, win.

 

[Js.Aqua.Project]

Cyphastrea corals come in a great variety of colors and are good encrusting coral.

 

[Perpetual Novice]

DONT DO IT! Encrusting corals are the bane of my reef-keeping existence right now. The two montis on the left (capricornis and undata) are out of control. I also have a patch of cyphastrea on the right side that remains (thought I got rid of it all but nooooo). Seriously, they're all but unstoppable. Unless they're on a rock off by themselves, avoid them. If you dont heed my advice, and least put them very low and off to the side so they dont shade anything below them. I removed the tubastria that was on the right side as it was about to hit the glass too. The only encrusting coral I'd half way recommend is a leptoseris (i.e. jack-o-latern); it grows fairly slowly with intense lighting but even it is almost pest status.

They will be on a shelf that’s already built so can’t shade anything else. But guess as a failsafe the shelf is made of two rocks that can be removed without destabilizing the rest of the rockwork so if it becomes uncontrollable I can move it. Just like the GSP on a large rock jutting our that can be pulled out and moved to become an island.

 

[Fishurama]

I like Meteor Shower Cyphastrea. Its like cotton candy to me lol

 

[KrisReef]

I’ve grown playing monti before and I have a sunset in another tank but it’s taken about 6 months to double from 2 inches around to 3. Do you think that kind of growth is normal is can I expect somewhat faster growth in a different environment like this tank in question.

Pick a nice encruster that you like and wait. Eventually it will take off and grow like a weed. 6 months is a short time for a coral to adjust to the water regime in your tank. If it is growing that fast now it will likely grow faster in the next 6 months and is likely to become a source of frags like others have mentioned.

 

[madweazl]

They will be on a shelf that’s already built so can’t shade anything else. But guess as a failsafe the shelf is made of two rocks that can be removed without destabilizing the rest of the rockwork so if it becomes uncontrollable I can move it. Just like the GSP on a large rock jutting our that can be pulled out and moved to become an island.

Good luck with that LOL.

 

[Kyl]

Mystic sunset is by far the fastest growing encrusting monti I have encountered so far. Compared to regular sunset I'd say easily 5-6x faster growth. My original sunset frag finally covered the small rock rubble it was affixed to, the mystic sunset grew over that on a larger piece of rubble, and to about 5" worth of egg crate in the same period of time.

 

[mfinn]

They will be on a shelf that’s already built so can’t shade anything else. But guess as a failsafe the shelf is made of two rocks that can be removed without destabilizing the rest of the rockwork so if it becomes uncontrollable I can move it. Just like the GSP on a large rock jutting our that can be pulled out and moved to become an island.

Don't worry about corals growing big.
Who wants to look at a tank with tiny corals?