Just sharing - Bug out stylo

[X-37B]

Little hard to tell in the pictures but this is August 14th and today. If you pick a paint and compare the two you can definitely see noticeable growth

After looking at the bug out on his website yea it does look like one.
Either way its responding well to your system.

 

[PPBlimpy]

After looking at the bug out on his website yea it does look like one.
Either way its responding well to your system.

I am excited with how it’s growing!

 

[fish_collector]

I've never seen any species of Stylophora look like that.
It is most likely deformed from lack of proper light and flow.
They need strong intensity and proper spectrum to thrive.

This is what Stylophora should look like:

I don't see that pink stylo too often anymore.

So for the sake of a friendly conversation about this "Bug Out" stylo and how it's growing, and my similar unidentified stylo too for that matter, I have to agree that it is an oddity in the way it is growing. Without going down the rabbit hole and saying it is for sure because of LED light, something we don't know for sure is the cause, what about the milka stylo I have that is growing 100% normally in the same tank under the same light? >>> If I had to guess why a particular coral morphs into something strange, I'd lean more towards a flow issue than lighting <<<

My reefing buddy has a stylo of the same lineage as mine, it was from another club member who has the parent colony, and his is growing in the same manner, kind of moundy and bumpy. This is the same tank that had the Cali tort spawn, I posted a photo of it in another thread I'm sure you had seen it.

So perhaps this particular species of stylo is a form that naturally grows in this manner and is not deformed because of illumination with LED light? I'm open to other ideas, I just don't know. What I do know is that we have 3 corals in 3 tanks growing in the same manner, could this possibly be normal? I have not seen a giant colony of this, but the photo on Jason Fox's website shows a coral with short stubby branches if that means anything.

https://jasonfoxsignaturecorals.com...s/products/sps-22?_pos=4&_sid=c26127b5d&_ss=r

Here is a page from the website "Corals of the World" that has an image of a coral with normally upright branches that has morphed into something unusual because of flow. It may not be the same species but rather just an example. Click on the thumbnail photos it's easy to find that one.

https://www.coralsoftheworld.org/species_factsheets/species_factsheet_summary/stylophora-pistillata/

Here’s mine viewed from the side that gets LESS flow

And the same coral viewed from the side that gets blasted from the wavemaker

And the milka in the same tank under the same light

It’s limited data for sure, but I believe the growth is from flow and not from being illuminated by LED light. I’d welcome any other ideas though

 

[fish_collector]

It looks more like a Pocillopora than a stylo to me. I have never seen one flatten out like that.
Mine sits right in front of a Tunze 6255 and is thick but still retains the shape.

That appears to be a Milka stylo.

 

[X-37B]

That appears to be a Milka stylo.

Here it is 2 years ago when I mounted it.

 

[fish_collector]

Yeah they do grow fast. I took a big colony of it to our club’s “frag-o-ween” event last year and made about 20 mountings from it to give away. The color makes it one of my favorite corals.