meteor shower cyphastrea initially encrust brown?

[Trever]

Does this coral initially encrust on rock by forming a very thin brown skin?

The TL;DNR:

I have a meteor shower cyphastria that has been in the tank 1 month 23 days.

I put the frag in a bit of a crevice. It has colored up nicely, polyp extension has rarely been great (probably in slightly higher flow than it likes, I speculate), but decent for sure. It was purchased as a cube growing over a frag plug (not sure what's under it, just that it is a cube), which has bloated and grown, but it has to "reach" to the sides of the crevice to encrust and grow off the frag and onto the pukani.

Right when I was thinking of moving it because it wasn't going anywhere, I noticed (from standing over the tank) that it has grown out from the bottom corners of the frag to both sides of the crevice. These growths are in shadow and hard to see, but they are brown. The brown is growing on the rock.

Wondering where this growth goes... it's as if these are starters. Certainly the main colony is not brown! It looks like a meteor shower should (has gotten its teal and red back, after initially being green and pink for several weeks- love the colors of this coral).

If not, perhaps I should move it.

 

[DanConnor]

I think its probably some encrusting sponge or something- I have areas of thin brown stuff that grows under frag plugs etc in my eggcrate; I don't know what it actually is but it seems harmless

 

[living_tribunal]

Mine encrusts brown where it doesn’t get much light. It encrusts a milky white where it does get light.

 

[Trever]

@living_tribunal thanks. Yeah the brown is where there isn't much light. I assume as it grows out it becomes normal/colors? Heh... time will tell.

 

[living_tribunal]

If it stays dark in that region, no, it will always be darker.

 

[living_tribunal]

Doesn’t matter though. Cyphastrea is among the fastest growing lps encrusting species. It will cover just about everything soon enough.