Monti caps grow down. Any advice?

[sawdonkey]

I'm digging the triggers in the reef!

I think the caps just aren't to the right size to spiral yet. In my tanks they don't start spiraling until about 7 inches around or so. It looks like yours are just getting there so I would think you'll begin to see it soon.

Great work, Beautiful tank!

PS I also have that "nauti spiral" monti, "speedball" or something from JF. It seems to be the slowest growing monti I ever saw. Of course mine started as barely a chip from JF so maybe it will speed up as it goes. I think it's more encrusting than plating though.

Thanks from one trigger reef to another. I've had my triggers for 12 and 7 years.

My caps will never get that big because the turn down and go under themselves. That nauti spiral is about to touch itself underneath itself. My red cap did the same. My Reef Tech seems to be going that direction. I'm convinced the montis are getting too much light and have no ambition to grow upward.

 

[evolved]

It's either too much light or downward flow. It's both light and flow which primarily influence the growth pattern.

 

[hart24601]

My vote would be for too much light or they are not big enough or a combination of the two. If the flow is really heavy they will need a large size base before growing up and if there is a ton of PAR on them they really don't have a reason to grow up rather than wide.

 

[sawdonkey]

Thanks guys. I've turned down my lights a bit. I'll see how they respond. I'll also have to monitor how my acros respond.

 

[Orly20]

My monti cap started to grow downward (you can clearly see the initial down growth) as well but it was when I had my older LED fixture which was not dimmable. Now with my new dimmable fixture I have had now on the tank for the last 6 months the spirals began to shoot up!!!!

Its definitely my favorite coral structure in my tank

 

[palmer]

I have the same lights and my corals are growing great. I do have an issue with the plating montis growing down and I think its the lighting(too much).
I have blues (85%) and white (45%)- turning them down to (80%,40%)

 

[sawdonkey]

My monti cap started to grow downward (you can clearly see the initial down growth) as well but it was when I had my older LED fixture which was not dimmable. Now with my new dimmable fixture I have had now on the tank for the last 6 months the spirals began to shoot up!!!!

Its definitely my favorite coral structure in my tank

Perfect feedback. This is confirming my suspicion of having too much light.

I also get very little coralline on my glass because I think my light is too bright for it. Again, it grows like crazy in my sump where I have a dim household light.

How was your polyp extension on your acros before and after you went with the dimmable light? I get great colors and my acros grow just fine, but nothing is shaggy in my tank except my stylos.

 

[Orly20]

Before dimmable the colors were pale and no upward growth at all. As for the P. E. It was minimal, retracted. Now I have great polyp extension during the day and better at night when they are in feeding mode. All my sps were only encrusting and now all of them have lots of branches growing. I have the lights 60% blues and 20% whites but when I start to raise the percentage you can tell they get upset so I keep it there.
Check all you parameters and make sure they stay steady/stable and you'll find your sweet spot with your tank with time and hopefully with as little error and pitfalls as possible. Good luck

 

[sawdonkey]

Before dimmable the colors were pale and no upward growth at all. As for the P. E. It was minimal, retracted. Now I have great polyp extension during the day and better at night when they are in feeding mode. All my sps were only encrusting and now all of them have lots of branches growing. I have the lights 60% blues and 20% whites but when I start to raise the percentage you can tell they get upset so I keep it there.
Check all you parameters and make sure they stay steady/stable and you'll find your sweet spot with your tank with time and hopefully with as little error and pitfalls as possible. Good luck

Thanks. I'm good on parameters. This is encouraging. I'll check back in in a few weeks.

 

[sawdonkey]

Before dimmable the colors were pale and no upward growth at all. As for the P. E. It was minimal, retracted. Now I have great polyp extension during the day and better at night when they are in feeding mode. All my sps were only encrusting and now all of them have lots of branches growing. I have the lights 60% blues and 20% whites but when I start to raise the percentage you can tell they get upset so I keep it there.
Check all you parameters and make sure they stay steady/stable and you'll find your sweet spot with your tank with time and hopefully with as little error and pitfalls as possible. Good luck

By the way, here are my PAR numbers from when I was running my lights at 90/75%

 

[saltyhog]

This monti grew perfectly flat for over a year but in the last few months has turned downward. I have no idea why, nothing has changed in the tank.

This is in Nov.

This is today. On the eye level view you can see the downturn and where it started.

 

[sawdonkey]

This is the same as what mine have done. The white growth edge starts to head down and grow under itself. Did you turn your lights up at any point? LEDs?

 

[palmer]

Mine doing the same

 

[Paul87]

My red seems to be growing slightly downward and the green slightly upward. The green is actually in higher light. I suppose flow could have something to do with it, the gren gets a little more. I was hoping they would eventually mix and swirl together. I also have the Idaho Grape on top of that recovering from a rough fragging.

 

[saltyhog]

This is the same as what mine have done. The white growth edge starts to head down and grow under itself. Did you turn your lights up at any point? LEDs?

Haven't changed any settings on the lights for over a year. I really don't know why it changed. It's about 11" across, does weight have anything to do with it?

 

[evolved]

^No, but water clarity would effectively give you more light. Did you start running carbon or more of it around the time of that change? Some other filtration change perhaps?