Coral Polyp Extrusion site

[dad300]

Eric,
I have what I was told was a frogspawn,green with tan tips, although it looks suspicously like the hammer in the preceding posts. and it has dropped small polyps 3 times in the last month. the first dissapeared within a couple days. the second I "rescued" and am trying to get it to attach to some rubble. tonight it dropped another one. the one that I rescued has no skeleton that I can feel. Yet it expands and contract, glows under actinics like the mother colony.
My reef is relatively new. I started in July of last year. water params are good. no nitrate or nitrite, no ammonia, PH is 8.4 alk is high( red sea test) Calcium is 450 sg is 1.025 temp ranges 79-81. 100 watts no light 80 10k and 20 true actinic.(Getting a 250 watt pfo mini pendant) and I drip limewater. I also have a small cpr refugium.

 

[catdoc]

It looks like my favites is initiating extrusion. I tried to get some pics, but the quality isn't too great and if I resize to post here I'll lose what little detail I have. I'll email them and get you whatever info you would like to have. Very cool! One thing I'm wondering, is it best to just let the process go to it's end or should I "rescue" the daughter so I can place it somewhere secure? It's going to get lost in the rockwork if it just drops loose. Or does it stay attached until the daughter fixes onto a solid surface?

FWIW, I purchased the colony in early June 2004 from Octopuss' Garden in San Diego. Funny, b/c I discussed polyp extrusion a bit with Ron that afternoon. The colony already had a few areas that looked like the polyps were protruding so I've been watching ever since. Today, it looks like the colony is actually starting to extrude the daughter. At first, I thought it was just expelling waste but looked closer and realized that the "waste" is the exact same color and texture as the polyps. It's connected to its origin by a strand of almost translucent tissue. It looks so delicate, like it could just float away with a stiff current.

Pics on the way via email...

 

[UnderwaterExotic]

This is the second one of these in a month, so the heads are splitting?

 

[EricHugo]

It appears that this is a polyp division vesicle, described in an upcoming paper to be publsihed by me in the Proceedings of th 10th International Coral Reef Symposium. Please do keep me informed of the progresss though. May I download this photo for documentation of the behavior?

 

[Justin74]

Eric, did you get all the pictures you need ? I currently have a frogspawn doing the same budding as the hammer coral in previous pics.

Best I can assume it was reaction from moving in my tank. Innitially it was not recieving enough light and the whole colony (save 1 polyp) released most of its zooxanthella to leave a glassy appearance. In reaction to this I moved it to a moderate flowing area similar to the position it left but now receiving more direct light up high in the tank. Its white tips have now become pink and is beginning to brown up nicely. As well, I am now getting these polyps extrusions on most of the original polyps at there base. One infact, is in the middle of the skeletal branch, which at first I mistook for an encrusting snail. Im assuming this is the coral basically saying " lets get 'em out while the gettins good!" ?

I dont have pictures now, but a buddy is coming over later this week and taking some macro shots for me that Id be flattered to help, if help is still desired..

-Justin

 

[EricHugo]

I will take as many photos and documentations of this behavior as can be offered.

If you could provide some, that would be terrific.

 

[Justin74]

:thumbsup: Ill be in touch with him tomorrow, as soon as I get em to the hard drive there yours.

-Justin

Ps. Along with a history and run down of my setup, etc.(Ill refer to your check list )

 

[EricHugo]

sweet - thanks!

 

[Justin74]

As I promised. It was hard to get a good viewing, but this is the best so far. Other buds are a little more defined in growth, but at the same time due to overshadowing of the mothering polyp, the new buds are very transparent and hard to see. Plus me and my photographer made the mistake of forgetting to turn the pumps off so we were fighting the timing of my gentle current Anyway, here you go, and Ill be glad to send you the uncropped high resolution pic without the circling and text if you wish.

Cheers


-Justin

Ps, I cant put your book down! Awesome to say the very least

 

[EricHugo]

Hi Justin:

Thanks for the photo. This is not an extrusion, but a normal budding behavor common in Euphyllia species. But, good to see that it is budding and growing for you!

 

[Justin74]

My apologies, the "flow or drip" definition for some reason didnt sink in!:worried: But thank you.

-Justin

 

[Speedy3kgt]

Bubble coral

Bubble coral

My neighbor has a huge bubble coral that is doing that right now. You can actually see the skeleton in the tissue extrusion. Interested?

 

[EricHugo]

Absolutely!

 

[Speedy3kgt]

Tell us what you think. We tried to upload the full tank pic but it's just too big. I resized it but it just got distorted.

 

[EricHugo]

pretty coool. Is that all skeleton in the low shot? Can you email me the high res image so I can look closer? eborneman@uh.edu

 

[Speedy3kgt]

It's skeleton hanging by tissue. I'll send out an email.

 

[davejnz]

I've observed this behavior a couple times in my tank.Once with Euphyllia,the other with Caulastrea.

 

[EricHugo]

Hi Dave:

Could you email me high resolution photos of those to add to the documented cases for that behavior. I will not use them for any other purpose without your permission. Thanks, Eric

 

[Speedy3kgt]

Hey Eric. I tried to send you the pics, but the email address you gave me didn't work. Can you confirm?

 

[EricHugo]

eborneman@uh.edu