Duncan eaten and spit out by anemone survive or no?

[Nikky.Werr]

Hey everyone, I had a small three-headed Duncan coral fall into/on top of a warty anemone. I spent a couple of hours looking for it until I realized the anemone is where the flow would've carried it. About 3 hours later the anemone spit out goo and then the skeleton of my Duncan coral. Saddened by this I found a new home for the anemone and left my cm long/wide Duncan skeleton on the sand bed. All that was visible was skeleton, no tissue. Next day I noticed green glowing under blue led lighting where the Duncan heads were supposed to be on the skeleton. I glued it back in place and took this photo. The Duncan coral's tentacles are mostly gone though a few stubby ones remain. I dipped in coral rx before gluing back in place and fed a while after. It responds to feeding and I have seen the top mouth taking in food. I have fed it twice since. I wonder if the tentacles can grow back and it can recover from having been partially digested. Has anyone had this happen to them? Any input is appreciated, thanks.

 

[Nikky.Werr]

This is today's picture of the Duncan coral. The whole event occurred last Friday.

 

[kurt_n]

Never had it happen, but to me it sure looks like it's going to survive! That's pretty amazing!

 

[Nikky.Werr]

I really hope so. I'll post more photos as the Duncan coral's condition changes.

 

[TangingOut]

Lol, did you really ask if this has happen to anyone? I guess stranger things have happened.

Anyways, it looks like it'll make a complete recovery. I would only feed once a week until it looks normal again.

 

[rt67ghy]

A miraculous survival story! Thanks for sharing.

 

[ZeeSparrow]

Actually, I purchased frags of a duncan that had fallen onto a carpet anemone. Half of the colony perished, and two of the four heads I was given looked worse than your pictures... the skeleton was entirely closed up on those two. When they started to open, they were completely white. Here's a terrible picture taken the day after I added it to my tank:

Ahh.. looks like I don't have any other pictures of mine uploaded now. Darn. It's recovered though.

Keep doing what you're doing... looks like yours is going to make it, too. :thumbsup:

 

[ncaldwell]

I've have corals I've thought dead for weeks come back out of the skeleton from no visible tissue. His little tenticles should grow back in no time

 

[Nikky.Werr]

Hey thanks for all your replies, I'll drop the feeding to once a week until normal and continue to monitor it's progress. Thanks for sharing ZeeSparrow, I'm glad yours fully recovered and I look forward to mine doing the same

 

[kukulkan67]

Looking good!! I have a duncan that I got 2 months ago with 4 heads , and now it has 10 heads mostly almost fully grown, they are hardy.

 

[Nikky.Werr]

Here's the weekly update photo. Its doing much better; tentacles are growing in nicely and has good appetite.

 

[angelman21]

great to hear!

 

[tokemoke]

Now that's hardy. Think a Duncan is going to be my first ever coral soon.

 

[Nikky.Werr]

Update

Update

My apologies, I was on vacation and unable to do the weekly updates. This is a picture from right now. The Duncan coral is doing amazingly well. I would not have thought it could recover so completely from being eaten and spit out by an anemone and I'm so very glad that it did. I've had the mother colony of this Duncan coral for over a year. Started with one head and now has over 20 and this was the first frag of that colony <3

 

[Tweaked]

Coral is amazingly resilient at times.

 

[RustNeverSleeps]

very cool, looks like the little guy is going to make it