elegance came off shell

[reefslugs]

Has anyone seen an elegance detach from it's shell and still lives? I bought a four year old elegance from a local reefer. It was over crowding his tank. His skin was reseated off the edges off the shell but you could tell it had been that way for quit some time. I've had it about two months. I added a little more flow to my tank and saw that it was a little too much for the elegance. So when I tried to move him to a different location in the tank he came totally off the shell. Now he's in the sand with little flow and is still a live. He's even all plumped up.

Does anyone know what I should do now? Do you think he's a goner? Or is there a way I might have a chance of saving him? I used to be really good at this hobby, but it sure has been rough on me this year.

 

[reefslugs]

Well I have not gotten any replies. Just to up date. I came home tonight after work. The elegance is still alive. I decided to take the shell from the elegance and put the coral on top of it. I put a loose rubber band to try and hold the two together, with low flow. If I come home tomorrow and it is still alive and plumped up. I going to try to feed it.

 

[Macimage]

You probably don't have any replies, as it is an unusual occurrence. I read this thread yesterday, but had nothing to contribute to help.

Please post updates.

Good Luck!
Joyce

 

[mscarpena]

I would guess low mag or strontium. This just happened to a friend of mine. I would not rubber band it, but just place it in a low flow area and hope on a very slight chance it lives to grow a new skeleton. It will deffinately not reattach to it's old one.

 

[boxerzz]

My reply would be it will live ultimately in the right conditions. However it will not attach or grow new skeleton.

 

[kkdoughboy]

This is currently happening to some of my Acan Lord colonies! The specimens look healthy but are coming detached from there skeletal structure. Not sure what the heck is going on but it's depressing me to see some of these rare pieces I have seemingly coming to a dimise. I wish the experts out there had more input for us on this topic

 

[NCSUsalt]

it's called polyp bailout, it's a last ditch effort for a stressed coral to find "greener" pastures.

 

[chi3f]

oh boy!!! i have the same thing happening to my elegance. 9 mouths and the middle 3 r starting to detach. how can u save this?

 

[zeppelin]

Yep. Polyp bailout in acans is most often due to a very low magnesium level. Elegance polyp bailout may be from the same reason. Once they bail, they are toast eventually. They may live floating around the tank for awhile, but will eventually die.

 

[kkdoughboy]

Just tested my Magnesium level with a Sera test kit. Got an extremely low reading of 600ppm. Any products out there recommended to help me raise and maintain a good magnesium level? Any help is greatly appreciated. Thanks!!!

 

[zeppelin]

Many have used MAGFlake with success. It also helps your calcium.

 

[kkdoughboy]

Thanks alot I'll check into it

 

[zeppelin]

Buckeye Field Supply carries it and they are here in Ohio, so shipping is probably cheap and quick. They are down near Cincinnati.

 

[Reef Bass]

Pick up 1/2 gallon milk carton size package of epsom salts (magnesium sulfate) from the super market. Dissolve it in enough warm-hot RO/DI water to make one gallon total. Instant magnesium supplement.

 

[IFbettas]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15410620#post15410620 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by zeppelin
Yep. Polyp bailout in acans is most often due to a very low magnesium level. Elegance polyp bailout may be from the same reason. Once they bail, they are toast eventually. They may live floating around the tank for awhile, but will eventually die.

They don't always die. I got a blasto that was freshly fragged when I got it. One of the polyps was cut in half and then bailed out the next day. It settled in a crevice in some liverock and grew into a full head. Now a few months later there are 3 or 4 heads. So, they can survive and even grow after bailing out.

 

[redFishblue]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15414762#post15414762 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by IFbettas
They don't always die. I got a blasto that was freshly fragged when I got it. One of the polyps was cut in half and then bailed out the next day. It settled in a crevice in some liverock and grew into a full head. Now a few months later there are 3 or 4 heads. So, they can survive and even grow after bailing out.

Have you noticed if it has layed down a hard base?

 

[elegance coral]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15414762#post15414762 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by IFbettas
They don't always die. I got a blasto that was freshly fragged when I got it. One of the polyps was cut in half and then bailed out the next day. It settled in a crevice in some liverock and grew into a full head. Now a few months later there are 3 or 4 heads. So, they can survive and even grow after bailing out.

Zeppelin is correct. In your case there was most likely a small piece of skeleton attached to the polyp. It was a result of being fragged. It wasn't polyp bailout. Polyp bailout occurs when something interferes with the process of calcification. High phosphate, low calcium, low mag, low PH............... Once that happens the conditions required for calcification no longer exist at the base of the coral. It can no longer lay down new skeleton. The polyp may survive for quite some time, and even feed, but its days are numbered. The longest lived Elegance, after polyp bailout, that I know of was about 6 months.

 

[tpdpercula]

I have a brain that partially bailed out about 4 months ago and thankfully it is half way on its skeleton. Never fun to see this happen and have really nothing you can do to reattach it.

 

[boxerzz]

I had one elegance bail out for a few months even flown to Koralia. Survived all that.

 

[reefboarder]

you could also check out bulkreefsupply.com they have a few options for upping magnesium and they are fairly priced as well