Nanoreefjj22w
New member
I found a small loose head not attached to the hard calcium body of the frog spawn on the bottom of the tank. Will this piece grow into a new frog spawn? Or should I be worried about my frogspawn?
frog spawn spawning
- Thread starter Nanoreefjj22w
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Nanoreefjj22w
New member
It's about the size of a dime
cloak
New member
+1.
Reef Frog
New member
Can the OP add more detail? I've had frogspawn drop a very small bundle and I believe it's a form of asexual reproduction * . They grow and have a nub of calcium skeleton. They can be mounted on LR or a plug. Mine came from a 2 year growing & thriving mother colony. The mother continues to grow so I have no worries there& would not describe it as polyp bailout.
A fast growing Favia of mine is doing the same thing and there was a recent post of an example on a Candy Cane that looked healthy. I am planning on researching this some more, but am confident that in my case at least this is definitely a good thing from strong colonies. I hope it's the same for the OP.
But if you have had heads eject completely leaving behind bare skeleton, that would fit the description of polyp bailout as mentioned by Reef Bass. This sounds like an evolutionary adaptation to allow a coral to have a chance of finding a new location if it finds itself in a bad situation. Thankfully I have no experience with this.
* I believe "spawning" for corals is the release of gametes or zygotes into he water column and would be sexual reproduction. I think I remember seeing accounts of this happening in home aquariums but don't think it ever leads to new colonies of stony corals.
Any coral biology people out there who could weigh in?
A fast growing Favia of mine is doing the same thing and there was a recent post of an example on a Candy Cane that looked healthy. I am planning on researching this some more, but am confident that in my case at least this is definitely a good thing from strong colonies. I hope it's the same for the OP.
But if you have had heads eject completely leaving behind bare skeleton, that would fit the description of polyp bailout as mentioned by Reef Bass. This sounds like an evolutionary adaptation to allow a coral to have a chance of finding a new location if it finds itself in a bad situation. Thankfully I have no experience with this.
* I believe "spawning" for corals is the release of gametes or zygotes into he water column and would be sexual reproduction. I think I remember seeing accounts of this happening in home aquariums but don't think it ever leads to new colonies of stony corals.
Any coral biology people out there who could weigh in?
Reef Frog
New member
Read up a little. It seems "coral bailout" is actually listed as a form of asexual reproduction, but is not mentioned as a worrisome symptom of decline as I had assumed.
Descriptions of coral "budding" or "intratentacular budding", which is also asexual reproduction, also seemed to be a possible fit.
I will check other sources to confirm this, but it seems this is a good thing & is most likely a sign of good conditions.
Descriptions of coral "budding" or "intratentacular budding", which is also asexual reproduction, also seemed to be a possible fit.
I will check other sources to confirm this, but it seems this is a good thing & is most likely a sign of good conditions.
Reef Bass
colors and textures
Conceptually, I can see how polyp bailout could be viewed as a form of asexual reproduction. Piece of the original goes somewhere else and maybe survives.
Asexual reproduction in Euphyllia typically takes the form of the polyp splitting into two, sometimes three heads.
Every instance of polyp bailout I've seen, including my own, has come at low water quality moments in that tank. My observation is that it is a last ditch survival mechanism. Sure, if the bailed polyp manages to survive, that can be seen as a means of reproduction. What I've experienced, and what I've heard is the more usual experience, is a survival rate of zero for bailed polyps.
In my opinion, this is not reproduction, but relocation. The original polyp didn't split into two and send a bud away. The original polyp released itself from its skeleton and departed. It left no living part of itself behind. Relocation, not reproduction.
I've seen polyp bailout in acans as well as Euphyllia, and again when water quality was poor.
You indicate your "dropped bundle" included calcium skeleton. If so, I would not call that polyp bailout.
Reef Frog
New member
Hmm interesting. In my frogspawn case no part of the colony shows exposed skeleton, it's thriving & growing bigger. The little bud is growing into a new colony too and the calcim nub is growing fine after deposit. It just seemed a logical evolutionary method for a growing colony to take a chance at expanding its range. Kind of like when a Christmas Cactus drops its "leaves" which can grow into a new plant.
With my favia, the bud is coming from healthy polyps too and the rest of the colony is expanding over the LR at the same time. No exposed skeleton either. Maybe what I'm seeing is intratent. budding and you're describing something else.
BTW what water quality issues do you think prompted the events that you observed in your tank? All is stable & good in my case. I'm still not 100% sure on all of this but will be looking into it.
With my favia, the bud is coming from healthy polyps too and the rest of the colony is expanding over the LR at the same time. No exposed skeleton either. Maybe what I'm seeing is intratent. budding and you're describing something else.
BTW what water quality issues do you think prompted the events that you observed in your tank? All is stable & good in my case. I'm still not 100% sure on all of this but will be looking into it.
jccaclimber
Member
I've seen frogspawn try to grow heads that almost seem inside the outer 'shell' of polyps. I suspect its more of a small head that never did well after a split, but I really don't know. Could you have had one of these bail? That would explain not showing any exposed skeleton when its open.
jccaclimber
Member
I can now add "Dripping" to my list of technical terms.
Reef Frog
New member
Thanks cloak. Dripping is it ! A good thing for me as I can use the drags.
"Dripping"
Dripping is a term used to describe a slow detachment and separation of viable tissues from an adult coral colony. The separation is in essence a cloning of the adult which allows colonization of an area immediately surrounding the adult. The new colony may, or may not, contain a skeleton.
From Advanced Aquarist Magazine.
Reef Bass
colors and textures
Good link cloak, thanks.
Dripping seems to be something a healthy coral does that leaves the parent colony reasonably unaffected / no worse for wear.
Polyp bailout seems to be something a stressed coral does that eventually leaves the parent colony just a lifeless skeleton.
Dripping seems to be something a healthy coral does that leaves the parent colony reasonably unaffected / no worse for wear.
Polyp bailout seems to be something a stressed coral does that eventually leaves the parent colony just a lifeless skeleton.
my frogspawn used to drop small (like pencil eraser size) pieces all the time. every other monht or so i'd see one blowing around the tank. i assume they were frodspawn, they looked like it, and were the right color. it also grew so much i ended up selling it off, it was just too big.
i seems to me that it wasn't a bad thing, at least in my tank...
i seems to me that it wasn't a bad thing, at least in my tank...
