Holy Duncan Sprouts!

[Logzor]

Got this duncan a few months ago and have fed it daily.

Now it has 12+ heads coming out.

This evening I noticed this huge bulge along the entire length of the stalk, I am guessing more heads are going to pop out!

This is a night shot with flash.

 

[skydragon]

wow!! that pay off...lol.... you fed it daily they better come out 12+heads...jk good job lucky u

 

[Logzor]

Yeah the entire thing is blowing up like a bubble. Now the main head is 2" across after begin fed, very exciting.

I wonder what will happen when I start feeding all 12 heads? Can you say "little shop of horrors" ?

 

[Logzor]

The area that was bulging has now peeled away some and white is showing. Is this a normal growth pattern? The main head is still eating well and has kind of shifted over to make room for the new ones.

I am guessing in the bare spots new branches are going to form. The growth seems quite rapid since I got my ALK up to normal levels...

 

[My-eel-bit-me]

Nice pic. Going to try feeding more frequently, thanks.

 

[Logzor]

I am not sure what is happening to it now. The areas where it was bulging out, the skin is now peeling off, I am expecting new branches to come out of the skeleton.

 

[elegance coral]

New branches will not come out of bare skeleton. The skeleton can only grow when there is flesh over it to deposit new calcium. Who knows what the problem is? Maybe its an injury. Maybe the calcium is low or phosphates are high? I would start checking water parameters.

 

[Logzor]

Yeah I am not sure what is happening. The stalk had been getting more and more bumpy and then the other night, after feeding, the side swelled up (picture above).

Now much of the skin is coming off but the top heads look healthy. It has been growing heads rapidly lately.

Calcium is at 400 and dkh is 9.1

All of my other corals, acros and montis, look better than ever.

 

[Logzor]

Here is a pic with the skin peeling? Top head looks pretty healthy.

 

[PRESTO2345]

I've never seen skin peel like that before! Are you sure there is nothing eating it? It just looks wrong to me. I've never seen this happen on any of my ducans.

 

[Logzor]

I am positive nothing is eating it. I even come out at night to check on it.

I noticed the skin bulge out after feeding on even and I expected new heads to pop out rather than the skin peeling off.

Up near where the head it the skin would bulge out and new head would pop out, as you can see in the picture.

It is very strange and sudden, considering all of my other corals are doing great.

 

[airinhere]

You said something about getting your alk back under control?

You also said you were feeding your duncans daily. Might check your phosphate and nitrate levels. Daily feedings have caused me more than one nutrient spike.

I would recommend a lugols dip or at least a freshwater dip if you want to stop the tissue loss on your duncans. Something is causing the flesh to seperate from the skeleton and then it is rotting away.

I feel for you. I have a ton of duncans and have seen them do some odd things, but nothing like that before. (Check out my homepage link, then go into the australian biotope reefs).

Seriously, try a lugols dip. And a freshwater dip as well. Read up if you aren't familiar with this sort of activity. You can save your coral.

 

[Logzor]

I fear that if I move it I will stress it out too much.

Not sure why it went from growing mass heads to shedding its skin.

The strange thing is that I noticed that on the body of the duncan, over a month ago, the sides started to become more bumpy. Then the sides started to puff out after feeding it, like it was naturally going to send out new heads or branches.

Then it just sheds its skin, it makes no sense at all. I am just going to hope that it colors back up and grows more like it has been.

Since I have far more sensitive acros (green slimer, rose mili, blue tort) right near it that are doing better than ever this strikes me as being very strange and unexpected.

The duncan was growing so well i was about to go up to my supplier and get 3 heads more.

My nitrates and nitrites are zero, no clue on phosphates.

I will keep you posted, this morning, most of the skin is now off. The top heads do not seem in too bad of shape, they are about 50% extended.

I just hope it colors back up rather than rotting away...

 

[Dano999]

I feed mine once a week and have 4 new heads in about a month. This is plenty for me. Daily may be too much.

 

[Logzor]

Yeah I may have fed it too much. One small head might survive.

Beautiful duncan btw.

I going back to my duncan guy soon to get a new one i think. I really love the coral.