interesting - bubble coral and dropped tissue

[jacksonpt]

I was very surprised by this, thought maybe some of you might be as well.

I've always like bubble corals, and had wanted one for a long time. Tim at ABC reefs in Syracuse was nice enough to get me a very healthy piece last winter. It was happy in my tank for a while, but I could never find a spot where it really thrived... there was always (I think) too much flow in my tank.

To make a long story short, last month the coral dropped the last of its tissue off the skeleton. I assumed that was the end of what had been a slow deterioration throughout the summer.

Well, apparently I was wrong. Yesterday I cranked up my vortechs for a while and noticed a small piece (about the size of a quarter) of my bubble drifting in the current. No skeleton, just the tissue, but it looked happy and healthy. Polyps were fairly extended, color was good, texture looked normal. I hadn't seen it in a month, but apparently it found a spot it liked.

I watched it for a few minutes, but then life pulled me away from my tank and I'm not sure where the tissue settled. Hopefully it found another spot it likes and will grow.

I assume the tissue can grow a new skeleton if it's happy? Anyone know much about bubbles?

 

[Gary Majchrzak]

IME it takes a lot to completely kill off Plerogyra.

Even a seemingly lifeless skeleton can recover. This coral has an extremely potent sting. If conditions are optimal I wouldn't be surprised if you saw at least part of this coral recover.

 

[der_wille_zur_macht]

+1. Leave the skeleton in the tank if you haven't taken it out already, you might be surprised to see "babies" popping out of it sooner or later.

 

[GMaquarium]

Although they are pretty hardy when left alone, bubble corals are notoriously bad shippers and hate being moved. They have pretty sharp septal teeth and often tear their tissue. I have been able to save a couple in the past from what looked like tiny chunks of flesh not even connected to the skeleton. I now have a bubble coral that I got from another hobbyists. This one bailed out of its skeleton,slowly built a new one and once after moving it to my tank dropped off again. Now has been living like an anemone, for some time now.