plate died, how long until buds?

[jadeguppy]

My plate is now virtually all white with some algae on the older "dead" areas. It is a brown algae that I can't blow off. If this plate produces babies, how long should it take? BTW, it was damaged when I bought it. I thought it would make it, but I now think I put it under a little too much light for a damaged plate.

 

[GoingPostal]

About a month on mine but they are still pretty tiny a few months later.

 

[belgian_waffleman]

noob question: why would a dying plate have babies?
Is this a normal occurance?

Waffleman

 

[kookerson]

That is how they reproduce......the mother plate dies and babies will grow on it, which eventually will drop off......but to be honest, I always thought that the mother plate produces buds THEN dies, not the other way around.......but I could be wrong.

 

[Hormigaquatica]

The mother Fungia may appear to be dead for up to several months before producing anthocauli. Its not a real common occurrence in aquariums, but dont pitch the thing. Who knows...

 

[yellowslayer13]

look at the guy from spains thread he has some that are constantly reproducing

 

[O-man21]

It isn't a for sure thing that you will get babies from it. Not al plates do that when they die.

 

[GoingPostal]

This is a terrible pic but you can see the babies on it, all the little orange blobs are baby plates, some of them have died out now

This is when it was still alive

I also have a plate producer on the back of a brain coral

This one popped off and a new one is now growing there

I should have a ton of plates someday if all these keep growing

 

[jadeguppy]

Thanks for the pictures postal. Mine still looks like fresh white skeleton. That one you have producing babies looks really dead. They are amazing. Any suggestions on lighting or water flow for it? This is the only green w/ purple tenticles that I have found locally so I really want the babies! Will fish pick at them? Thanks for the responses!

 

[GoingPostal]

Honestly the orange plate was in my nano before so once it died I pretty much threw it into my big tank in the corner where it wasn't such an eyesore. Algea started growing on it and making it green, then brown, then one day I looked real closely at it and realized it was making babies. I haven't had any fish bother it.

 

[jadeguppy]

Will they produce babies if the entire plate in not completly dead? Mine has a 1/5 with some tissue still there.

 

[GoingPostal]

No idea, mine was alive one day and totally white and dead the next. Your's may pull though but I don't know how likely it is.

 

[MinibowMatt]

there are some types of fungias that produce anthocauli more than others. your average plate will not. (99% of the time)... I see it written here to not throw it soo often, and I just dont understand that statement. The odds that a plate coral that died in your system will bud, are slim to nil. If it died, in your tank, what makes anyonme think their tank is more apt to raising baby fungia's if it couldnt support larger, more hardy adult fungias?

 

[jadeguppy]

minibow, if you read my posting I bought the coral damaged. My other plate is doing great. I hoped to bring it back to good health, but it was too far gone. That is why I and others think that it may produce babies and my tank may be able to support them.

 

[MinibowMatt]

Jade- I wasnt saying YOUR tank .the word 'your' is a loose term.....I was speaking generally, as these threads will be referenced by noobs for years to come, and I feel the statement I posted was necessary for all to hear/know for now and future hobbiests....


Even still, you stated how your tank conditions may have caused it further degredation, so doesnt that fit into my statement anyway?

 

[jadeguppy]

If I kept it under the higher light, maybe. However, I have moved it. I thought the light was close to what the store had, but realized too late that it wasn't. Damaged plate + high light= bye bye plate. Like many tanks, I have different light zones.

 

[GoingPostal]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12764443#post12764443 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by MinibowMatt
there are some types of fungias that produce anthocauli more than others. your average plate will not. (99% of the time)... I see it written here to not throw it soo often, and I just dont understand that statement. The odds that a plate coral that died in your system will bud, are slim to nil. If it died, in your tank, what makes anyonme think their tank is more apt to raising baby fungia's if it couldnt support larger, more hardy adult fungias?

Well I for one am glad I had read they sometimes make a last ditch effort to reproduce, it's the only reason I didn't through mine out. Of course at this point I have no idea if they will make it or how long baby plates take to grow out but I have seen many dead plate skeletons for sale with multiple babies on it online and Dr. Fosters had quite a collection at their aquaculture facility so it must not be that rare among short tentacle plates. My plate was also added while already receded and unhealthy and never made a comeback.