Torch Shed Its Head

H

Hingeback

New member
Hi

Hope you are all Ok. Hope you can help

My torch coral ( Uk name,) ( I think the US common name is frogspawn ) has lost / ditched one of its heads. Is this a form of reprodution or is there some thing else wrong. I have placed the head in a trap where it appears to be doing fine ( 3 days). The rest of the heads appear to be fine and extending well.

SG 1.025
Ammonia 0
Nitrite 0
Nitrate 0
Ph 8.0 - 8.1
Dkh 9
Phosphate as near to 0 as you can get
Calcium 480
Mag 1350

110 UK gallons ( 400 litres )
20 gallon sump ( cheato and mangroves )
300 watts 10000k MH
2x 54 w T5 actinic
2 x 54 w T5 white
Total Water Turnover 30+ P/H
Calcium reactor
fluidised carbon filter
fluidised rowaphos filter
Live rock ( plenty never weighed it
R/O Water
10% water changes weekly

Plenty of Lps, sps and soft corals. A few of which are good indicators of problem conditions ( at least I think they are ) 3 different types of pipe organ coral, Acroporas. all of which are growing well.
I also have 5 different Euphyllia all of which appear fine and are growing well. None of these corals are within touching distance of each other or stinging distance for those that sting.

Neil ( UK )
 
Hi

Hope you dont mind me jumping in your thread but this happened to me a couple of weeks ago.
The head has not died but neither has it shown any calcification. i also hope you dont miind but i also wondered if the original head would regrow tenticles. Nothing showing as of yet.

Best regards and i hope you get an answer. ( We Brits need to stick together )Humour.
 
Hello

I certainly don't mind I was beginning to think I was alone out here.
Also nice to hear from a fellow Brit.
Thanks for asking the further question about the original head It was one I was going to ask but forgot to put on the original post. Then due to the lack of response it would have looked like I was bumping the question up the list so I did not repost. Dont want to upset anyone.

Thanks
 
I hate to be the berror of bad news, but if they do replacate that way I have never heard of it. Ususally when the head is lost like that it is due to something bothering it, bad tank perams(causing it to die), or something ripping it out.

Your perams seem fine, and since the other heads are doing well is it possible that it got knocked somehow? Rock fell on it? Do you have any fish that nip?

Whiskey
 
I have a torch (not frogspawn) that loses on from time to time. I know its not due to sickness, 'cause my torch has thrived and at least trippled in size since I got him. Now why it actually happens, I don't know.
 
P.S. I have had a candycane, and brain, with a very small spot of tissue on an otherwise dead head when I bought the coral, this small spot eventually grew to inhabit and fill the empty hole.

Whiskey
 
Hi and thanks for the repllies

No do not have any nippers in the reef.

The torch coral has been in for5 months and growing well.

Got up Tuesday morning to the head floating along the bottom. Placed in an old breeding trap and as mentioned appears extremely well. No signs of reduction, stress ect, seems to be thriving and if anything appears largers. It is placed id good flow and right under an actinic and white T5 tubes. The rest og the other coral 5 heads also fine ( upto now )

Cheers
 
Certian LPS can reproduce like this - it is called budding or dropping buds. If I am understanding this correctly, There is skeleton in the Head that it dropped, corrrect?
 
Hi

Sorry took so long to get back, children and such.

There is a very small amount of skeletal tissue in the centre of the head that was dropped. The skeleton of the original colony looks perfectly intact.
Dropped head remains good, colour excellent, polyps expanding well if not slightly better than when attached.
Original colony still fine.

Thanks for the replies, much appreciated.
 
Hi

I'll sort some pictures out tomorrow if thats Ok. The lights went out a couple of hours ago.

Its 12.35 in the morning here in the Uk was just having a quick read of the site in peace and quiet before I go to bed.

Thanks
 
Hi Hingeback

Its the fellow Brit again,

I guess this does not happen to often or if it does its only to us Brits. I've been told a few times we Brits always lose our heads!!!!. Now i know what they mean.

I think if it was some thing that was wrong with conditions then the actual head that dropped off would have died. Mine is still there, I would not say it is growing but it is not showing any signs of deterioration. The original colony is still fine another indicator that it is probably not conditions.

i would hazard a guess and say its a form of reproduction. In the wild ( reef ) I would think that this could be a way of starting a new colony. The head drops off, is carried by the current to another part of the reef where it becomes lodged in rock ect, where it begins to form a new colony. Only a theory but it could make sense.

I will wait to get shot down.

All the best.
 
Good thinking. You never know you could be right.

Sounds logical especially if the head that has fallen off is still alive a few weeks after the event. I thought that if it was a water prob then it would be dead by now. There was a theory ealier on that it could be down to nipping or rock fall. Although plausible I personally would have thought that the head of both parts would be damaged or in bits. None of mine are. It literally looks like this particular head jetisoned the polyps intact.

Mine is at day 4 now and still appears fine. Going to take some photos shortly and TRY to post them. I am a 40+ non computer geek but I will try.
 
Ok Here's hoping. Posting pictures of Torch Coral.

Pic 1 The head in a trap on a very thin piece of rock hopefully over a period of time a may attach.

Pic 2 Skeletal head still in water rest og heads reduced due being disturbed

Pic 3 The torch coral a few weeks ago. Normally about the size of 1 1/2 tennis balls in total



DSCF0190.jpg


DSCF0185.jpg


DSCF0139.jpg
 
sorry meant to mention Hingeback was not sure so he sent them to me. Not bad for my first go. I will reduce them next time.
 
Hingeback, your water par. seem ok. I dont know how often you do water change. Euphyllias, tends to loose their heads when STRONTIUM concentration in the tank drop 8 ppm. try to maintain them between 10 to 15 ppm. The reason I asked how often you change water,coz' water change, If you do it on reg. basis,its enough to replace all that strontium lost.Otherwise dose some in the tank. Check... Dose.........Check........Dose. until you get the desire concentration in the thank. PEACE
 
Thanks for reply

Water changes are 10% weekly like clockwork and once every 3 months I do a 20% water change. Water is R/O mixed 24 hours before addition to aquarium. Salinity, Temp ect matched.

head dropped about 3 days after water change.

Must admit I do not test for strontium.
 
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