Can a coral survive without skeleton?

[ScottandAlisa]

One of my Duncan heads detached from its base about 2 months ago and I’ve still been seeing it occasionally floating around the tank. Its color is muted but still there... Is it possible that this coral will one day start a new skeleton and attach somewhere on its own? Should I help it in some way? Or is it goner?

 

[Ron Reefman]

I think it's possible. I'd try collecting it and see if you can secure it to a frag plug or drill a small hole in a piece of rubble rock and set it in the hole. Then put it somewhere way from strong flow... maybe even put a fine net around the rock to help keep it in place.

 

[ScottandAlisa]

Cool! I’ll try that, thanks for the idea

 

[Ron Reefman]

Good luck. If it survives, you should come back and let us know. I had a hammer coral polyp come out of it's skeleton once when I was fraging it and one head cracked in half. Unfortunately I didn't keep it is a spot I could watch and I never saw it after a few days. I think a wrasse may have had it for a meal!