rt456
Community Member
An unusual survival story from my reef.
This Acanthophyllia (“meat coral”) was originally a white and green specimen that declined badly in my display tank. After being moved to a frag system it appeared completely dead, with no visible tissue remaining on the skeleton for weeks.
Several weeks later I noticed a small patch of living tissue, approximately 2 cm across, on the skeleton. It slowly expanded before apparently disappearing again. Assuming the coral had finally died, I largely ignored it for another month.
While rearranging the frag tank I discovered that the coral had not recovered on the skeleton at all. Instead, it appears to have undergone polyp bailout. A free-living disc of tissue, around 3 cm across, was living independently in the tank with no apparent skeletal structure attached.
The coral has now survived in this state for several months. It continues to inflate and deflate normally, responds to feeding cues, and actively accepts food including baby brine shrimp and coral foods.
Photo show the coral feeding today.
I’m curious whether anyone else has observed long-term survival of a bailed-out Acanthophyllia polyp, and whether any skeletal redevelopment was eventually observed.
This Acanthophyllia (“meat coral”) was originally a white and green specimen that declined badly in my display tank. After being moved to a frag system it appeared completely dead, with no visible tissue remaining on the skeleton for weeks.
Several weeks later I noticed a small patch of living tissue, approximately 2 cm across, on the skeleton. It slowly expanded before apparently disappearing again. Assuming the coral had finally died, I largely ignored it for another month.
While rearranging the frag tank I discovered that the coral had not recovered on the skeleton at all. Instead, it appears to have undergone polyp bailout. A free-living disc of tissue, around 3 cm across, was living independently in the tank with no apparent skeletal structure attached.
The coral has now survived in this state for several months. It continues to inflate and deflate normally, responds to feeding cues, and actively accepts food including baby brine shrimp and coral foods.
Photo show the coral feeding today.
I’m curious whether anyone else has observed long-term survival of a bailed-out Acanthophyllia polyp, and whether any skeletal redevelopment was eventually observed.
