How do torch corals grow ?

[Purpletang92]

I always thought that the heads would pinch until a split , but I have all these polyps on the branch of my torch and it’s not aptasia or any pest, more polyps have always appeared throughout the weeks, I always thought only the top half of torch corals were the live part and the stalk was just structure and never had any life to them. It makes me wonder if a completely dead head of a torch can grow back. Don’t mind the stuff that looks like detritus lol I had an accidental overdose of a bacterial additive I’m getting it under control. Check this out....

 

[ScottR]

That looks like a majano anemone.

 

[Purpletang92]

 

[Purpletang92]

That looks like a majano anemone.

Aren’t anemones inverts ? I doubt it would have survived a dip and they haven’t moved /extended for light it’s kinda tucked under the one live head..

 

[ScottR]

Aren’t anemones inverts ? I doubt it would have survived a dip and they haven’t moved /extended for light it’s kinda tucked under the one live head..

Yes anemones are inverts. So are corals. Pest anemones survive nuclear war. Dipping won’t kill them. But to add if you think it’s a new torch head, no torch don’t grow new crowns like that.

 

[RandyC]

Aren’t anemones inverts ? I doubt it would have survived a dip and they haven’t moved /extended for light it’s kinda tucked under the one live head..

Anemones will absolutely survive a dip. I'm not sure where the myth about not dipping an anemone for pests started because they would die, because it's just that, a myth. And yes, I have done this (the first was on accident) in Bayer, CoralRX and Expel.

Budding can happen with torches, but I've only seen that occur on the fleshy part that covers the skeleton, never from the actual calcified skeleton itself. Is the polyp actually emerging from the skeleton or just on the surface?

They can also expel the entire polyp from the skeleton and land somewhere to try to grow back a skeleton again.

 

[chrismelb]

Looks like torch buds to me. I have had hammers to do this too. I’ve also read that if you cut close to the tissue, new tissue can grow out from the cut. My torches self brood and I often see young pups nearby.

 

[eggplantparrot]

not to be an enabler or anything but.. my frogspawn did sprout new "buds" that looks kinda like what you have at the base, but only where there was still flesh covering the skeleton.

maybe give them a pole and see if they retract into a skeleton.

 

[Purpletang92]

Anemones will absolutely survive a dip. I'm not sure where the myth about not dipping an anemone for pests started because they would die, because it's just that, a myth. And yes, I have done this (the first was on accident) in Bayer, CoralRX and Expel.

Budding can happen with torches, but I've only seen that occur on the fleshy part that covers the skeleton, never from the actual calcified skeleton itself. Is the polyp actually emerging from the skeleton or just on the surface?

They can also expel the entire polyp from the skeleton and land somewhere to try to grow back a skeleton again.

It’s coming from the skeleton not laying on top, when I touched them they retracted completely

 

[Purpletang92]

There are a lot of polyps/ buds , I don’t think so many pest anemone would appear at one time in such a small area

 

[ScottR]

Notice the bulbed tips? Totally looks like an anemone. I’ve had countless frags with things like this. You’ll see they grow fast, growing a long stalk then you’ll have 2, then 4. Then you’ll be going ballistic trying to contain them. This is a pic of a majano from google.

 

[ScottR]

There are a lot of polyps/ buds , I don’t think so many pest anemone would appear at one time in such a small area

I have never seen a torch grow that many crowns on a small fragged head before. Torch just don’t grow like that on the sides of the skeleton. They can drop buds and I’ve had torch do this before but they won’t stick to the skeleton like that. And pest anemones are called a pest for a reason: they can multiply in a day. If you irritate them, they can release spores and you have a whole new problem on your hands.

 

[Purpletang92]

Notice the bulbed tips? Totally looks like an anemone. I’ve had countless frags with things like this. You’ll see they grow fast, growing a long stalk then you’ll have 2, then 4. Then you’ll be going ballistic trying to contain them. This is a pic of a majano from google.

they don’t have the long body of the anemone though and it’s a bit more uniform in shape than the anemone

 

[Purpletang92]

I have never seen a torch grow that many crowns on a small fragged head before. Torch just don’t grow like that on the sides of the skeleton. They can drop buds and I’ve had torch do this before but they won’t stick to the skeleton like that. And pest anemones are called a pest for a reason: they can multiply in a day. If you irritate them, they can release spores and you have a whole new problem on your hands.

You made a good point there!! , you said “pest” which would mean it would affect the whole tank , this is the only coral like this and I have plenty of space in the 150 for them to multiply

 

[ScottR]

they don’t have the long body of the anemone though and it’s a bit more uniform in shape than the anemone

Anemones don’t have to have long bodies. But if you want to think it’s a bunch torch heads, ok.

 

[Purpletang92]

Anemones don’t have to have long bodies. But if you want to think it’s a bunch torch heads, ok.

So you are convinced it’s a pest anemone and nothing else? Cause this is the only place in the tank they have appeared

 

[ScottR]

So you are convinced it’s a pest anemone and nothing else? Cause this is the only place in the tank they have appeared

This pic is definitely a nem.

 

[Purpletang92]

Idk I don’t think it’s a pest anemone ,check this picture out guys.....

 

[ScottR]

Idk I don’t think it’s a pest anemone ,check this picture out guys.....

Interesting. It may have budded. Puts it more into perspective. They may detach and blow away or continue to grow. IME, they always detached and blew away. I even tried glueing them with no success.

 

[Purpletang92]

Interesting. It may have budded. Puts it more into perspective. They may detach and blow away or continue to grow. IME, they always detached and blew away. I even tried glueing them with no success.

I knew I was on to something lol that’s just one side the other side is filled also. They just started showing up, none of them were there when I first received the frag.