Scoly Spawning

[Nasty_Goblin]

I attended RAP NY this past weekend. Speaking to one of the vendors he implied that by purchasing two button scoly they would spawn.

I ended up getting only one, but I'm curious if anyone has experience with this behavior.

This was the only information regarding asexual spawning I could find.

Scoly reproduction

So scolys have always been my favorite type of coral, and I've had a few in the past years. Mine were always healthy and big, but I've always wondered, how do they reproduce? Has anyone ever had a scoly that did reproduce?

www.reef2reef.com

Please share your experiences with multiple scoly in the same system!

 

[Rocks reef]

I believe the vendor was just wanting you to buy two at the show. However, you would need two or more to spawn since the female release eggs and the male release sperm.
Asexual reproduction in scoly only occurs from budding and/or dividing.

 

[Nasty_Goblin]

I believe the vendor was just wanting you to buy two at the show. However, you would need two or more to spawn since the female release eggs and the male release sperm.
Asexual reproduction in scoly only occurs from budding and/or dividing.

Interesting. Are they sexually dimorphic? I figured it might just be marketing.

 

[Rocks reef]

As far as I know, they are not sexually dimorphic.

 

[thamnasteroid]

You need simulation of the lunar cycle paired with seasonal temperature fluctuations in order to reliably get them to spawn. Unless you have a controller that allows you to automate changing temperature, you'd be out of luck.

Since button scolys are currently undescribed, there's really no information on their reproductive behavior. When Micromussa pacifica was described in 2016, many people jumped to identify button scolies as such, but the Western Australian population (where they are collected) was never sampled in the study. There is evidence that button scolies are not M. pacifica, mainly that their coloration, flesh texture, and polyp size differs from that of pacifica. I would wager button scolies are an undescribed species of Homophyllia (related to regular Scolies and bowerbankis).

Regular Scolies (Homophyllia australis) are hermaphrodites; assuming button scolies are similar, then you would only need one to produce offspring.

 

[Nasty_Goblin]

You need simulation of the lunar cycle paired with seasonal temperature fluctuations in order to reliably get them to spawn. Unless you have a controller that allows you to automate changing temperature, you'd be out of luck.

Since button scolys are currently undescribed, there's really no information on their reproductive behavior. When Micromussa pacifica was described in 2016, many people jumped to identify button scolies as such, but the Western Australian population (where they are collected) was never sampled in the study. There is evidence that button scolies are not M. pacifica, mainly that their coloration, flesh texture, and polyp size differs from that of pacifica. I would wager button scolies are an undescribed species of Homophyllia (related to regular Scolies and bowerbankis).

Regular Scolies (Homophyllia australis) are hermaphrodites; assuming button scolies are similar, then you would only need one to produce offspring.

That’s very intriguing!

Do you have any sources where I can read more about their required temperature and lunar cycles?

It seems most are simply fragging existing coral with varying success.

 

[thamnasteroid]

You need simulation of the lunar cycle paired with seasonal temperature fluctuations in order to reliably get them to spawn. Unless you have a controller that allows you to automate changing temperature, you'd be out of luck.

Since button scolys are currently undescribed, there's really no information on their reproductive behavior. When Micromussa pacifica was described in 2016, many people jumped to identify button scolies as such, but the Western Australian population (where they are collected) was never sampled in the study. There is evidence that button scolies are not M. pacifica, mainly that their coloration, flesh texture, and polyp size differs from that of pacifica. I would wager button scolies are an undescribed species of Homophyllia (related to regular Scolies and bowerbankis).

Regular Scolies (Homophyllia australis) are hermaphrodites; assuming button scolies are similar, then you would only need one to produce offspring.

That’s very intriguing!

Do you have any sources where I can read more about their required temperature and lunar cycles?

It seems most are simply fragging existing coral with varying success.

I remember there was a reef builders article about spawning regular Scolys awhile back, although spawning times and mechanisms will likely be different for button Scolys.