Scolys can split? Many polp scolys

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Was browsing a website, I've seem double headed scolys before, though they're usually few and far between, though I saw this one
Screenshot_20231017_122956_Samsung Internet.jpg

A scoly, with three mouths, that looks to be in the process of splitting. How often does this happen? If, given enough time, will scolys become many polyp corals? Does anyone know more about this?!?

@encrustingacro need your thoughts

No, I don't think this is a lobo
 

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I don't think it is splitting, I think it is more of an anomaly. AquaSD had two odd balls on their site in the last couple of weeks with a double mouthed Blasto and a money shot zoa with two mouths that looked like this:
1697575326640.png


Nature has some weird things going on. Sometimes you see torches with multiple end points to their tentacles like an octospawn.
 
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Scolies splitting doesn't really happpen that often; this might not be splitting but just a weird polyp shape.
Hmm, if I, hypothetically, order that scoly and keep it in good health long enough, will it eventually split? It definitely has 3 mouths. I also saw this on the same website
Screenshot_20231017_164520_Samsung Internet.jpg

How do I get this to occur in captivity? Just wait for 3 years? Would the scoly in my first post eventually split, or do they bud off like duncans and blastos?
 

encrustingacro

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Hmm, if I, hypothetically, order that scoly and keep it in good health long enough, will it eventually split? It definitely has 3 mouths. I also saw this on the same website
Screenshot_20231017_164520_Samsung Internet.jpg

How do I get this to occur in captivity? Just wait for 3 years? Would the scoly in my first post eventually split, or do they bud off like duncans and blastos?
There are probably certain parameters that need to be met in order for them to split.
 

gbroadbridge

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Was browsing a website, I've seem double headed scolys before, though they're usually few and far between, though I saw this one
Screenshot_20231017_122956_Samsung Internet.jpg

A scoly, with three mouths, that looks to be in the process of splitting. How often does this happen? If, given enough time, will scolys become many polyp corals? Does anyone know more about this?!?

@encrustingacro need your thoughts

No, I don't think this is a lobo

I have a Scoly in my tank that started as a single and now is a triple. Taken a few years though.

When the tank lights up I'll send a photo
 

encrustingacro

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I don't think it is splitting, I think it is more of an anomaly. AquaSD had two odd balls on their site in the last couple of weeks with a double mouthed Blasto and a money shot zoa with two mouths that looked like this:
1697575326640.png


Nature has some weird things going on. Sometimes you see torches with multiple end points to their tentacles like an octospawn.
I had a double-mouthed Zoanthus once; sadly it died :(
 

blecki

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Zoanthids actually can split. It's not typical but it is possible.
 

DHill6

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Found the original pic, it has additional three heads, one towards left and two in the front. Last pic shows how the top looks like a scoly all the way across. I’ll see what it grows into in time, including its teal ball.
IMG_1184.jpeg
IMG_1186.jpeg
IMG_1187.jpeg
IMG_1188.jpeg
 
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encrustingacro

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Interesting, is that the same with Duncanopsammia?
Yeah, Duncan’s bud extracalicularly too. Generally, corals you see with circular corallites will bud extracalicularly, while corals with irregular or ovate corallites will bud intracalicularly.
 

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blecki

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You're in luck. A few months ago one of my engineer gobies decided to bury this entire colony overnight and they are still ticked off about it. Several started splitting then and are just about done now.

20231028_104832.jpg

You can see one on the front of the colony here.

20231028_104937.jpg

This little guy bailed on the colony but didn't make it very far - he was one polyp when he set out. He's entirely split into two now; not quite evenly.

20231028_104956.jpg

Hard to see but at the very top here there's one almost done splitting (one half is open normally, the other is inverted) and there's one further down that split a long time ago and has two heads on one stalk.

This colony grew from a single polyp hitchhiker over ten years ago and I've kept it confined to this rock every since because they are the ugliest palys I have ever seen; but I'm pretty sure they are P. cf mutuki and thus not toxic. They would have filled the entire tank with their ugly children by now if I let them.
 

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