Candy cane ejected?

[kiden]

Hi

This is my first post after a year and a half of reading and learning - thank you for all sharing your experiences that I've learnt so much from, and apologies for any faux-pas I make with posting. I tried searching for this, but couldn't find an answer, so hope someone might be able to help.

I have just been giving our little TMC micro 30 a good clean and found something odd...

A week or so ago, one branch of a three branch candy cane looked like it had died. I was really shocked as I hadn't seen it decline (maybe a little smaller than usual as we're struggling to balance feeding and the tank getting full of crap, so maybe it was a little hungry) - but it was just suddenly a skeleton . We've had problems with red algae, which im regularly clearing; I thought maybe it had got the better of it, but it still seemed really quick.

Anyway, today as I was doing a big clean, I spotted a bright green glow in a dark corner, and swished the water just there and out came what looks to be the innards of the candy cane skeleton, all plump and seemingly ok.

It looks like it's just the soft part from the skeleton, ejected. What happened? What do I do with it? It looks healthy enough, but I don't feel I should leave it to roll around the tank floor like that.

[benjc]

Put it in a hole in your rock where you think it will get enough light. With a bit of luck, it will start growing a new skeleton.

[kiden]

Thanks benjc. I tried that, but it seems to get dislodged in the night. I'll keep at it...

I was wondering if I should maybe try and put him back in his skeleton, or wether he ejected for good reason?

[Reef Bass]

Welcome to RC!

Your description sounds more like polyp bailout than dripping.

Please let us know how the detached polyp fares.

[Boston21]

I have the worst damn luck with Candy Cane coral's, and can never get them to stick around longer then a couple months.

[Reef Bass]

Caulastrea are not particularly difficult for stony corals, though stony corals are way more difficult than squishy corals.

I have had issues with candy canes, but since being better and more consistent with my water chemistry, small frags have become small colonies and new arrrivals have swelled in size and number of polyps. I find magnesium is often overlooked as a critical parameter. That and reasonably stable alkalinity.

[Boston21]

Originally Posted by Reef Bass

Caulastrea are not particularly difficult for stony corals, though stony corals are way more difficult than squishy corals.

I have had issues with candy canes, but since being better and more consistent with my water chemistry, small frags have become small colonies and new arrrivals have swelled in size and number of polyps. I find magnesium is often overlooked as a critical parameter. That and reasonably stable alkalinity.

Also have horrible luck with Candy Canes, Alk/Calcium is pretty stable, but haven't been able to test Mag yet.

[kiden]

Just a quick update, but not much to add...

So far, he's still rolling around glowing brightly and seemingly ok, if a little tight (not fully swollen). I keep trying to pop him places, but he's getting dislodged most nights by other stuff (we have a couple of hermits -blue and harlequin, a couple of bumble shrimp, a couple of turbo snails, and a couple of ceriths, and brittle stars and bristle worms that seem to poke things out of holes all the time). I'm also worried about handling him too much if I keep touching him.

I'll try and get a pic up (via app on phone hopefully - still to try).

Also thanks Reef Bass for the term 'polyp bail out' as it's made it possible to find lots of stuff to read and learn from - I wasn't having much luck with 'candy cane ejects'!

[dppitone]

it dropped a baby. ours do that also.