Frogspawn Question

CastAway · May 12, 2015

I bought a three head piece of frogspawn several months go. I'm happy with it's growth. The heads have divided and it's over ten heads now. At night it typically retracts, and in the blues I can clearly see tiny polyps at the base of the tissue that covers the bare skeleton. The tiny polyps are on the frogspawn tissue itself, not the bare skeleton.

Does frogspawn propagate this way? Or, might I have some pest? I suppose the polyps could be tiny majano's, but am not sure. I've never had majano's before.

Thanks in advance.

Reefing Madness · May 12, 2015

No pests, those are new heads forming.

CastAway · May 12, 2015

Wow! I'm happy about this then!

nexenn · May 20, 2015

You have a picture? Sounds like new heads popping up but a pic would help a ton

TJ's Reef · May 20, 2015

Sounds like a healthy Euphyllia to me Jeff, though in my experience most do not make it as eventually get blocked out. My guess is that in the wild some of these are broken off by fish or inverts and take hold if they drift somewhere safe. I have had some success in using my tongs to break them off (little stems) and glue them into a LR rubble crevice or frag plug.

Cheers, Todd

CastAway · May 20, 2015

I was looking at them last night, and thinking that very thing, wondering how in the world these tiny little stems could possibly develop given where their at and their orientation. Once they have some size, enough so I might handle them and glue them, I may try that Todd. Thanks.

Impossible to get a picture @nexenn, as my heads only retract of an evening to expose the tiny starts, and the blue light prevents any decent pictures with my phone. I may try the flash though, and see what I get.

Tab28 · May 20, 2015

TJ's Reef said:
Sounds like a healthy Euphyllia to me Jeff, though in my experience most do not make it as eventually get blocked out. My guess is that in the wild some of these are broken off by fish or inverts and take hold if they drift somewhere safe. I have had some success in using my tongs to break them off (little stems) and glue them into a LR rubble crevice or frag plug.

Cheers, Todd

Many times my euphyllia will sprout tiny babies, or have them at time of purchase. But never had one of the sprouts ever grow into a self sustaining coral. Now division is another matter. They will increase heads every few months. It does take them awhile to actually grow the skeleton and separate the new head away from the old ones.