Why do healthy polyps occasionally detach themselves from their colonies?

[dtruitt]

3 polyps of utter chaos just went missing overnight.

Periodically, I find polyps several feet away from their colonies. I've see them wedge themselves into crevices, try to grab the clams shell, find their way to the sandbed, etc...

The only pattern I can see is that different species (or sometimes morphs of a species) that touch seem to drop more polyps than those that have a good inch or two to the next colony.

Is this a stress response? Is it possible that an emerald crab is redecorating?

 

[xxkenny90xx]

Some corals do this in order to spread to different places

 

[Zoa_Fanatic]

3 polyps of utter chaos just went missing overnight.

Periodically, I find polyps several feet away from their colonies. I've see them wedge themselves into crevices, try to grab the clams shell, find their way to the sandbed, etc...

The only pattern I can see is that different species (or sometimes morphs of a species) that touch seem to drop more polyps than those that have a good inch or two to the next colony.

Is this a stress response? Is it possible that an emerald crab is redecorating?

Mine do that all the time. My fire and ice blow out and attach somewhere new in the tank a lot. You may end up with some growing some wild place one day.