I think my elegance coral is in the process of fragging itself...

[msteane]

Ok, so I've had elegance corals who got the dreaded "elegance coral disease" and just shrunk and receded until they were no more.  I noticed today that one end of my current elegance has mostly detached from the skeleton.  However, it is fully inflated and looks healthy otherwise.  I also notice that there seems to distinct edge between the hanging bit and the the rest of the coral.  I wonder if it's making a baby elegance.  Maybe this chunk that's barely hanging on is going to form a new skeleton and then let go completely.  Any of you guys seen something like this before?

Here it is from farther away.  You can see the end on the right is kinda hanging there.

Here it is up close.  You can clearly see it's not attached to much of the skeleton and there seems to be a distinct fold between it and the rest of the coral.

 

[jroovers]

I've heard that they will reproduce asexually exactly this way - my guess that you are bang on.  I've had my elegance for almost 5 years and never seen it do this - that is pretty awesome. 

 

[msteane]

I'll have to keep an eye on it and post some update pictures if it does indeed make a baby elegance.

 

[JordanHurst]

any updates? opcorn2:

 

[msteane]

Unfortunately within a couple weeks of this photo it turned into a 'true' elegance coral and started receding and eventually died.  I have no idea what happened.  Elegance corals are beautiful but can be so frustrating.

 

[Kman]

It can be a form of asexual reproduction called polyp bail-out. It is normally one of two things, escape response to environmental stress or a means of asexual reproduction. That section might not have been getting what it needs or it was being stressed so it tried to move. Normally if it is an escape response the coral will send out chemicals that make the calcium brittle around the piece so it breaks easy and starts to crumble.

Try and help it carefully next time if it happens again and cut the base off near it and the flesh should split by itself over a few days. So leave it in place. If you are not careful the whole skeleton can break apart in lots of little pieces. But even then if you try and not rip the flesh and put it on the substrate the coral should frag itself. But obviously you want to avoid that.

My elegance does best in the substrate and not on the rock. The rock seems to irritate the coral tissue and it stops coming out after a week or so. I have even seen some people that keep theirs on the rock start to go down hill after 6 months. I have no issues with mine on the crushed coral, i don't even manually feed it.

 

[saltyair]

just saw this thread - imho that was not reproduction. it was dieing maybe due to brown jelly. elegance are amazing coral but highly sensitive to pathogens

 

[Kman]

Oh i agree it is not likely reproduction and they are very sensitive to brown jelly. I thought i was going to lose mine when it decided to get into a fight with my bubble coral. Both ended up with burns but after a few days both bounced back.

 

[Jewel]

I've had a few Elegance over the years and they just don't last, The longest I had one was just over a year and then just died slowly, vey frustrating, The list of Coral and Fish not to put in my tank grows.

 

[Kman]

It is one of those corals just like Gonaporia. Some people do great with them others not so much. I found if you keep it on your substrate it does better then on the rocks. It likes the extra nutrients that get trapped under it in the form of detritus so it can uptake it through the tissue. If you have a really productive refugem even better.

 

[Jewel]

Gonipora, Somethings just shouldn't be housed in our little glass boxes, Over the years my list continues.

 

[jroovers]

My elegance that I had for several years (maybe 4 or 5 before I sold it) was fantastic, it grew and thrived and got quite large. Occasionally it would close up for a couple days when the water parameters were off, but all in all it loved conditions in my 55 mixed reef then in my 120 SPS dominant tank. The worst that happened to it was suddenly one day my regal decided to have a go at it, hence why I moved it out.

 

[Kman]

The below article is a good read. Talks about proper placement.

http://animal-world.com/Aquarium-Coral-Reefs/Elegance-Coral

 

[scubasteve]

i had one for over a year until i sold it. it was a 2" frag and ended up almost a dinner plate it did great in my mixed reef but as i got more zoo and sps dominant its colour started to flush with the lower nutrient levels or maybe chemical warfare between corals not sure but once i sold it to someone with a lps dominant reef the colour came back andas far as i know its still alive