Torch coral left its skeleton.

[Sharbuckle]

I have one head of golden torch. Its been happy as can be for over three months. Yesterday it detached from its skeleton and is free floating around (stung some zoas). It looks healthy and happy and is extended but not attached to anything.....

 

Is this weird or what? Should I glue it to a snail shell or something?

[mystersyster]

Pics or it didn't happen.

[Sharbuckle]

Pics or it didn't happen.

Haha okay okay.

 

One minute

[Sharbuckle]

Heres the torch in the shell

 

Empty skeleton

 

[mystersyster]

Lmao thats a trip. Wonder why he decided to jump ship. Pretty sure he'll grow a new skeleton if he stays healthy!

[Sharbuckle]

Lmao thats a trip. Wonder why he decided to jump ship. Pretty sure he'll grow a new skeleton if he stays healthy!

Well it seems super happy in the shell....

 

Debating on using some frag glue to keep it there, i dont want a floating sting machine in my tank

[ReefSafeSolutions]

That's pretty rad! I personally wouldn't try to glue it, but only because I hate losing torches...I'd try and wedge it somewhere with little to no flow and see if it attaches on its own.

[Sharbuckle]

That's pretty rad! I personally wouldn't try to glue it, but only because I hate losing torches...I'd try and wedge it somewhere with little to no flow and see if it attaches on its own.

Right now its in a pretty low flow area and has wedged itself in the shell so I'll monitor it over the next couple days. I'm just glad its not dead. Super weird though right?

[ReefSafeSolutions]

Right now its in a pretty low flow area and has wedged itself in the shell so I'll monitor it over the next couple days. I'm just glad its not dead. Super weird though right?

 

That's one of the most interesting things I've seen in a while! Super weird! I'd keep a pretty detailed log of what happens and if it attaches and continues to grow, I think the reefing community might find the documentation interesting.

[Sharbuckle]

Better picture of it in the shell

 

It floated around the tank for one day before it made it into the shell and survived. So intriguing.

[GTi]

Wild! Never seen anything like that before. That's the cool thing about this hobby - there's always something new.

[ReefWeeds]

I had a hammer do this - and when I was searching, I found quite a bit of info about LPS bailing off their skeletons. Something bothered it enough to have it bail out and find someplace else to live (flow? lighting? not sure). I think chances are slim that it will survive, but since you have it on the shell, maybe that's a good sign! It will find a place it likes. I've also heard of others trying to get it to reattach to the skeleton. My hammer lasted for about 3 days off the skeleton.

 

Geez - my post sounds so negative! I don't mean it to.

[Sharbuckle]

I had a hammer do this - and when I was searching, I found quite a bit of info about LPS bailing off their skeletons. Something bothered it enough to have it bail out and find someplace else to live (flow? lighting? not sure). I think chances are slim that it will survive, but since you have it on the shell, maybe that's a good sign! It will find a place it likes. I've also heard of others trying to get it to reattach to the skeleton. My hammer lasted for about 3 days off the skeleton.

 

Geez - my post sounds so negative! I don't mean it to.

Thanks for the info. Not that negative! Realistically the odds of it surviving have gotta be pretty slim. Fingers crossed either way.

[Slowtwitch]

I had a hammer do this - and when I was searching, I found quite a bit of info about LPS bailing off their skeletons. Something bothered it enough to have it bail out and find someplace else to live (flow? lighting? not sure). I think chances are slim that it will survive, but since you have it on the shell, maybe that's a good sign! It will find a place it likes. I've also heard of others trying to get it to reattach to the skeleton. My hammer lasted for about 3 days off the skeleton.

 

Geez - my post sounds so negative! I don't mean it to.

Had the same thing happen to a couple of my hammers. Never did figure out what caused them to bail, but none survived.

[Clown79]

Unfortunately Stellablue is correct. This is not uncommon.

 

Its a sign the Euphyllia is unhappy, the last ditch for survival.

 

It can be due to placement, too much flow/light, too little flow/light, water parameters and instability is a cause as well.

[Sharbuckle]

Well lets all put my little torch in our prayers shall we?

[corey01]

I had this happen with a candy cane coral. one of the heads on a colony just fell off and landed in the corner of my frag tank. I left it there for about a month where it sat looking perfectly happy, before accidentally siphoning it out during a water change. it never did regrow a skeleton as far as I know though.

[Sharbuckle]

Torch jumped out of the shell overnight. Still extended which is weird. Sitting on sandbed now. Didnt have time to place it back in shell before work. Thinking about tying it down maybe?

[Sharbuckle]

Torch is extended and happy still. Going to leave it for now. Monitoring closely..

[Sharbuckle]

Two weeks and the torch is still alive and quite happy! No skeleton

[niQo]

Crazy!

[Cencalfishguy56]

Two weeks and the torch is still alive and quite happy! No skeleton

lol wtf that's crazy??

[DAP]

So happy it's still alive.

Pretty crazy it is bouncing around

[Sharbuckle]

So happy it's still alive.

Pretty crazy it is bouncing around

Crazy indeed. Its settled in a low flow area of my tank. Low light as well. I feel if I want it to survive long term it needs to be glued/tied down somehow.

[Pjanssen]

I have a hammer that did the same thing. Since I have way more hammer than I need in my display tank, I stuck it in my QT where it has been for about 2 months. Not growing anything, but still alive and still extends.