Is this a good sign?

oregonbud

oregonbud

Member
Hey everyone,
I got my first set of button polyps a couple weeks ago, unfortunately the LFS I go to has really slid on their maintainence recently, and the ones I got were looking pretty sad when I got them, I figured since it would be my first polyp it would be ok and I would try to nurse it back to health. Well when I first got it there was a good cluster of extended polyps at the top of the dead coral it is growing on, then I noticed a white slime like substance at the end of the dead coral, not attached to the main grouping of polyps. I didn't even really think anything about it until the other day when I was looking in I noticed a few small polyps emerging from the slime, but they were very white and did not look like the rest of the colony. One in particular is a decent size and has tentacles starting to emerge, but was still white until this morning, now I am noticing red tinges developing on the tentacles and in the mouth area. Is this a good indicator that I am giving it the care that it needs?
 
justinx

justinx

Active Member
Possibly. I have never seen polyps develop from a "slime", but hey I havent seen everything. It is possible that you have an outcropping of some hitchiker aptasia. Keep a close eye on what develops of those tentacles, if the entire thing starts to turn brownish/red, then you have some aptasia, unless of course it looks like your other polyps. My advise, keep a close eye on em.
Well. . . . now that I think about it . . . . Is this slime the same color as the stalks of the original polyps? If so, this is how many polyps spread. I have some that the stalk basically spreads itself out, then new polyps begin popping up. I have never seen white ones though. Keep an eye on it, but it sounds like you are on the right road anyway.
HTH
Justin
 
oregonbud

oregonbud

Member
It is similar in coloration to the bases of the polyps, and I do know that when they grow that the main body of the zoanthid is similar to a slime, what is confusing to me is the slime like substance I am seeing now, is no where near the main body of the polyps - I'll try to take a picture later for claification sakes - but bear with my description here :)
The polyps are attached to a piece of dead staghorn coral, that is about 3.5" long and 4" tall. The main body of the polyps is attached nearest the top of the dead coral. The slime that I am talking about is actually at the other end of the coral, on the individual branches, and its all a bleached white color, altho since I have had it in my system, it is starting to look more life like. When I first got the polyps, I actually thought that where the slime is now, was actually just dead bleached corraline algea. I just checked and counted 4 more polyp like things starting to grow in the slime (I don't think it would be aiptasia, it doesn't really look anything like it), if I had to make a guess I would say it was either dead or almost dead button polyps that are trying to make a comeback, but I could be wrong it certainly wouldn't be the first time but thanks for the suggestion, I hate overlooking things:)
OB
 
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