[Samper]

Some of you know that I recently re aquascaped. This morning I'm looking over my tank as usual and I was pretty amazed at what's been happening in my system that I wouldn't have noticed had I not moved everything. I didn't notice them on the day of the move, I'm guessing they were closed up so anyway. This morning I'm looking it over as I said and I noticed that one of my purple ricordias is on the complete opposite side of the tank. It was on the back side of a rock before I moved it. I also noticed a small patch of brown xenia sprouting out of a rock that the xenia has never touched. It only has two very short stalks on it now but it's definately growing. Upon more looking a yellow polyp is also on the opposite side of the tank on a rock that my polyp rock has never touched. How do the corals do this?

[Samper]

may have been a bad question but I really don't know.

[Ninong]

Originally Posted by Samper

may have been a bad question but I really don't know.

It's not a bad question but it's difficult to answer based on the way you asked it and the circumstances that you think you observed.

Virtually all coral reproduction in normal size captive reef aquaria (anything less than maybe 20,000 gallons) is asexual. Credible reports of sexual reproduction in reef tanks are extremely rare. There are several different modes of asexual reproduction and some corals practice more than one mode.

If you were asking about something simple like mushrooms, that would be different. They are known to drift around and end up all over the tank. Most corals don't do it that way. Ricordea, for example, reproduces by pedal laceration and splitting. In either method, the next generation polyp is right next to the parent, not halfway round the tank. Xenia, which I don't keep and don't want, grows like a weed and spreads like a weed but I believe it still spreads out from the parent colony to adjacent rocks and substrate and doesn't actually hop around. If you stick a few loose small pieces of rock next to your Xenia, you will end up with several different colonies that you can separate.

You can forget about true sexual reproduction because I doubt that it's going to happen in your tank. The only way you can end up with pieces of the same coral in different areas of the tank would be for fragments to have been broken off somehow and then ended up someplace else or for them to break off and drift someplace else or for you to accidentally move them someplace else.

If we are talking about a single Ricordea polyp that is now in a new location, then it lifted up and drifted there. That's quite common in most mushrooms but not all that common in Ricordea AFAIK. Mine have spread by pedal laceration. A fragment of your Xenia probably broke off and settled in a different location. This is probably what happened with your yellow polyp, too.

[Samper]

I appreciate it Ninong. Your explanation sounds good to me! It's always nice to see something new even if it is a common thing and I can't imagine a better hobby. I learn as my system matures and it's so rewarding.

[Poseidon]

I have had Xenia, GSP, and Yellow polyps end up all over the place. I don't know how it got there, I think Ninong is probably right... MAybe my fish took a bite then pooped it out... Or spit it out either way it was a hitchhiker!

[MarineTeng]

well i've heard that xenia will everyonce and a while detach a poylp from teh main stalk then it'll float around the tank to a suitable spot, sounds like what ur xenia did