dying bubble coral??

[dpotts]

Can anyone shed some light on why my bubble coral seems to be dying?

From this:
http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e208/gsdlvr/fish%20tank/bubblein90g.jpg

To this:
http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e208/gsdlvr/IMG_0569.jpg

I've had it for over a year now and it had grown to the size of a large grapefruit. It's in my 90g. Temp 79. All parameter are great...0/0/0, Ca 420. Nothing new has been added for weeks now (since the frag swap). On Sat it looked like the first picture and on Monday I started to notice that it wasn't fully inflating and now this morning it's like the second pic. I'm so upset...it was by far my favorite coral. I'm just puzzled as to what happened! Any ideas?

[ballardjr2000]

When some corals die, they release planulae in an apparent self propagation/preservation attempt. I have seen examples of frog spawn and bubble corals doing this as they fade away. Don't throw away that dying bubble coral. Watch for new little 1 mm six bubbled polyps to appear on the newly exposed fins or next to the old coral polyp. The underlying rock that these small new polyps are attached to can be chipped off later with a sharp knife or a cold chisel and attached to a new rock with a Super Glue gel or marine epoxy. They don't grow real fast, but you can end up with a polyp after one year that has grown a base ½" - 1" across. Of course the fleshy polyp expands even larger.

Something i read is all

[Mr Cob]

Do your bulbs need to be replaced?

How about any new corals ...anemones or LPS with sweeper tentacles?

[dpotts]

The lights are only about 4 months old. I do have a BTA but it's under a ledge about 6 inches from the bubble. I also have a frogspawn but it's well over 1 foot away. I don't see anything that's close enough to get the bubble with sweeper tentacles. Everything else in the tank is thriving! Here's a picture of the area around the bubble...it's the "white thing" in the top left of the pic (sorry for the quality).

http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e208/gsdlvr/IMG_0574.jpg

[dpotts]

Well I posted here a fews months ago about my dying bubble coral and am excited to report that it is slowly rising from the ashes!!:bighug: It had died completely with only an exoskeleton left and I think maybe a small piece of flesh scattered around. Well over the last few weeks I have noticed new growth and it's even starting to inflate again!! I got some great advice from some people here, to leave it in my tank because there was a small chance that it would grow back! I can't thank you guys enough for that advice...I think I'm on my way to getting my all time favorite coral back. Here's some recent pics....

http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e208/gsdlvr/fish%20tank/bubbleregrowth1.jpg
http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e208/gsdlvr/fish%20tank/bubbleregrowth.jpg

[ErikH]

WOWOWOWOWOW! You have done pretty much the impossible. Once those bubbles go, they are usually done. To bring one back from the brink of death?!?! You should be proud of yourself, not just for saving your favorite coral, but for being a great reefer! GREAT job.

[Kristy]

Hey Deanna,

Have you read Bill's (bstreep) care regimen for his bubble coral? He has described it several times in detail so you could search for it, or just ask him to repeat it. Something about how he has to take it out and dip it periodically when it begins to show stress and then it bounces right back.

Sorry that I did not see this post back in July, but it looks like you have things well in control. Love to see the comebacks! -Kristy

[dpotts]

WOWOWOWOWOW! You have done pretty much the impossible. Once those bubbles go, they are usually done. To bring one back from the brink of death?!?! You should be proud of yourself, not just for saving your favorite coral, but for being a great reefer! GREAT job.

Thanks ScorpiNO...but I really can't take any credit! I actually did nothing. Well I guess I can take a little credit, as I try to keep excellent water quality. I do 10% water changes twice a month and keep my tank UNDERstocked. While I do tend to feed heavily I also skim heavily. I'm pretty proud of myself because I have only been doing this about 18 months...after years of being told that it would be too hard for me to do! I just wish I had taken a picture of it when it was at it's worst. It was basically that dark colored exoskeleton with 1 maybe 2 pea sized bubbles on it.

[dpotts]

Hey Deanna,

Have you read Bill's (bstreep) care regimen for his bubble coral? He has described it several times in detail so you could search for it, or just ask him to repeat it. Something about how he has to take it out and dip it periodically when it begins to show stress and then it bounces right back.

Sorry that I did not see this post back in July, but it looks like you have things well in control. Love to see the comebacks! -Kristy

Thanks Kristy, I will do a search for that post...just for the knowledge if nothing else. At one point I tried to take it out because it was just so sad to see my favorite coral's skeleton just sitting there front and center in my tank but I couldn't dislodge it from the rock it's sitting on. I would have to take the whole rock out and I would be too afraid of causing a major rock slide. I'll just have to hope that good water quality is enough!:)

[dpotts]

When some corals die, they release planulae in an apparent self propagation/preservation attempt. I have seen examples of frog spawn and bubble corals doing this as they fade away. Don't throw away that dying bubble coral. Watch for new little 1 mm six bubbled polyps to appear on the newly exposed fins or next to the old coral polyp. The underlying rock that these small new polyps are attached to can be chipped off later with a sharp knife or a cold chisel and attached to a new rock with a Super Glue gel or marine epoxy. They don't grow real fast, but you can end up with a polyp after one year that has grown a base ½" - 1" across. Of course the fleshy polyp expands even larger.

Something i read is all

You were exactly right. If you look at the last few pictures you can see TONS of those six bubbled polyps. They are growing on the base of the old exoskeleton and they are growing quite fast actually. They have doubled in size in the last 6 weeks!

[dpotts]

Thought I'd post an update on my little Bubble "that could"!! It's still growing and getting prettier everyday. I'm thrilled...I love this coral!

http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e208/gsdlvr/fish%20tank/IMG_1087.jpg

[hobogato]

amazing! thanks for the update

[Europhyllia]

wow what a come back!