when is a SPS really dead?

[mickadee]

ok I have been doing alot of looking into my tank because of my recent colt problems. little history - awhile back I got 3 seahorse from a store here in town and they gave my a ( what I thought) dead sps coral (looks like a acropora). it was completely bleached no polyps nothing. today when moving some stuff in the tank to more isolate the colt I pick up this piece and much to my surprise its turning brown ( has been for a while just thought it was algae) and the brown that was on it was polyps that were coming back on the coral. I dont have a camera here tonight so I get a picture but it was on the bottom of the tank so I moved it up to the top to get more light.
so if a SPS is completely bleach out and in all aspects look dead is it really dead??
Mike

 

[brandon4291]

--double post

 

[brandon4291]

A fellow Lubbockite! I bet I know you if we met, I go to Lubbock pet stores all the time. If a piece of montipora or acropora is truly devoid of all tissue there is no growing back. An sps frag can look devoid of tissue and still have a barely-visible slime layer covering a few leftover polyps...it will slime alot as it regrows but this is enough to restart. The new tissue will simply creep up the exposed skeleton and start anew.

Ive seen the pieces you are talking about, unless he has some new frags they should be brown/greenish montipora but the colors won't manifest until you get them back into good light and calcium/alk support! They were in that rear display tank, the one where the bulbs have been out for awhile? Likely they had some tissue around the base or sides and it was enough to restart, that reflects well on the quality of your tank.

I bought some of the same frags, they have been there for about six months. Mine regenerated over time and are now an orange color. see pics of Mini75 Sealed Reef in the Nano forum... they were a good deal and you are lucky to have those seahorses! are they feeding well on the frozen mysid for you?

Neat to see you here

Brandon429

 

[mickadee]

hey
I dont know if we have met or not bad at names and all LOL
the piece that I am talking about came from the mall not aquirlease. I didnt think the ones there would make it makes me rethink that one.
I am usually there several times a week just see if hey got anything new in.
I dont know if this one is acropora or not but it resembles it structure and all. I didnt see anything on this piece and truly thought it was dead.
Mike

 

[mickadee]

O yeah BTW been here for quit sometime just havent posted in forever!! LOL been a member since Oct 2001 ;-)
but thanks for the welcome.
Mike