Acropora regrowth?

[Feron]

back when I first purchased my initial live rock, I managed to get what I later identified as a skeleton of some sort of acropora coral. (I assume, it's the right shape, just no open polypesque tissue)

Well, after a year I've noticed that the area between the 'branches' has grown considerably.
The material is rubbery, whiteish grey and has expanded in thickness by about an inch in the year.

Is it possible the coral is attempting to come back from the dead?
I will get a picture later this evening.

 

[afishyonados]

I'm thinking more sponge related, not to be a party pooper. Hopefully I am wrong. (I don't say that everyday!)

 

[Devilishturtles]

A picture would definitely help.

 

[AquaReefer]

I doubt it is the acro coming back. It could only come back if it wasent totally killed off in the first place. If it was just the skeleton then Im sure "something else" is growing over it.

 

[kimberly]

I have had the odd dead piece of coral come back to life - a piece of branching rubble I got has now 2 - 3 miniature frogspawn heads growing and a piece of suncoral that I rescued from a LFS that I believed was a total goner has now put forth a few small orange heads too. I don't know if this is a common thing or is just species related. But good luck on the acro.

 

[SeeDemTails]

So, if you were to take a dead peice of acro, and place it next to a live peice, of the same species, perhaps even glue the frag onto it, could the coral regenerate and regrow onto the old skeleton? I have seen it grow onto the rocks around the base of frags, so why not the old skeleton?

Just wondering.....

 

[afishyonados]

It can be done.
The biggest problem here is the acro being forced to combat the coralline and micro algaes that encrust the dead skeleton. A very fast, aggressive grower like Bali slimer would probably have no problem, while slow growers like Acropora humilis may not be able to compete, and would eventually succumb to the onslaught of coralline and micro algaes.

 

[ellisz]

Acros will grow out like tree limbs and also at their base. I have some that eventually encrusted over the rock they were placed on. Given enough time and the right conditions, any coral will out and over. I had a snail drop into a millepora and over the span of a month, the mille encrusted over the shell.