Frogspawn coral budding habits

[Flynxter]

I've got a 3 headed branching Frogspawn frag that's about a month old, and it seems pretty content where it is. I don't supplement its diet beyond what it catches from the water column - it's taken a liking to Mysis, I think. Initially, I noticed a couple of nubs on the stony part, but I didn't give it much thought after verifying they weren't unwanted passengers.

Lately, I've observed that one of these nubs has grown slightly. It's also developed 4-5 green dots that appear to be retractable. They don't resemble fully formed arms yet, but their color matches my green tips. I'm curious - is this a normal occurrence in branching Frogspawns? If you'd like, I can provide some low-quality photos for reference.

[zenoxa]

I came across this article that might be relevant to your situation - it's from Advanced Aquarist, specifically their August 2008 feature. The article discusses the growth patterns and potential variations in branching Frogspawns. You can check it out here: http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2008/8/aafeature1. Hope it helps.

[Flynxter]

That's a really helpful article, thanks for sharing.

I've gone through most of it, and it seems like I'm seeing budding, which is pretty cool. However, I did notice something a bit unusual - this 'bud' retracts at night, which is the same time the rest of the coral deflates by about 50%. I'm not sure if this is typical behavior for a bud, as I would expect it to be a bit more... consistent.

[lumenox]

That article was really insightful, thanks for sharing. If you can, posting some pics would be great, I'm curious to see what's going on with your Frogspawn.

[Flynxter]

Here's the picture I was talking about - phone quality isn't great, I know. Look at the middle left of the skeleton and you'll see the thing I'm referring to. It seems to be able to grow and retract, which is pretty interesting. I've also spotted another one near the base, but it's a bit harder to make out. The off-colored spots you see in the picture are actually green, just like the tips on the rest of the coral.

[NanoAce]

I've got a pink branching hammer that's doing the same thing, growing these little nubs. Assuming it's all good since the coral's happy and growing away.