Plate corals are mobile????

[linda lee]

It's been a couple weeks now since I moved all my livestock from my 55g into my 90g. In the process of moving everything, I *lost* one of my plate corals. Buried it. Somewhere under the liverock. It was nowhere that I could see it, so that's the only place It could be. Not wanting to dig everything back out, I just let it go.

When I looked at my tank about an hour ago, I saw this. (It was not there this a.m. when the lights came on):

http://216.77.188.54/coDataImages/p/Groups/376/376875/folders/287079/2310207Plate1.JPG" alt="" />


[B]20 minutes later, some of the swelling has gone down and it looks like this:[/B]


[IMG]http://216.77.188.54/coDataImages/p/Groups/376/376875/folders/287079/2310208Plate2.JPG" alt="" />


[B]You can tell by the objects around him that he has moved further out from the liverock. Underneath the liverock behind him, there's a good-sized hole in the sand that he must have dug himself out of.[/B]

[B]I had pretty much written this guy off. Nice to have him back, but I sure never expected him to come back on his own![/B]

[B]David (BigD) -- this is the plate I got from you when he was about the size of a nickel.[/B]

[B]Also, he's at least twice the size he was when I lost him.[/B]

 

[crew]

haha thats funny

 

[derek_s]

I heard they can move if they inflate enough. THought it was an urban legend...until now. I tried putting mine in a really dark area to see if it would inflate and move. It is still just sitting there like a lump.

 

[enderg60]

yup, mine inflate to move around as well. Small ones get turned over every so often and ive seen them right themselves in a similar way.

 

[darren24]

Yes they will move slowly but surely. I have a few and have to keep an eye on them as the approach other corals.