I wanted to start this thread to document something I’m currently dealing with in my reef tank: hammer coral polyp bailout.
My goal with this thread is to track the process day by day and hopefully learn whether recovery is actually possible after a hammer coral polyp bails out. I know there are a lot of mixed opinions online, so I figured it would be helpful to document the real experience as it happens.
Day 2 Update:
So far, the bailed-out polyp is sitting on my frag table. Surprisingly, it still looks very much alive. It has not melted away, and it still appears to have color and tissue integrity.
I have read online that hammer corals can sometimes bail out due to stress, parameter swings, flow, lighting, infection, or even possible chemical aggression when there are other hammers nearby. In my case, I do have hammer corals close to each other, so I’m wondering if that could have played a role.
Right now, I’m just observing it closely and trying not to disturb it too much. I’m hoping to see whether it can attach, stabilize, or show any signs of recovery over the next few days.
Has anyone here successfully recovered a hammer coral after polyp bailout?
I’d really like to hear from anyone who has experienced this before, especially if the polyp survived, reattached, or eventually grew a new skeleton.
I’ll keep updating this thread as things change. Hopefully this can help others who run into the same issue.
