Does Montipora shed?

[cvye]

I have a Montipora digitata frag that looks like it sheds a layer of tissue every few days...or perhaps it's just the color with its polyps retracted...I'm not sure. A few days later the polyps come back out and it seems fine. Is this common? (I do not see tissue leave the coral, it just looks similar to a leather shed event).

 

[esmithiii]

It is the polyps retracting.

 

[CraigLampe]

yes, the polyps on all of my montipora corals are usually darker than the skeleton-tissue underneath, and then I have one variety which has bright green polyps, but if you look closely, I think you will notice this is only the polyps retracting...