Coral ID -05/14/08 Crew, I've looked high and low and I can't identify this coral. Any ideas what it might be? http://www.roesmarineworld.com/images/_93x2.jpg <Looks like Galaxea sp (looks in bad shape though). http://www.asira.org/galaxea> Steve Wright <Best, Sara M.>

LPS ID -hitchhiker coral 05/07/08 Hello Dedicated Crew Member, As I know you hear all the time, (from examining all the archives), your site is an excellent resource for any aquarist regardless of level. Thank you! <Thanks> I was hoping for some assistance identifying a live rock hitchhiker. I first noticed this guy about 5-6 months ago when he was around the size of a pencil eraser; it is now approaching the size of a quarter and seems to be doing quite well. My first thought was that he was some sort of jewel anemone because of the presence of an oral disc and "jeweled" looking tentacles. I thought I'd give it a chance to develop into a pest or whatever it was and have kept a close eye on it. It has since changed drastically and looks more like some sort of LPS coral, reminiscent of an open brain. It now has multiple orange mouths and ruffled bright green flesh with the appearance of a stony skeleton beneath. I think there are 5 mouths in total. The tentacles are in a rough ring around each mouth. It happily eats any mysis shrimp that floats by and retracts to consume it. I have attached a picture (clear as I can get at this point) of the critter. I put in a few arrows marking the location of other mouths that aren't as easily discernable as the center mouth. <The pic is a little blurry and so it's a hard to make out the underlying skeleton, but it does look like a member of the Mussidae family.> You can also see a couple stalks of Neomeris annulata growing in the bottom of the picture. These grow regularly then end up breaking off and floating away and growing back on the same rock. Out of curiosity is this the typical life cycle of this alga? <I doubt it's part of the normal life cycle, but it might be some kind of survival mechanism.> The bottom begins to deteriorate and turn whitish and eventually flake away while the top continues to grow in length and remains the vibrant green color. Is this attributed to fluctuating calcium levels? <Possibly... or maybe it's due to a change in lighting, or perhaps even warfare with the coral. It's hard to say for sure, but here's a good source for more info on this algae: http://www.algaebase.org/search/species/detail/?species_id=3736> Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks! Thanks! Sam Bernal <De nada, Sara M.>

RE: LPS ID (ATTN: SARA M) 5/10/08 Sara, I was able to get a couple of clearer pictures of this guy. What do you think? <I'm sorry, it's just too hard to tell specifically (beyond saying that it's a Mussid)... it will probably be easier to tell once it grows. Do feed and care for it well and it should grow.> In regards to the Neomeris annulata the bottom actually becomes calcified hence the white coloration. Thanks for the link! Thanks! Sam B <De nada, Sara M.>

Can You Please Help Me Identify This Coral? 03/22/08 Dear Sir or Madam, We purchased this beautiful coral from a local merchant and was told by one employee that it was a Blastomussa and by another that it was a Pavona. <Haha, wow, that's quite a difference of opinion! It is not either of these.> Both of which to us it does not look like. Can you please tell us what it is? <It's impossible to accurately ID without a close look at the exposed skeleton, but it looks like a Pectinia sp. to me. http://www.wetwebmedia.com/pectiniids.htm> Best regards, Marc & Belinda Barry <Best, Sara M.>

help with coral, ID, lambda....   3/6/08 Hi Crew! Donna here needing help again. A local reefer gave me a frag of this coral about 4 months ago. She told me it was a Pink Birdsnest <... a Poritid? Mmm, no... Looks more like a Hydnophora species; a Merulinid...> and she had it under PC lighting so I thought it would be okay in my tank. A 20L with PC lights. I put it pretty close to the top. It was doing fine all this time and then I decided to change my lights. It was under 130W PC and I just got the Hagen Glo T5 HO 2X29W one actinic one daylight. I did this 4 days ago and now the coral looks like this. Am I correct in assuming the light is too strong? I moved it lower in the tank for now until I receive your response. Thank you in advance! Donna P.S. the pictures are reversed I couldn't figure out how to get them in the proper order...Sorry <Mmm, I would borrow (check with the stores about, or the local marine/reef club) a PAR meter... Too "guessing" to gauge how much useful light/change otherwise here. I would in the meanwhile use a bit of shading material as discussed here: http://wetwebmedia.com/acclimcoralslight.htm Bob Fenner>

Thanks/ Lighting/ ID 2/29/08 Hello Crew- <Esther...> As I approach the one year anniversary of very first marine tank I would like to thank you for providing so much information on your site; which has led to my success in this hobby! My fish are waving their fins in cheers as well, as they benefit the most I think! <You're all welcome> Setup/ Specs: 75 gallon (48 x 18 x 21), Aqua C Remora Pro with Mag pump, 90 lbs. live rock, 3 power heads for water movement, and Corallife PC 260W lighting fixture. Ammonia: 0, Nitrate: 0, Nitrite: 0, dKH: 11.8, Calcium: 440. Aside from the hitchhiker Zoanthids, (and the ID below) I am just starting into corals and only have a Candy Cane coral right now. But as it is time to change my light bulbs again, I started thinking that at $30 each bulb for 4 bulbs every six months it is, in the long run, not very economical and that there better options out there. I have been looking into T5 lighting (I am not able to do MH) but want to know if you really don't need to change the bulbs as often? <Correct> So I have been looking at the Nova Extreme and the Nova Extreme Pro. The Pro has 6 x 54W, but with individual reflectors, and the other has 8 x 54W but with a single parabolic reflector. After some reading, I think that the individual reflectors are the better choice because of the 'light absorption back into the bulb loss' is less with the individual reflectors. Thoughts on this? <This is also so> My wish list for future corals would be: Blastomussa, Cynarina or Lobophyllia, and a plate Montipora; could these be kept under either of the above lighting? <Yes> Lastly, I have a small colony of hitchhikers I can't seem to identify and hoping you might have a clue. They are about 1/8" in diameter and after I noticed the first one, (about 4 months after getting that piece of rock), they have started multiplying. I've included (for hopes of an easier ID for you) a shot of a grouping of them, as well as the mouth and a skeletal make-up. I would love to know what they are so I can record it in my saltwater log. Thanks again! Esther <Are stony corals... scleractinians... I think a Caryophylliid... testimony to your good care here. Bob Fenner>

ID help – 02/07/08 I recently picked a new piece of coral up. It is unlike anything I have ever seen. Here is a link to a thread with some pretty good pictures that I took of the coral. Please let me know what it is. http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1312909 <Wow, that's a tough one. The tissue makes it pretty hard to see the skeleton. My best guess is some kind of Goniopora sp. but I honestly can't be sure. Are there any dead, exposed parts of the skeleton you could take a picture of? If you could send that in, it would really help. Or maybe Bob has a better idea. If all else fails, you can always ask Eric B. Though I'm sure he'll likely also ask you for pics of the exposed skeleton for any proper ID.> Thanks Ian Iwane <De nada, Sara M.> Re: Scler. ID help   2/8/08 Thanks Sara, There is no exposed skeleton on the piece. I was thinking last thing I would try to do is cut a little piece off and bleach it. If that was necessary. For a size scale, each polyp is around 2mm or so. Let me know if you guys have any other ideas. <Well, Bob doesn't think it's Goniopora, so I'm out of ideas right now. Having a clean piece of skeleton would certainly help if you think you can spare it.> Thanks Ian <Best, Sara M.> <<We'll see... RMF>>

Mmm... no... RMF Re: ID help- Madracis sp? 02/19/2008 I updated a skeleton shot in the same thread. Take a look at it tell me if it helps http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1312909&perpage=25&pagenumber=2 <So sorry for the very, very delayed response. I was out of the country. The skeleton pics are very helpful, thank you. There's still too much tissue/water on it, such that the details/nuances are obscured. However, I can see enough to see why someone posted that it looks like it could be Madracis pharensis. I do agree it looks like a Madracis sp. However, I think it's more likely Madracis kirbyi. I say this because Madracis pharensis is not found in the Indo-Pacific (where most all our corals in the trade are from). Madracis kirbyi is found in the Indo-Pacific (one of the few Madracis sp. which are).> Ian <Best, Sara M.> Re: ID help -02/20/08 I attached a new skeletal shot. The skeleton looks nothing like the kirbyi. I guess they have said that the pharensis has been found along the pacific coast of Mexico. Also my friend Norman (Mr.. ugly on RC) said that he read somewhere that it was also found in Hawaii. Not sure though. Take a look at the new shot at tell me what you think. <Ok, yes, that photo is more clear... but I still couldn't tell you for sure if it's M. pharensis or M. kirbyi. The two are just so similar. One would almost have to look under a microscope to tell them apart. You might want to ask Eric B. However, again, it just seems SO odd that a M. pharensis (which, according to Veron, is "rare except in caves") coral would end up in a US LFS. And the book doesn't include Hawaii or Mexico in its range. But even if it's true that a M. pharensis could be found in Hawaii or Mexico, that would still be rather unusual since we're not meant to get corals from these places. But maybe Bob has more insight into this.><<Mmm, no... not w/o more delving than I have resource for currently. RMF>> Ian <Thanks for writing/sharing, Sara M.>

Tiger Jawfish Keeps laying eggs, and unidentified coral 01/28/2008 Hi all, <<Hello, Andrew today>> It's been a while since I wrote last. I have a 95 wave tank with 48" metal halides (by orbit) it's also got actinics and moonlights. Everything is on a timer. I do regular water changes, about 10-20% every week. I supplement the tank with the following; Essential Elements (5 ml/week) Liquid Calcium (2 tsp/day) Microvert (5 tsp/week) Tech M (20 ml/week) Phytoplankton (10-15 ml/week) <<Sounds good>> About a year ago I purchased two Tiger Jawfish about two months apart. Initially they had a couple spats but got over themselves. After I moved and re-arranged the tank they started living with each other. Now the female stays plump and the male has a new batch of eggs in his mouth every couple of weeks. I have a brine shrimp tank where I hatch them but I haven't seen any baby jaws to feed. I use a turkey baster to feed my corals, I used that to spray some of the hatched brine shrimp into the Jawfish den. It's been about 3 months since it's started and I was hoping you had some advice about raising them. I'm moving in the next month so I don't have a lot of time. I doubt they'll start breeding again after I move. <<Your best bet to attempt to raise them is to move them to a separate aquarium as they will more than likely become a nice meal for other inhabitants>> I was also wondering what this coral is (only photo of just a coral attached) It's about the size of a volley ball and it seems happiest about a foot from the top of the tank. <<The coral is a Favites SP closed brain LPS coral. Looks bleached with a severe loss of colour. Please read more here http://www.wetwebmedia.com/faviidae2.htm >> If I need to list what's in my tank I can. I included a couple photos of where the Jawfish den is (just under the rose anemone) Thanks ahead of time! Matt <<Thanks for the questions. A Nixon>>

Coral ID 1/23/08 Greetings, I purchased an existing reef system a few months back from someone who was getting out of the hobby. The ID list of corals I got from the previous owner contained mostly common names and I need some additional help identifying a couple of them with scientific names beyond what I have found on your site and in Eric Borneman's book on Corals. <Good> Attached are three pictures of the corals in question. Picture one is what I believe is a Scolymia species that is about 4" across. <Agreed> However, I recently saw in your FAQ's a picture that looked very similar that was identified as a Cynarina. <Are hard to distinguish w/o close viewing of their skeletons> Can you confirm which you think it is? Picture two is what was described to me as a "Green Slimer". It is about 3" tall. Is this an Acropora species? <Yes... likely A. yongei, A. haimei... from Bali, elsewhere in Indonesia> Also, you will notice that one of the tips has at some point in the past broken off and is now attached in a horizontal orientation. Should this just be left as is or removed? <I'd leave> Picture three was described to me as a Sunset Montipora. <... I have seen this> It was originally growing in an upright branching form but now has taken on more of an encrusting form. My recollection from reading material on your site is that this is not unusual. <Correct> Based on picture is it your impression that it is in fact a Montipora species? <Is within this genus> Thanks for your help, Russell Furst <Welcome. Bob Fenner, who wishes SaraM had responded here... Will send to her folder>

Coral ID Please 12/20/07 Hi guys (and Gals) Just wondering if you could please ID this piece of coral. It's white and very hard like bone. <Yikes. It looks like a dead coral skeleton (of what, it's very difficult/impossible to say from the photo-- I would need a clearer, closer picture to even guess well).> Thank you, Michael <De nada, Sara M.>

CaCO3

ID Assistance Needed for SPS Encrusting Coral Coral Id challenge - Need more info 10/9/07 <Hi there> So... I am on a mission. <I can relate to that!> I want to determine what an otherwise unknown species of coral in my SPS prop tank is. Unfortunately, I don't have much information to go on, and the photos I have taken are just about as good. Sorry, I need a macro lens. <Very helpful, indeed.> When I originally acquired this species, the person who sold it to me broke a chunk off of a rock. He was trying very hard to keep it intact, with little luck. It pretty much shattered. He told me he didn't know what it was, but he was told that it was supposedly rare. <Okay> I have scoured the Eric Borneman and Julian Sprung corals books. I have come up with nothing. Same for the web. Well, not quite nothing, but pretty darn close. Here's what I can tell you. This SPS coral is very much like Montipora. <My first impression as well...second guess - Porites.> So I am totally guessing it is some kind of Acroporidae. <Unless it’s Porites (Poritidae), etc.> Of course, that doesn't mean much, and even if I am right, we're talking about thousands of possible species. <Yes, it's quite a daunting task. Distinguishing differences between corals usually involves heavy duty magnification of the skeleton/individual septa, not to mention some taxonomic nightmares.> How is it similar? Well... it's an encrusting coral with extruding polyps. The polyps are much denser and smaller than any Montipora I have personal experience with. <Have seen such before – can vary greatly.> It grows the same way as Montipora, but possibly quicker. <Given favorable conditions, can grow very quickly.> It seems to layer itself. What does this mean? I glued a small chunk to a frag disc. The way it is growing now looks almost like the chunk melted. <Typical encrusting growth pattern.> There is clear growth on the disk, but it is very thin. As time goes by, it gets thicker. <Yep> This may also be a result of the small polyp size. <Mmmm> I also believe that the coral being so brittle is also a result of small polyp size. If you imagine the coral skeleton generated by this thing, the more polyps, the more holes. The more holes, the more porous it is. The more porous, the less structural integrity there is. <Yes, makes for lightweight/porous structure.> I took five nickel-sized chunks and glued them to a rock. The growth has really been good. The pieces no longer look like they have jagged edges. They have grown out so that the frags are all smooth on the rock and they are quickly moving toward each other. <Good growth rate/favorable conditions.> I really believe that within 30-60 days (sooner if I get my calcium reactor up and cooking) all the pieces will have fused together. <Happy corals!> Okay, so earlier I said I had found "pretty darn close" to nothing in my research. Here's what I found...I found a coral called "Leptoseris mycetoseroides": http://www2.aims.gov.au/coralsearch/html/201-300/Species%20pages/228.htm <Don’t see the typical ridges/anatomy of this species in your photos.> A lot of the descriptions, of course, are meaningless because they are working on the macro, but I am working with the micro. <The great thing about the Whelk/Aims site is that it usually includes a skeletal photo - critical for identification.> Unless I let this thing grow out for years, I might never see some of the described growth patterns. <Or they might differ from what's shown due to variable such as current, light, etc.> This photo, however, seems to be have some similarities to me: http://www2.aims.gov.au/coralsearch/images/201-300/Large/228-05.jpg <Note the way, though, that the corallites in the photo are aimed out towards the perimeter.> Now, I did say this seems to be an encrusting coral, and in this photo, it looks like the coral is more of a plating variety. However, I have several plating Montiporas that, when they run out of something to grow on, they plate outward. Just a thought. <Montipora often show a combination of growth forms. I have several colonies of M. digitata that seem to grow/spread equally through branching, as well as encrusting/covering the rockwork.> I also saw a coral in the Borneman book.... Pavona clavus, on page 251. The guy I got the coral from agreed that this has some striking similarities. <Other than growth pattern, I’m not really seeing it – again, need more detailed photo. See this link for comparison: http://whelk.aims.gov.au/coralsearch/html/201-300/Species%20pages/290.htm > OK, so let's talk about my crappy photos. <LOL They’re not that bad...they show basic growth form - just need to see a lot more detail to refine search.> In unknown-1sm.jpg you can see the rock with all the frags glued to it. Not much good for anything but possibly the color and shape of the coral. In unknown-2sm.jpg there are two things to look at (you can see the larger colonies in the background) First, in the foreground there is a rock with two additional frags glued to it. You can see how the sides are all nice and rounded off now with new growth. <Yes> You can also see a good example of what these critters look like with full polyp extension. In the background is a ceramic frag disc that I glued one little chunk to. You can clearly see the "melted" look of this coral as it grows out onto the disk. <Typical> Nothing substantial, but growth regardless. <What I can see is consistent with a Montipora spp, but trying to identify these specimens by photo alone is a fairly insurmountable task. Here are several interesting/helpful links for coral identification: http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2002-04/eb/index.php, http://home2.pacific.net.ph/~sweetyummy42/CoralGenus.html, and http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2007/9/aafeature2#h4 Good luck! -Lynn> Re: ID Assistance Needed for SPS Encrusting Coral Re: Coral Id challenge - 10/9/07 WWM (Lynn): <Hi there, JW - Lynn here again.> Forwarded your response to my original source of the frags, who responded: "Very interesting. One thing that I can recall of the coral is that the polyp structure did not resemble any Monti or Porites that I had ever seen. Monti and Porites are distinctively round where as the polyps on the mystery coral are more like tentacles than polyps. <Interesting. In cases like this, every clue helps.> I almost can predict what you will say, especially after reading the Borneman article, but just wanted to see if this rang any bells. <Like Quasimodo? <G> Well, what comes to mind are the more tapered, or needle-like, polyps of Pavona. I think your best bet at this point, however, is to ask Eric Borneman. He has a forum over at Marine Depot and is a heck of a nice guy. By the way, please let me know if/when you Id this coral!> JW <LZ> Re: Coral Id challenge, follow-up 10/9/07 Lynn, <Hi JW!> I have emailed Eric Borneman, but not posted on the forums. I will do so tomorrow. <Sounds great> Thank you for all of your insights. <You’re very welcome – good luck! -Lynn>

Coral ID, Acroporids sans pix? 7/13/07
Hi Guys, another question from a beginner. After much internet searching I am unable to find my little coral frag. The LFS guy I purchased the frag from didn't know anything about it. Any way it looks like acropora except for its top polyp. Instead of a polyp there is stringy hair algae type stuff growing out of it. I was tempted to pull it off but thought better of it. After days of observation it seems that this hair stuff is part of the feeding strategy of the animal. During the day it gets filled with debris and micro bubbles and in the morning its clean and floating.
The coral itself is thickening, its flesh is encrusting the plug its on so I know the algae stuff isn't harming it. The corals top center seems hollow and the clump of algae is growing rather long, it has grown now as long as the frag itself. Its funny looking. Like a biker with long hair blowing in the wind.
If this seems like a unfamiliar coral to you I will send a pic.
<Bob, definitely need a pic. James (Salty Dog)>
Thanks All
Bob Carter
 

Id...Possibly Merulina ampliata  – 07/03/07 I can't find the following in any of my books, any ideas? <Hi Brian, I actually replied to this last night on your web site after listening to Bob's pod cast, which was quite good by the way! I tried to post this response but the site only allowed 300 characters. So I sent the second response.> http://bp0.blogger.com/_Saa3csugMNM/RogAXQq9gGI/AAAAAAAAABk/mJwEj4Tqbzs/s1600-h/2007+Jul+02+004.JPG <Greeting! Mich here from www.wetwebmedia.com> Anyone know what type of coral this is? <Hard to tell from just one picture. My best guess is Merulina ampliata> I checked all my books and cannot identify it. <I am glad to read that you have reference books! Good for you, and the creatures for which you care!> I was a bad reefkeeper and bought it without being sure what it was. <Not a good practice or the actions of a conscientious aquarist. 40 lashes with a wet noodle for you!> I highly recommend not doing this. <Me too!> Do your research ahead of time. <Sage advise! Life to you! Michelle Lemech> ===== Greeting! Mich here from www.wetwebmedia.com It is difficult to tell from just one picture. My best guess is coral may be Merulina ampliata. A little more info here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/merulinidae.htm Hope that helps. Michelle Lemech Id...Possibly Merulina ampliata  7/4/07 <Hi Brian, Mich here.> Hmm...I looked at some pictures of the Merulina, looks different. <Could be. Multiple growth forms are possible, often within the same colony. Some pic's I thought resembled yours: http://www.aquarium-design.fr/Img/ImgTelecharge/Pt/1192.jpg http://www.meerwasser-lexikon.de/images/1375.jpg http://www.mailordercorals.com/displayPict.asp?cartID=1154 http://www.reefaholics.org/Sale/reefaholicsimages/images/PIC00088.JPG http://www.atlantisaquarium.net/images/merilina.jpg.JPG The corallites in this species tend to form ridges and valleys which radiate from the center, which is why I though this genus was a possibility.> I did stumble across Agaricia agaricites. Could that be it? <Unlikely, Agaricia is an Atlantic species and generally not available in the trade. Initially, I was think this might be part of the Family Agaricidae, along the lines of a Pachyseris, but the ridges and valleys tend to be more concentric. It is difficult to identify a coral by one photo alone, and for some corals it is outright impossible without skeletal examination. So perhaps it is a Merulina, but it may be something else too. Wish I could be more helpful, Mich>

Rock Anemones and Breaking Rocks to Separate Corals   4/21/07 Hi Guys, <Hi Jim, Mich here.>    Here are two pictures that I would like your thoughts on. The first I believe is a small group of rock anemones. <Looks like a pest to me.> They are about 1/2 inches high. The aquarium is about 4 months old. I have two small groups of these, which don't seem to be doing much. Do you think that I should go out and get a couple of peppermint shrimp and try to stem it now or is it possible that they won't expand? <Depends.> I enjoy watching the micro fauna but don't want to risk all. I think of them as a weed-just a thing that is not growing where someone wants it but otherwise interesting. <If it were me/mine I would remove from the system.  If you allow to remain in the system, I would watch carefully, and be prepared to take action.  More here:   http://www.wetwebmedia.com/ca/cav1i3/aiptasia_impressions/aiptaisia_impressions.htm http://www.wetwebmedia.com/marine/inverts/cnidaria/anthozoa/aiptasia/aiptasia.htm  > Anyway the second picture there are two colonies of different creatures. Both colonies are expanding. <A good thing.> I keep reading that they may beat on each other and kill one or both colonies. <Is possible.> I wouldn't want that. <Me neither.> These just came on the live rock and started to grow. <Ooo!  A nice gift from the sea.> I would have to break the rock to keep them apart. Is this a viable solution or is there another? <It looks like the rock could be easily removed from your system.  If this is so, I think I would remove and use a chisel or better yet a Dremel, and remove and relocate one of these corals. <As far as ID's go I think this is Galaxea fascicularis, http://www.wetwebmedia.com/oculinidae.htm though Turbinaria http://www.wetwebmedia.com/dendrophylliidae.htm or Goniopora http://www.wetwebmedia.com/gonioporapix.htm could be possibilities, it is difficult to tell from the photo.> Thanks for your help as always. Lots of great reading!! <Welcome!  Glad you enjoy!  -Mich>    Jim