elwaine
The mad reefer
Here is an interesting thing regarding a hitch hiking Heliofungia that simply "appeared" one day in my tank... attached to a stalk of Caulastrea. At first I thought it was an anemone. (The original thread is at http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=766165 )
The Heliofungia is still attached to the Caulastrea, and has grown quite a bit in the 2 months that I have been watching it... but now it is now "budding."
When I first saw the Heliofungia, it was the size of the bud that I have labeled #1.
To orient you a bit, the buds are at the base of the Heliofungia, where it is attached to the Claulastrea. The Heliofungia's body - in the picture - slants up and to the right. Its tentacles are folded over the top of the body and mouth opening and are bent to the left.
The bud labeled #1 is well formed with mouth and tentacles... the latter are green with a pink/purple tip. The one labeled #2 is not well seen in the photo, but to the eye it appears only as a single, separate, short, fat tentacle with a pale pink/purple tip.
The Heliofungia is still attached to the Caulastrea, and has grown quite a bit in the 2 months that I have been watching it... but now it is now "budding."
When I first saw the Heliofungia, it was the size of the bud that I have labeled #1.
To orient you a bit, the buds are at the base of the Heliofungia, where it is attached to the Claulastrea. The Heliofungia's body - in the picture - slants up and to the right. Its tentacles are folded over the top of the body and mouth opening and are bent to the left.
The bud labeled #1 is well formed with mouth and tentacles... the latter are green with a pink/purple tip. The one labeled #2 is not well seen in the photo, but to the eye it appears only as a single, separate, short, fat tentacle with a pale pink/purple tip.
