Anyone Identify this?

[davidandliz]

Not sure what kind of coral this is i just found it on my live rock when we moved to our new house but seems there is 4 of them together only one is open in this picture really and there is another one like this maybe little longer tenticals on another large rock. (to the right of the toadstool)

Seems to me to be somekind hard coral thats imbeded on the rock. has like 4 like stony ummmm dont know what to call it exoskelotons grouped about 1/4 inch apartwhen pulled in and seems like there is a 5th one that has long since been dead which you can see above the one that is open covered in alge

 

[icy1155]

It looks like what are called cup corals. They belong to the family Rhizangiidae and are almost impossible to exactly identify exaclty other than the faimly. They are fairly common hitchikers on live rock and grow slowly from the existing polyps like zoanthids do. If you know where the live rock that they came on is from I might be able to give you a genus for them. Generally, only photosynthetic species come from the atlantic (actally to the best of my knowladge all photosynthetic ones do) so feeding phytoplankton or very small zooplankton is definitaly beneficial if not necessary. Or you could do nothing and they might grow on their own anyways... thats what mine do, although I think my refugium has enough invertabrate larve and eggs coming out of it to keep them happy. Hope that helps some.

 

[davidandliz]

thanks.. they are very strange looking .. the have huge mouths in the center and i've seen them a few times grab some alge waver that was floating around the tank.

 

[davidandliz]

Here is a batter picture of it

 

[davidandliz]

 

[icy1155]

Yep that is definatly what they are. Since they appear to be clear/white im going to say that they are non-photosynthetic. If they have been doing ok in your tank then they are getting enough stuff to eat though and they will slowly spread. Good find.