Green flower looking thing on Kenya tree

[930Reef]

Hi, all,

The attached softie was identified as a Kenya tree by some helpful members for me--I'm new to the hobby. As of today, there's also a little trumpet-shaped flower looking thing next to the tree, with a green center. It's circled in the attached pic (sorry for the pic quality--it's an impossible angle as it's deep in the LR).

Any ideas what's going on here?

Thanks!

 

[zooman72]

Looks like a zooanthid polyp...

 

[930Reef]

Much better picture!

Much better picture!

Thanks for the input so far. Any ideas with this improved pic? I re-scaped some rock, so I was able to get a better shot. It seems to be attached with a stalk to the main Kenya.

 

[zooman72]

Yep, looks like a common green palythoa zooanthid - harmless addition (i.e. won't harm anything in the aquarium), but just don't handle it or try to remove it manually without researching palythoa toxin!

 

[930Reef]

Yep, looks like a common green palythoa zooanthid - harmless addition (i.e. won't harm anything in the aquarium), but just don't handle it or try to remove it manually without researching palythoa toxin!

Thanks, zooman! I thought it might be. I've done plenty of reading on the toxin since your first post (and a bit before), so I'll be leaving it the heck alone. Beautiful surprise though!

One last question: it seems to be growing from what I thought was a kenya tree. Any chance the zoa just also has a tree-ish thing attached to it?

Thanks!

 

[zooman72]

Thanks, zooman! I thought it might be. I've done plenty of reading on the toxin since your first post (and a bit before), so I'll be leaving it the heck alone. Beautiful surprise though!

One last question: it seems to be growing from what I thought was a kenya tree. Any chance the zoa just also has a tree-ish thing attached to it?

Thanks!

No problem, glad to help.

Your other coral is a "Kenya tree" coral (Nepthea sp. probably), and it probably picked up a "hitchhiker" along the way (i.e. from being near a zooanthid colony while in the original aquarium).

 

[Optionman]

the kenya tree will drop branches and grow like a weed, and it stings other corals, so be careful. i cant get rid of it fast enough. good luck.