Help with ID

[swamp63]

Does anyone have an idea what the black things is
with my sun coral

Kelly

 

[pwhitby]

it looks like a really dark aptasia, but I have never seen one that black.....so...Im not really sure what it is.

P.

 

[Travis L. Stevens]

That's a tough one. We're going to need a little bit more of a close up shot for a better ID. That's a good picture though.

I'm half way agreeing with Paul. It looks like an aiptasia that was recently disturbed. But it also looks like a button polyp or even a slight chance that it could be a black sun coral that started growing on the orange sun coral. How long has this "thing" been on the frag?

 

[MyMonkey]

Looks a bit thick at the base for Aiptasia eh? Rather like a button polyp or the black polyp mentioned. Is that a bad thing?

 

[captbunzo]

I also vote for an aiptasia. Maybe the base is looking a little thick due to shadowing in the picture.

 

[MyMonkey]

Could be Capt... Hmm.

 

[parshmar]

that's a well fed aptasia

 

[JimmyS]

Im thinking button polyp. Do aptasia have tentacles that short?

 

[Snprhed]

I think its a button polyp. The central disk is rather large.

 

[swamp63]

well i don't believe it's an aptasia it does'nt
look like any i've had int here before. I moved it around and got a look at it and think it could be a black sun polyp but i not to sure as of yet. so maybe i can get a better pic with the way it is setting now. Do the black polyps and yellow grow together?
i have'nt seen any that way so we'll see what happens

Thanks
Kelly

 

[cek1313]

Dark button polyp is my guess--easy way to determine is to remove it gently with plastic tweezers and attach it solely to a little piece of rock under VHO/PC and see what happens....

 

[captbunzo]

Can we PLEASE get a close-up picture on this?

 

[Travis L. Stevens]

Swamp63, here is an easy way to tell what it is out of the three possibilities mentioned. Touch it. If it shrivels up and retracts into the rock, then it's an aiptasia. If it just closes up and is soft bodied, than it's a button polyp (Protopalythoa sp). It you touch it and it has a hard skeleton underneath it most likely is a Black Sun Coral (Tubastrea micrantha). Oh, and yes, it's fine but uncommon to have a Black Sun Coral growing next to an Orange Sun Coral.

JimmyS, Aiptasia can have short tentacles when disturbed, but not usually when just "chillin' out". Swamp63 may have just gotten a picture of it at the wrong time.

 

[MyMonkey]

Touch it? Arent you the safety guru here?

 

[Travis L. Stevens]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6950896#post6950896 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by MyMonkey
Touch it? Arent you the safety guru here?

This is the evil twin talking Plus, you said you have to use your finger. (OOOoooooh! Owned! )

 

[MyMonkey]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6950965#post6950965 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Travis L. Stevens
This is the evil twin talking Plus, you said you have to use your finger. (OOOoooooh! Owned! )

True, but what fun would that be. LOL

 

[captbunzo]

What else are you going to touch it with?

 

[MyMonkey]

We are all obviously bored adults.

 

[captbunzo]

Bored? I'm just trying to figure out how he would get..... Never mind.

 

[Travis L. Stevens]

Okay, Okay! You want me to be specific? Use a gloved hand OR a probe.