Help with Softy ID
- Thread starter gcpowers
- Start date
mallorieGgator
New member
The crab you're referring to sounds like an acro crab. They are protectors to acros in the wild keeping them from being attacked by the Crown of Thorns Starfish(also called basket star I think). They are pretty rare hitch hikers and really cool if you get one and they're also harmless. I don't think it's a softie, looks more like an SPS to me.
I'm sure it isnt a SPS coral. It is very fleshy. Looking at the Colt coral, I dont believe that is it either. The Colt has stalks coming out the base that dont have polyps. This coral has polyps all over it and doesnt have a stalk coming out from the base. Anyone else have any ideas?
RyanSweatt2004
New member
You can't always base the identity of a coral on shape, where it has polyps or how it looks. There are so many growth variations between different corals. To Identical frags from the same parent coral can grow totally different depending on lighting water flow and so on. The best I can say is your coral looks like a colt. Second guess would be a variant of sinularia. As far as a white colt goes, I've never seen a healthy one. Its generally just a another redish colt that is lacking enough light to support the zoanthelia in their flesh for photosynthisis. Its the same scenario with the infamous white seabae anemones. If you see a healthy one you can tell that they are at least tan in color varying into more vibrant colors. I have worked with a friend of mine who owns a soft coral aquaculture facility here in ME for a few years now and out of the hundred plus species of mainly soft corals that we deal with we have never seen a white coral either stay white or stay alive. When provided with good strong lighting they either start hosting more zoanthelia and color up or they whither away and die. Either way your coral, whether its a colt or not could probably benefit from being in higher lighting and flow. Once it grows a bit more it may take on some clearer characteristics of what type it is. I still say red colt but you have to wait and see as it grows.
Hormigaquatica
Active member
It's definitely a Colt/Klyxum sp. The polyp distribution and size is pretty much a dead ringer. There aren't many other genera that look like that.
For me is one Finger Leather Coral (sinularia in Spanish, I live in Argentina)
I did't see this color in my country but exist.
I think, The colt coral is less compact.
Luciano
I did't see this color in my country but exist.
I think, The colt coral is less compact.
Luciano
My Red Sea White Pom Pom Xenia is virtually snow white under strong illumination. It has been farmed in the Denver Colorado area for about 6 or 8 years.
Doug
seapug
Premium Member
White is not a common color for corals, but there are some.
I have a long polyped WHITE sarcophyton that has been in my tank for 4 years. Has grown from a 1" frag to a massive 24" colony that is healthy enough to spawn-- and it's still pure white. I've cut chunks off of it with utility scissors and given them to other people and it stays white in other tanks.
There's a video here in the soft coral forum of the spawning and you can see more photos of it in my gallery.
RyanSweatt2004
New member
Nice toadstool, definitely healthy and not completely white either. It appears only the polyps are white which is a very common color form. Three out of my five different types of sacrophytons have white polyps, but the rest of the flesh is still light tan, gold green or brown. Yours that you have the video of spawning looks like the flesh is a healthy tan color full of zoanthelia. I have one that looks identical to it in my tank, much smaller than yours though. Mine is only 5 inches in diameter. Nice tank too by the way. Either way I stand by what I said about not seeing any totally white corals that are healthy.
