I know these are Tubastrea...

[lljdma06]

But which species specifically...

This looks to me like T. micrantha

And this looks a lot like T. faulkneri, the tenticles just don't have the transparency that is found in T. aurea.

These are my sun corals. I've had them for almost a month. The black one opens more consistently (I'm still training the orange, but the polyps are fat and it eats). I love them they are great. Totally worth the perpetual smell of mysis in my hands. :lol: Thanks in advance for species confirmation and thanks for reading.

L

 

[lljdma06]

bump? Can no one confirm the species for me? Thanks, sorry I'm being a tad impatient.

L

 

[aninjaatemyshoe]

The first one looks like T. micrantha. Hard to tell from the first image, but the colony appears to be branched. The only other Tubastrea I know of that can have greenish-black polyps is T. diaphana, which is not branched.

 

[lljdma06]

The first one looks like T. micrantha. Hard to tell from the first image, but the colony appears to be branched. The only other Tubastrea I know of that can have greenish-black polyps is T. diaphana, which is not branched.

It's definitely branched. When I looked at Borneman, I noticed that but sometimes there are variations in individual corals. I wonder about the orange one. The tentacles (sorry, not a technical term) aren't as translucent as T. Aurea, but more opaque.

I'm fine just calling them Tubastrea, but people want me to be more specific. I'll use this nice forum to oblige.

L

 

[aninjaatemyshoe]

Why do you need to know the exact species?

In reality, visual identification of corals in this family is highly speculative at best. Many sources have indicated that true identification must be done by microscopic examination of the corallites.

 

[lljdma06]

I don't really need to know. Others I know do. The care is similar regardless of the species.

If the species can't be confirmed, it can't be.

L

 

[aninjaatemyshoe]

I'm just curious because I wonder what they are going to do with that information.

 

[lljdma06]

I'm just curious because I wonder what they are going to do with that information.

They probably just want the same kind & are ensuring that they get the same, but honestly, individual corals can vary, so unless I fragged mine, they won't get exactly the same.

L

 

[Semillon]

You can't visually identify the "orange" Tubastra sp.

 

[lljdma06]

You can't visually identify the "orange" Tubastra sp.

That's what Borneman says too. I'm very satisfied with calling them orange sun or orange Tubasteraea, but some friends of mine wanted an id. I'm getting a red-bodied one soon. I think it'll have yellow tentacles though. Will post pictures when I get it. I'm a fan of these corals. Very lovely & not as bad to care for as I thought.