I thought this was a balanophylia, now not sure...

[ChadTheSpike]

I picked this up when it was very small (~1/2" wide skeleton and maybe 1/4" wide) out of the $10 section at my LFS, it has an oval shaped skeleton and some black/brown coloration around the mouth (which I really can't get a picture of where I have it since it is glued to the glass a few inches below the surface of the water). The skeleton is now ~1" or larger across and ~1/2" wide.

I thought it was a balanophylia until it sprouted a baby (you can see its tentacles sticking out of the lower left of the skeleton in the picture). Now I am not so sure, thoughts?

 

[curlykid]

balanophyllia don't multiply? weird.

 

[ChadTheSpike]

^I was under the impression that they sexually propogate and were solitary living corals

http://www.wallawalla.edu/academics/departments/biology/rosario/inverts/Cnidaria/Class-Anthozoa/Subclass_Zoantharia/Order_Scleractinia/Balanophyllia_elegans.html

 

[ChadTheSpike]

No thoughts?

 

[aninjaatemyshoe]

That's cool that it is budding. Hopefully it will grow into a whole colony.

 

[GoingPostal]

My balano was budding when I bought it

And babies grown up

 

[ChadTheSpike]

That is interesting, everything I am reading on these say that they are male/female and reproduce sexually (although I have seen a couple of things that reefers took for granted that the scientific community in general hadn't researched). Thanks for that!

Think it is a balano?

 

[aninjaatemyshoe]

Where are people finding the references to identify these one way or the other? The best I've been able to do is find example pictures on the internet... I don't think it is as easy as that with this family of corals.

 

[ChadTheSpike]

^and that is exactly what I am finding out... What I am finding are reports on various species, which I can then find pictures of and say mine does/doesnt look or behave like what the report says. In the end it is a rather inefficient process of elimination.

I guess I will continue to call it my unidentified NPS

 

[Mangodude]

Cup coral.. native to the gulf. I've only gotten them to grow to 1 inch around but my nieghbor has grown them to 3. Usually just come as hitchhikers in rock.. looks cool anyways!


I can post a picture of mine later if it would help..

 

[Mangodude]

go to this link and scroll down on the pictures till you see: coral: cup.

its a top down shot but it might help you ID it..

http://tbsaltwater.com/thepackage/organisms.html

 

[aninjaatemyshoe]

I think you'll find that the reports you're basing your identifications on, if they are from other hobbiests, are ultimately based on the appearance of their so-called balanos. In other words, how do we know that any of these are actually balanos?

If someone has a coral that is without a doubt a balano, identified in the appropriate way, please chime in.

 

[ChadTheSpike]

Either way, I like my coral

Since the only reliable way that I really know to positively identify a coral is to send a skeleton to someone in the know, I recognize I'll probably never know for sure.

Cup coral works for me, though... it is about as specific as "bushy purple gorgonian"

 

[Mangodude]

Either way, I like my coral

Since the only reliable way that I really know to positively identify a coral is to send a skeleton to someone in the know, I recognize I'll probably never know for sure.

Cup coral works for me, though... it is about as specific as "bushy purple gorgonian"

Actually I can get you the scientific name if you want.. I have a book with a section on them.. Could you do a top-down shot?

 

[Mangodude]

look up: Phyllangia americana

 

[ChadTheSpike]

That does look like it... as good as anything, I guess. Thanks!

 

[ChrisOaty]

the balano i had was oval...i was under the impression that all true balanos have oval shaped heads with pink flesh and almost colorless spotted white tentacles. Mine ate like a anemone and was about 2 inches in width on the long end before I lost it. my lfs sold it to me thinking it was a dendro...

 

[yslexdia]

look up: Phyllangia americana

I've had a phyllangia before. The septa are more pronouced than that. At least I think it was a phyllangia.

I'll post some pics sometime if I can locate them.

 

[yslexdia]

I've had a phyllangia before. The septa are more pronouced than that. At least I think it was a phyllangia.

I'll post some pics sometime if I can locate them.

I'm going to recant my previous post and agree with you. It does appear to be very similar to P.americana. Here's a couple pics of my colony.

 

[yslexdia]

I'm going to recant my previous post and agree with you. It does appear to be very similar to P.americana. Here's a couple pics of my colony.

Also, my colony also budded very similar to the colony Chad is picturing. Started with one polyp, multiplied fairly rapidly.