ID and does this look healthy?

[barjam]

The frag came to me brown three months ago at about 1/4 that size. The polyps are neon green, base is creme. The color is a bit lighter in person, my camera skills are weak.

What is it and does it look healthy?

Thanks

 

[ScubaRaven]

Your Acropora looks bleached. (i.e. lacking xooxanthellae; aka benificial algae needed to survive) But then again, you did say that it has neon green coloration. A better pic would definately help as far as color balance. Can you set your white balance? You can do this by holding a white piece of plastic or some other white item inside your tank and adjusting your camera's settings while focusing on the white object.

Rich Valentine
ScubaRaven

 

[barjam]

Well that is kind of what I thought (bleached) but it grows so dang fast (faster than any other coral I own) so I wasn't for sure. It is only under 4x54 watts of T5 in a 75 currently.

Here is another more accurate picture:

And actually the polyps are the only thing that are green, and they are only slightly green.

 

[ScubaRaven]

Even without its symbiotic xooxanthellae, a normally photosynthetic coral can survive in the right conditions through direct food intake. Maybe that's what you are seeing in your case. Then again, I could be wrong and your coral could be perfectly fine and just a very light variety.

 

[barjam]

Well, it does seem weird though. I have other acropora at that same level (two purple tip tan corals, green that you can see on the left, and a tort) and they look fine. I also have some montipora that is doing well, some even quite a bit lower. I have some hydno that is darn near the sand bed and they are growing quickly as well.

I guess as long as everything is growing I shouldn't worry too much about it.

 

[ScubaRaven]

I agree. Keep us posted on how this guy does. Hopefully he'll just keep growing and growing... <insert energizer bunny sound here> teehee

 

[twon8]

that kind of looks like A. micropthalma, or the ora scipps green stag..