ID needed

[SilverShark]

Hi all,

I was at my LFS earlier and saw this gorgeous orange coral but the guy didn't know the name of it, can anyone tell me what it's called and a bit about them? (See attached pic)
Also what's that white thing next to it? Is it some sort of sea hare?

 

[Reef264]

Dendronepthya Sp.

Dendronepthya Sp.

It is a Dendronepthya, also known as a Orange Carnation Coral.It is NOT PHOTOSYNTHETIC, meaning it needs a consistent diet of plankton to survive, along with ambient light.A place with moderate flow will suffice.A very clean environment is needed as well, as in No Nitrates, and low Phosphates.Doesn't tolerate change very well on any parameters.

Good Luck with it,
-Ray

I will stab in the dark and say the white coral to its right is a Flower Pot...Im probably wrong.

 

[SilverShark]

I googled flower pot coral but it looked kind of different. Does anyone else know what that white coral may be?

 

[albano]

Orange Carnation coral...IMO don't waste your $, other looks like bleached goniopora, definitely don't waste your $

 

[Reef264]

I agree with Albano.Don't waste the money.Both have low success rates in captivity.

 

[SaltwaterSensei]

I'd be cautious with a LFS's that can't reliably identify a common industry coral.

 

[Hormigaquatica]

You guys are looking at the corals wrong- esp the white one...

The orange one is Scleronephthya. It's similar to Dendro, but seems to be slightly easier to keep in an aquarium. Slightly. Best left for a dedicated NPS tank.

The white one is a partially inflated Sea Pen that is being viewed from an odd angle. It's actually a soft coral that buries a muscular foot into soft substrate and can move itself around. They can contract down far, then blow up to be Huge corals- way bigger than you might expect when looking at a closed one. They're really cool animals from a physiological point of view, but also nonphotosynthetic. These are easier to keep than other NPS softies, though still a challenge. You would need a very deep substrate of super fine sand/mud, and will have to offer multiple feedings a day. These can take larger food particles than what a Dendro or Sclero would- rotifers, oyster eggs, even small Cyclopeeze or newly hatched brine can be snagged. This isn't to say its an Easy coral to keep, but not a bad one for someone moderately experienced with NPS.

 

[SilverShark]

I'd be cautious with a LFS's that can't reliably identify a common industry coral.

I know right!!

Thanks guys for the ID, I'll be staying away from these two then

 

[SilverShark]

You guys are looking at the corals wrong- esp the white one...

The orange one is Scleronephthya. It's similar to Dendro, but seems to be slightly easier to keep in an aquarium. Slightly. Best left for a dedicated NPS tank.

The white one is a partially inflated Sea Pen that is being viewed from an odd angle. It's actually a soft coral that buries a muscular foot into soft substrate and can move itself around. They can contract down far, then blow up to be Huge corals- way bigger than you might expect when looking at a closed one. They're really cool animals from a physiological point of view, but also nonphotosynthetic. These are easier to keep than other NPS softies, though still a challenge. You would need a very deep substrate of super fine sand/mud, and will have to offer multiple feedings a day. These can take larger food particles than what a Dendro or Sclero would- rotifers, oyster eggs, even small Cyclopeeze or newly hatched brine can be snagged. This isn't to say its an Easy coral to keep, but not a bad one for someone moderately experienced with NPS.

Aaah, thanks for the info

 

[PeTe PoLyP]

sorry to be off topic... but those are some really sweet zoa in the upper right corner of the picture