ID on purple cap with green polyps

[Logzor]

I am guessing this is an SPS. All I know is that it was called purple cap with green polyps.

Does anyone know a more specific name for this coral or more information about its needs?

 

[Kolognekoral]

Looks to be a Montipora, but hard to be certain at this stage. If it was sold as a 'cap', then it may be M. capricornus, but don't bet on it. It seems all foliate Montiporas are sold under this name...and they aren't. It is a very fast grower, so you won't need to wait long.

Ciao,

 

[Logzor]

Yeah I just got it a few days ago. It is in my 55 under 4x54 T5's and it is growing very fast. It seems to be growing wider and getting more mountainous. The color is great, do you have a link to a similar coral so I can get an idea of what a bigger one would look like?

 

[Kolognekoral]

http://whelk.aims.gov.au/coralsearch/coralsearch.php

Here you will find the on-line version of Veron's Corals of the World. Look for Montipora capricornus, M. delicatula, M. crassituberculata, amongst other, to get an idea. Montis are notoriously difficult to ID. Yours may not be foliate at all, rather a plating species. Keep an eye on it, as M. effusa is known to sting other corals.

 

[Logzor]

Well the effusa looks the closest but not that close. mine has very defined and very small circular polyps. It is very brightly colored too.

So I am not sure what it really is. It definitely looks like it is going to be an encrusting cap.

 

[Kolognekoral]

Don't be too hasty. All Montiporas look similar at this size/stage of developement. In a month or two, things should get clearer.

 

[Logzor]

Just a brief update but it has continued to grow upward, like a tiny mountain. It is slightly plating outward but not near as much as it is growing upward.

It is growing faster than I imagined.

 

[ycnibrc]

look like a montipora undata

 

[Logzor]

Thanks for the reply.

Yeah the undata seem to have those distinctive circular polyps, just finding what one in particular will be the hard part. I looked online and there seems to be a ton of different types of them.

 

[jeolson]

may be hispada but looks to bumpy

 

[Logzor]

It is growing fast, plating out a bit and getting much more bumps. Ill most a new pic here soon to show the growth. I think your ID is on target, though, the polyps look similar to other hispada but not much else.

 

[Kolognekoral]

Can't wait to see a new foto. I think the polyps of M. hispida are much more closely set than in your piece. They would give the appearance of a closed 'fluffy' surface when extended, such as one sees in M. digitata.

 

[Logzor]

Here is the latest pic, sorry but it is not much different:

I didnt do any photoshop color adjustments, hopefully to ID it better.

 

[therman]

Looks a lot link the "morning star" montipora, which is an encrusting species. Yours doesnt look to be plating yet like a "cap" would. If it does start plating it would be pretty spectacular and I would need a frag Where did you get it?

Keep us updated!
-Tim

 

[Logzor]

It is beginning to plate a bit but is still growing upwards, I picked it up from a local reefer who was shutting down his tank. Got it for $10.

Growing surprisingly fast, I cant wait to see what it looks like several months from now.

 

[Mache62]

not to steal the thread but it looks like you have an outbreak of dictyota in there too

 

[Logzor]

Yeah. Its Dictyota and I am having trouble getting rid of it.

Corals are doing fantastic but I cant shake this stuff.

I have no sump so ive put chaetos and dragons tongue in the tank to try to steal some of the phosphates.

 

[Kolognekoral]

Interesting that you both see it as problematic, Dictyota. I have occaisionally had it grow, but, typically someone ate it. I considered it an attractive algae that I couldn't keep, due to my angels and doktors!

 

[Logzor]

At first it was attractive as well as a nice accent. Now, in abundance, it smothers yumas and zoos, therefore becoming problematic.

I purchased a Tonini (flame fin) Tang yesterday and he is beginning to eat it. So this is good.

The Chaeto and Dragons Tongue is taking off, so I know they are stealing some of the nutrients from the Dictyota.

I figure that, along with manual removal, in a few months it will be back to the point of being a nice accent, rather than a forest covering all of my rocks.

 

[therman]

Yeah I had lots of Dictyota in my old tank, with the same experience....corals did awesome but Dictyota grew like mad. Manual removal and scrubbing with steel brush or toothbrush was all I could control with.

Also I have hispida and that's not it. M. hispida has a much rougher skeleton.
-Tim