ID please? hope it's easy!

[Trigger 180]

greetings to all! attached is what I BELIEVE is a montipora, but I am still a little new to corals. I am trying to take the best care of it as I can, and it seems to be happy, but knowing the species would be of great assistace.
P.S. I hope that I have posted in the right spot. this coral looks to be what most consider SPS, right? thanks again for the help!

 

[CZwicky]

Appears to be a plating merulina sp. Not a monti.

 

[Trigger 180]

I think that you could be on to something. it sort of looks like Merulina ampliata, but the polyps on mine look slightly different. taller and with little tentacles around each polyp. the pics I provided above show the whole colony, a close up of the edge of the colony (and how tall the polyps are), and then a picture that shows the valleys. boy I wish that the guy I got these corals from knew more about them...

 

[Frick]

I am thinking it is closer to Hydnophora exesa.
http://coral.aims.gov.au/factsheet.jsp?speciesCode=0215

 

[Trigger 180]

I finally found a pic of PINK plating merulina and can now confirm my coral as such! sweet! thanks to all for your help!

 

[Frick]

I don't think it is a Merlina species. Merlina typically does not extend its tentacles in the day and will have a ribbed pattern to the corallite walls.
http://coral.aims.gov.au/factsheet.jsp?speciesCode=0240

 

[Trigger 180]

I don't think it is a Merlina species. Merlina typically does not extend its tentacles in the day and will have a ribbed pattern to the corallite walls.
http://coral.aims.gov.au/factsheet.jsp?speciesCode=0240

true Frick, but I was reading that Merlina is active during the day, and inactive at night in the home aquarium, whereas the opposite is true at night. does this seem right? this coral is very confusing for me to ID. would more pics help?

 

[Frick]

Who says Merulina is active in the daytime? The tentacles on Merulina are thin long sweepers, usually clear with a white tip. And they usually only come out at night.

I think a close up of the polyps retracted would be all we need. If we can at least see the outline of the coral skeleton.