millepora - strange polyps

[PoulD]

Hi forum,

I have a 360L mixed reef where all SPS with only 2 exceptions has died one by one over the last 2-3 months. All my LPS are fortunately doing very well. I do not have enough experience to see when a coral has passed the point of no return so I just left them in the tank to be sure they are absolutely dead before I throw them out.

On a multicolor millepora which I have assumed dead for some weeks I have now noticed some small neon-green polyps. Nothing like millepora polyps at all but nevertheless in the right places. Anyone who can tell me what it is?

I'd also appreciate if anyone can identify the purple stuff at the tips. This thin purple layer was appearing on all my Acroporas and one Montipora (together with brown, green and other strange colors). I thought maybe it was Cyano but I'm told it is not.

Thanks in advance and best regards
Poul

 

[bmullikin1]

Kind of looks like another softie,lps coral growing on a otherwise dead coral, stuff on the tips looks like red turf algae, a real pain in the but, you can try urchins and mexican turbos. good luck

 

[mayjong]

that is weird...

 

[Jmcgreef]

Those polyps make me think they are not characteristic of a millepora. As for the algae, given the location it is growing, I doubt cyano and more along the lines of some type of red algae. Regardless, I recommend fragging the coral to give it the strongest fighting chance.

 

[sahin]

That looks like some sort of red turf algae. Normally the stuff is killed by most SPS tissue. It looks like your SPS had die off on the tips and other random places and this stuff grew on exposed skeleton.

If it is Cyanno, you will easily be able to blow it off with a turkey bastor. If its any sort of true macro or micro algae, then it wont blow off.

If its red turf algae or similar or perhaps cotton algae, you will need the appropriate biological control. Red Turf algae is eaten by True Mexican Turbo snails for example.

 

[UTCReefer]

+1 on red turf algae. The only thing that really decimates it is mexican turbo snails

 

[mayjong]

the question was about the polyps growing out of the (dead) millie...not the algea.
anyone have any ideas on the polyps?

 

[MammothReefer]

could still be mili polyps they don't always get long. sometimes new encrusting polyps look like that. They just look a bit puffy.

 

[smtank]

I do not think that is a Millepora, hence the reason the polyp structure does not match.

 

[PoulD]

I do not think that is a Millepora, hence the reason the polyp structure does not match.

Well, I'm a rookie in this hobby so I'm not at all sure about the taxonomy (I did not ask when I bought it) but it sure looked like a mille to me.
I only have a few extremely poor picture taken shortly after it was put in my tank (I don't know why but it nearly became single color right after I came it in my tank)

 

[PoulD]

could still be mili polyps they don't always get long. sometimes new encrusting polyps look like that. They just look a bit puffy.

I must admit I have also had that thought as I found a picture of a sunset millepora with almost similar polyps.
However, that would implicate a really dramatic color change of the polyps. Don't know if that is thinkable.

 

[reef bloke]

New fresh polyps often look different to a mother coral especially if they are new singular polyps. All singular polyps that settle on the reef after pelagic spawns look just like that. Do sunflowers look like sunflowers when they break soil?

Best regards