Scuba Josh
New member
How can I tell the difference...the store owner wasn't sure if the coral I bought was which. Does anyone have pics of each?
Neon green Sinu and neon green Nepthea..
- Thread starter Scuba Josh
- Start date
lvreefer
New member
gflat65
New member
I always thought that polyp size and structure were the determining factor, but someone posted that you have to view the spicules under a microsope to know for sure. I'm sure there has to be another way to tell, though, as I have both what I would call a green sinularia and a green Nephthea and they look very very different in polyp structure... They're not like sps where so many other factors take part in their actual growth form, making it difficult to ID... Of course, I'm not going to take the time to cut one and look at it's spicules (seems like an invasion of privacy
) so I'll just (potentially) incorrectly call the one that looks like a Nephthea a Nephthea and the one that looks like Sinularia a Sinularia. Mine originally came from garf and was called Nephthea, so I'll trust that a research foundation already looked up it's skirt.
) so I'll just (potentially) incorrectly call the one that looks like a Nephthea a Nephthea and the one that looks like Sinularia a Sinularia. Mine originally came from garf and was called Nephthea, so I'll trust that a research foundation already looked up it's skirt.
gflat65
New member
And BTW, I don't agree with Chris on those ID's (don't get me wtrong, I love reefermadness and Chris is usually pretty close on ID's). Below is a link to garf's website. It is one of the most difficult websites to find anything on and is not userfriendly at all, but if it doesn't display the Family Nephtheidae, go to the About All Corals folder, open it and click on Family Nephtheidae. The Nephthea is the second pic.
http://www.garf.org/
http://www.garf.org/
gflat65
New member
The Palau is much brighter than the regular ole neon green Nephthea, isn't it? I've always wanted one (and someone local has one if I can get him over the fear of cutting it). I've not seen his, but someone I know and trust has and said it blows the neon green Nephthea I have out of the water (and the Nephthea glows toxic neon green). What lights are those under? I've got a monster colony under 175W Ushio 14K's and a smaller colony under VHO's and get better color under the VHO's.
Scuba Josh
New member
this is very confusing as they all look so simillar
gflat65
New member
edsimmons,
If I can get one, it'll cost me, but I'm hoping to trade something for it
. Love the Easterhead avatar.
Josh,
They are very similar. I use polyp structure as a differentiation, which may not be as accurate as I'd like it to be, but short of cutting into one and looking into a microscope, I don't know another way to tell...
If I can get one, it'll cost me, but I'm hoping to trade something for it
. Love the Easterhead avatar.Josh,
They are very similar. I use polyp structure as a differentiation, which may not be as accurate as I'd like it to be, but short of cutting into one and looking into a microscope, I don't know another way to tell...
gflat65
New member
Here are some attempts to show the difference in polyp structure I was talking about. The camera is not good at tank shots, but here we go...
What I call Nephthea-this is the baby colony
Note the polyps are more basket shaped, as garf mentions.
Here is what I call Sinularia. The polyps don't have as many 'finger's off the main 'fingers' and tend to stay closed to a more cylindrical look than the Nephthea, which is usually more open.
What I call Nephthea-this is the baby colony
Note the polyps are more basket shaped, as garf mentions.
Here is what I call Sinularia. The polyps don't have as many 'finger's off the main 'fingers'
and tend to stay closed to a more cylindrical look than the Nephthea, which is usually more open.
gflat65
New member
I'm -pretty sure it's not a colt's... They are much different in structure with alot more polyps more densly packed. I've never seen a colt's that wasn't brownish, either. I don't have any colt's in any of my tanks anymore. I could be mistaken, but I'm about 99.999% sure it's not a colt's.
gflat65
New member
I can't believe ho hard it is to find a picture of Cladiella (colts coral)... Here is the best I could find, but it is small. You can see that the polyps are tuighter to the stalk than the ones I have shown. There is nothing that I could find with a close up of the polyps...
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Image:Cladiella.JPG
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Image:Cladiella.JPG
edsimmons
Premium Member
The common name “colt coral†IMO should not be used because there at least 3-4 different species of soft coral that are commonly call colt coral. I deal w/ landscape plants on a daily basis and we use only botanical name because like “Colt coral†there are many many plant that go by the same common name. So to definitively say that a colt is very misleading because depending where you are geographically or who you talk to one mans colt is another mans Sinularia or Cladillia or Capinella ECT.
invincible569
New member
gflat, how long have you had both of those corals and what have you fed them?
