Pagoda cup ID?

[DolphinzFan]

I'm told by 2 different people this is 2 different Corals.

I believe this is a Pagoda Cup Coral, but also told its a Duncan Coral?

Now I'm confused.

Live PIC 1st, 2nd what it looks like not opened up.

 

[alb_56]

Are these pictures you took of the exact same coral in the exact same spot? The one on the left IS a duncan and the one on the right IS a pagoda cup. Personally I dont think its even a question.

 

[alb_56]

Are you wanting to buy one or the other, and cant decide because they seem to look the same?

 

[ItzJustinN]

1st pic is a duncan, 2nd is a pagoda cup

those pics arent the same coral.

 

[DolphinzFan]

The one on the left is in my tank. The one on the right is a pic I took off the internet of what mine looks like not extended.

 

[alb_56]

I would guess that your Duncan is just young and starting to sprout new heads. As it grows the heads will start to grow away from the original head, forming branches. A picture of your duncan with its heads closed would help to confirm this.

 

[ItzJustinN]

perhaps it looks more like this when closed up:

 

[DolphinzFan]

Here is a pic I took with it not extended all the way.

 

[alb_56]

I guess Ill be the first to apologize, I am sorry and I believe you were correct. When the heads are closed it is definitely a pagoda cup. A very nice one also in my opinion.

 

[DolphinzFan]

Thanks for all your help. I got the piece from my LFS for $40.

 

[alb_56]

Did the LFS label it pagoda cup? Its crazy how similar they both look when its open.

 

[DolphinzFan]

Yes they listed it as a Pagoda cup, but a friend of mine said it was a Duncan.

 

[havasuviking1]

second picture looks like a retracted pogoda cup. first one is not a pogoda.

 

[kurt_n]

Here is a pic I took with it not extended all the way.

This is a Duncan. Granted, it doesn't look like a duncan that I've ever seen before, but it is. Pagodas don't grow on "stalks" like this one is doing.

I think what you've got is a Duncan "stalk" that's had heads cut off multiple times, leaving behind a stump that grows over and then sprouts off more heads. Repeat that a few times and you end up with a rather large top of the stump, or the merging of a bunch of stalks together to form one big "stump".

Give it 4-6 month of growth and I think you'll see it looking more like a typical Duncan.

 

[aromano]

its a duncan for sure. Mine looks just like that when closed up. I also have a pagoda the polyps on pagoda are about one tenth the size of the duncan . They are similar in appearance just way different size.

 

[alb_56]

lol, I guess the only way you will really know for sure is to just let it grow up. Keep us posted, I'm pretty interested in seeing it in a few months.

 

[JJ650]

I thought Duncans branch out on coralite stalks...?

Pagoda cups and Turbans look awfully similar to Duncans once they are fully extended.

 

[kurt_n]

I thought Duncans branch out on coralite stalks...?

....

They do. That last picture of it all closed up is just one big stalk wth new heads forming on the top of the stalk. The thing that seals the deal for me that it's a Duncan is the little head that's at exactly 6:00... bottom dead center and in a little. It's a new head that's just starting to sprout out and it looks 100% like a Duncan head when it's first starting to branch out. The other polyps in that picture are too inflated to see the mini stalk under them.

I had a branch off mine where I just kept cutting the top as it grew new heads. The cut surface would heal over and sprout another head, or two. I'd let those grow and cut them off again. The top would grow over again. I can imagine if I did that over several years, I would've had something that looked like this picture.

The other kicker is the stalk. Assuming I'm looking at the picture right, this thing is on top of a stalk. Turbinaria (pagodas) don't grow on stalks.

 

[ItzJustinN]

with the new picture provided, i would say it IS in fact a pagoda cup coral.

 

[alb_56]

So how does it look now?