Please Help ID new SPS

[Gagonzalez]

I just bought a new SPS frag (actually 2 of the same frags on the rock) mounted on a piece of rock and I cannot identify what it may be. I am about 90% sure of what it is but I have done a search and cannot find an exact pic of it. At the LFS, it was an orange color with green polyps but in my tank it is a dark pink with green polyps. Please help me identify it.

I have narrowed it down to the following:

1. Stylophora (But the polyps are solid green instead of green tipped like most Stylo's)
2. Orange Guttatus Birdsnest (In the LFS it looked more like this)
3. Some type of Montipora (The polyps are a solid color like most Monti's but it is branching so not likely to me)

Thanks

 

[Gagonzalez]

Nobody has this coral in their tank?

 

[spieszak]

montis branch
https://www.google.com/search?q=bra...X&ved=0CCUQsARqFQoTCL7by7_etccCFdLtgAodi1wAFA
not all stylo's are pink
https://www.google.com/search?q=bra...by7_etccCFdLtgAodi1wAFA#tbm=isch&q=stylophora

It does not look like a Orange Guttatus Birdsnest to me, but color is hard to grasp from the photo. To be honest, it looks most like a pocillipora to me, but I'm no expert, that is for sure.
It would probably be helpful if you described the colors on it as the hues in the picture look off to me.

 

[Gagonzalez]

I thought that too at first but I do not have any fuzziness to it at all (no long polyp extension whatsoever like poci normally does).

The color is a deep pink almost magenta color with a little bit of orange tinged in the lighter areas and the polyps are solid green flower like pedals. The pic, albeit fuzzy, is actually a good color representation where you can see the different hues of pink and a little orange toward the back of the coral.

The polyps are what is throwing me off. I'm hoping someone has this coral in their tank somewhere.

 

[Gagonzalez]

Does anyone know what this coral is? Is there another place to post ID questions for corals?

 

[rovster]

looks like a monti. Could be encrusting or a digi.

 

[Gagonzalez]

Do any encrusting Monti's have branches? I thought they were all pretty much flat and follow the rock contours. This one has actual digits growing up like it might be a digi.

I placed it at the bottom slightly off center and it is losing color and getting some whitish areas at the tip and edges so I moved it away towards a corner. However, I do notice that the whitish areas aren't pale white like it was bleaching but instead have a bluish white color like an encrusting monti does at it's edges. At least I hope so.

Still could be anything.........even a pocillopora? :facepalm:

Wish someone had one of these out there that could just tell me what it is so I know how to treat it.

Thanks for the help.

 

[a.browning]

Too much encrusting already to be birdsnest or pocillopora, plus different polyps too. 99% sure it is a type of Montipora. A lot of encrusting varieties will shoot up stubby "branches" that don't get very tall. Almost looks like a browned out sunset montipora, or similar wild piece.

 

[Gagonzalez]

Thank You. At least that gives me a little more to go with. By Browned out, do you mean it needs more light? I may move it up next to my other Monti cap and see how it does.

It does seem to be picking up more of that greyish blue color as it is fading more. Weirdly enough I swear it's starting to look like a jedi mind trick with the green polyps, greyish blue base and purple edging now????

I really just hope it is not dying and I end up with something cool.

Thanks for your help.

 

[Gagonzalez]

I think I may have found what it is. It is starting to look very similar to the pic below which is a Montipora Stellata. There seems to be a few different variations, some flatter, some rounder but so far this is the best match I have come up with.

My little 1" frags may have been browned out like was mentioned above but now that it is in my tank with better lighting, it is coloring up to a light greyish lavender color instead of all brown.

I am keeping my fingers crossed because that is a pretty cool coral!

 

[mannyhernz]

If it is that..i have a frag that is near the top of my tank..still has some brown under my 100% intensity radions

 

[Gagonzalez]

That's good news! It's going to start moving up in the tank then.

Thanks!