"probably" a corallimorph

[Riona]

There's something odd growing at my LRS, and I am quite honestly tempted. They've got a dead skeleton of some random LPS and it has little bubbly things growing on it. There would be no way for me to get a pic, even if I got it, but it definately is NOT an anemone, or a zoa of any variety. I didn't see any skeleton, and it will react when moved. Looks like a pie crossed with bubble algae>_> Perfectly round, with the "bubble algae" looking part being just flatter parts that are almost disconnected from the rest by a deep groove. His theory was that they were a corallimorph, since he'd never seen them before. They also have the "mushroom rock" look in that they aren't all crammed together like a L/SPS's polyps would be. Has anyone ever heard of anything like this before?

 

[kiknchikn]

Does it look anything like this? If so it may be a ball anemone (actually a corallimorph).

Photo by Jim Christensen

 

[chrisstie]

IS that the same as a strawberry anemone? I acrtually have one in my tank but its so tiny - it came as a hitchhiker and gobbles up food

 

[kiknchikn]

I think they're pretty closely related. I'm not an expert by any means but I think Strawberry anemones are Corynactis (Corynactis californica more specifically) while orange ball anemones are Pseudocorynactis, which tend to be much larger.

You can read more about them at the end of this article by Julian Sprung (one of my favorites) http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/oct2002/invert.htm

 

[chrisstie]

Hey thank sfor the link that is really cool. I had no idea that the little strawberry I had could even be called a corallimorpharian. I like all the pics he has of those shrooms. I really want a Rodactis sanctithomae even more now

 

[Riona]

No, no tentacles. Hm. I'll see if I can get some sort of a pic next time I go by there(next week at best)

 

[Riona]

Urgh. My camera isn't sending pics to my pc for some reason. . . I got the frag, though I think it may be a LPS growing from the skeleton. The bases are hard. I'll still try to get a pic, though. It also has Colour in my tank. Hehee, it came from those nice bright lights and looked brown with a tinge of green, now it's bright fluoressant green

 

[Sk8r]

Could even be bubble coral, a low light lps.

 

[Riona]

So it's a really bad picture. . . The bluish circles and the brownish circles are the growth. They look like the same stuff, it is just more brown where the light isn't hitting it as much. I'll try to get a better picture. . .

 

[kiknchikn]

Hmm... yeah you're probably going to need to get a better picture for us. If it's possible to pull the rock out of your tank you could try putting it in a bucket with some tank water and wait for it to open up all the way and then snap a good pic of it. If your camera has a Macro mode that would help too (the symbol for it looks like a little flower).

 

[Riona]

Lol, I've only got my camera phone, and it was open all the way in that pic

Going to the tank with the phone now.

 

[Riona]

A little better. You can see the polyp's shape when you squint :/

 

[kiknchikn]

LOL... hmm... still too small for me. Maybe someone else will have better luck. Is there anyone you know with a non-cellphone camera that can snap a pic of it for you? =P

 

[Riona]

Not really. There's my boyfriend's camera, but it's like pulling teeth to get him to give me the pictures afterwards. . . I'll try again to see if I can get something better.

 

[JBG]

Squinting it looks like hammer coral polyps .