What is this coral?

[isdaboy]

Hello,
In january, I got a piece of live rock with a bunch of mushrooms and other soft corals. I noticed that in a small crevice, there was what looks like a small stone.
When I picked it up, I realized it was a small piece of live coral that is about half and inch long. I was not sure if it was alive or not, next day I noticed some polyps out, so I knew it was alive.
I attached it to a piece of live rock as an experiment to see if it will grow.
Well, it started to grow, then it started to show some white spots, which at first I thought it started to beach out and die. Turns out, those white spots are starts of branches! It's now thicker and continues to grow. Any idea what type of coral it is? Looks like a birds nest to me but I'm not sure. Thanks.
First photo is before, second is now with all the new branch.

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[isdaboy]

Oh yes, also can anyone ID this coral? Thanks again.

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[Softhammer]

Top is a Montipora digitata. They have a tendency to appear spontaneously. I have a basketball sized purple colony that I never put in my tank.

 

[stravo71]

Meteor shower on the second. Cool colors. Mine is pink and white

 

[acrohead500ppm]

1. montipora digitata

2. montipora filiosa

3.???? maybe montipora favelotata (sp?)

 

[isdaboy]

Thanks for helping ID the second, looking at photos, it sure looks like a meteor shower. It's growing fast.
Here is a photo of the same frag taken today

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Any idea what this small piece is?

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[acrohead500ppm]

metor shower is a cyphastrea, I am 99% sure that is sunset montipora or montipora faveloata. (spelling?)

Now that you posted a closer pic of what I first thought was a montipora digitata, I can see ridges so I am not so sure that is M.digitata anymore

 

[stravo71]

Kind of looks like a branching monti

 

[SaltyWalter]

Hard to tell if the small one is a branching monti or an acropora... But the encrusting style is defiantly a monti, looks like sunset, good colors! Not a 'meteor shower' cyphastrea for sure.

 

[isdaboy]

Just wanted to post and update photos of the two I have needed identification before. So both seems to be some type of monti.
The little single branch has now grown multiple branch! This is the small piece that came in on a limerick.

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The second one turned out to be a sunset monti, which is also doing well. As you can see, it now started to sprout tubes, is this something typical of Sunset monti? All the photos I have seen are all encrusting with no tubes/branch.

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[SaltyWalter]

Now that's funky! Keep us posted.

The small one that's gain ing branches is a monti digi of some sort for sure now.

 

[PederP]

The last picture. I´d say was the base of an acro, now starting to grow branches.

 

[Peter Eichler]

That last one is a tricolor of some typem most likely Acropora valida

 

[Space heater]

That last one is a tricolor of some typem most likely Acropora valida

I agree. This is almost exactly what the base of mine looks like 4 weeks after putting it in my tank.

 

[ajcanale]

Montipora digitata or similar branching monti