Zoa hitchhiker? ID help.

[Hawkdl2]

I was tweaking some pics of this zoa colony before I sell it and noticed this interesting growth on the same piece of rubble as the Zoa. I've never seen something like this and wondered if it's part of the Zoa colony or a hitchhiker.

Here's putting its size in perspective (it's on the lower right):

 

[xaos]

I'm by no means an expert (far from it!), but it looks similar to many pictures of tunicates I've seen while bopping around doing research.

 

[SushiGirl]

Any way you can get that first pic larger?

 

[SIR PATRICK]

Larger pic would help alot.

 

[Hawkdl2]

How's this...

 

[Nanook]

Looks like a bad zoanthid eating nudibranch:hammer:

 

[NyReefNoob]

not a nudi, looks to have p.e on it , is it soft or hard and does it move at all

 

[Nanook]

I think those are nudibranch tentacles, but I could be wrong They are designed to blend in with whatever they are eating. He is obviously attacking that polyp too.

 

[Hawkdl2]

The pic is deceiving. He's really not next to any other plyp and it hasn't moved since I discovered it 4 or 5 days ago. I doubt it is a nudi.

It's upright and almost looks like what I would guess a germinating acro might look - though I have never seen a germinating acro. Are there reports of acro germinating in aquariums?

I'll try to take some more pictures tonight when the lights are on.

 

[Nanook]

Wow, if it hasn't moved at all, then probably not a nudi. I stand corrected. I have no idea what it is.

 

[jhawksoon]

Is that two different stalks? Also, are the red circles polyp extensions?

 

[kichimark]

The red circles look like some polyps. You can see tentacles sticking out of them. I say keep doing what your doing and let the baby grow. It is definitely some sort of coral. Keep us updated.

 

[mallorieGgator]

Looks like some sort of hard coral. You can see polyps.

 

[XSharkboyX]

It is most definately not a nudibranch. Nor is it an octocorallia, as octocorals have 8 tentacles per polyp. This specimen has 6 tentacles per polyp making it in the class Hexacorallia or Zoantharia (having tentacles in the multiples of 6). Subclass-Scleractinia, and at this point looks to be in the Family-Acroporidae.
As for the brown rings around the polyps, this is where the zooxanthellae is developing. Soon enough, the brown will spread throughout the colony as the zooxanthellae begins to multiply.
Provide more pictures if you can.
Let it grow out, and then we will see if we can identify it by species.

 

[jgonz_1979]

it's a pocillopora.

 

[Hawkdl2]

I do have a pocillopora in the tank and it is a species that is reported to readily induced to spawn under laboratory/aquarium conditions, though I have never witnessed mine doing so - unless those unexplained cloudy tank days a month or so ago weren't a Kalk dosing problem like I suspected...:eek1:

I guess I'm glad no one wanted to buy this particular zoa. I think it will be pretty interesting to see what develops.

 

[SushiGirl]

Very cool! My first thought was nudi, didn't seem like a tunicate. The larger pic certainly helped rule out those 2, but I'm glad someone knew what it was cuz I have no SPS experience LOL.

 

[SushiGirl]

Might want to actually read the thread...not a nudi.

Gotta hate when you respond to something that then disappears LOL

 

[Hawkdl2]

Here's pic from the right side (relative to the first picture). As you can see, there are two stalks forming.

 

[XSharkboyX]

Much better picture. Looks like a Pocillopora sp. here. You say they spawned in your system? That's awesome brother!