Anthelia or Xenia?

DAHansen

DAHansen

Member
Or other really... I'm not super awesome at identifying corals.

I just noticed these today. They grew out of nothing basically.

Each one is about the size of a pencil lead ( a few mm long), and as long as it doesn't try to grow over my blue acro cheapie (which is doing very well) I will leave it alone.

freebie.jpg
 
BEELZEBOB

BEELZEBOB

Well-Known Member
whoa. expensive camera bra.


those are blue cloves, blue anthillia blah blah. as long as, and im assuming they are, bout the size of a fluffy snoflake?
 
Heliux

Heliux

Member
BEELZEBOB said:
whoa. expensive camera bra.


those are blue cloves, blue anthillia blah blah. as long as, and im assuming they are, bout the size of a fluffy snoflake?
Click to expand...
Agreed, and i would have to say you are doing something wonderfully amazing to get that to grow out of a live rock.. Not saying it hasnt been done, just ive never seen that before FMOE.
 
SubRosa

SubRosa

Well-Known Member
Looking again there is absolutely no way that those are Blue Clove Polyps.Count the tentacles and you'll see there are 6 and not 8.Therefore it's a true coral and Blue Cloves are octocorals.Blue Anthelia is a different critter all together.

John
 
lcstorc

lcstorc

Well-Known Member
Looks like Xenia to me but I am far from an expert. The growing out of nothing makes me thing Xenia as well since I have had it melt entirely and come back months later.
 
SubRosa

SubRosa

Well-Known Member
Since they're only single polyps at this point they could be either although I lean towards Anthelia.If single polyps continue to spread out it's Anthelia and if those two start branching they're Xenia.

John
 
Boomer

Boomer

Reef Sanctuary's Mr. Wizard
I'm not sure what it is at this time. I also only see 6 tenticles. However, if there are only really 6, then it can not be a Xenia or Anthelia, as they are Octocorallia. Xenids, Anthelia, Cloves, Organs, etc., all have 8 tenticles and all are Octo's. So, it could not be any of those posted. However, with that said, I also lean towads Anthelia. I know some guys that can have a much better guess than us.
 
DAHansen

DAHansen

Member
Huh... I never knew about the 8 vs. 6 thing. I'll post more pics as they grow. I'll also try to get a more direct photo of them - head on - this Friday to see if they become easier to identify.

Hopefully they keep growing, but don't take over. I like freebies!

Thank you all,
David (who is wondering if he actually has Boomer stumped!)
 
BEELZEBOB

BEELZEBOB

Well-Known Member
those are blue cloves. just like the ones in my tank

or the rock i have coverd in them, isnt covered in blue cloves.

keep in mind, in real life they are abut as big as this "0"

if not then theyre somethin else.
 
DAHansen

DAHansen

Member
I'm afraid I would squish them - each one would fit inside of Bob's "0"

I'm (very likely) making a frag shelf tomorrow and will be putting the "rock" they are on on the shelf. They are actually growing out of the side of a faux-rubble plug that has a dark teal blue acro (with brown polyps :( ) on it.

I'll see if I can get them settled and a better photo.
 
Boomer

Boomer

Reef Sanctuary's Mr. Wizard
Ok I was just reminded of something. It is an Octo of some kind, so I'm told. True corals do not have tentacles with pinnules and this one does, so it is a soft coral of some kind. It may be that early Octo's may have 6 or 7 tentacles, where the missing one/s will grow out later. If you look at lots of pics you will see some with only 7.
 
mps9506

mps9506

Well-Known Member
In short it is either Anthelia sp., Cespitularia sp., Heteroxenia sp., or Xenia sp.
:D
Anthelia has polyps that grow from the stolon base, 1-4 rows of pinnules that are non retractile.
Cespitularia has polyps at the apex and near the apex of a stalk, 1-4 rows of pinnules
Xenia has polyps on apex of stalks, 1-6 rows of pinnules.

Still leaves ya wide open as I see 4 rows of pinnules and it is hard to tell if they are growing from a common mat or from a stalk :)
 
DAHansen

DAHansen

Member
mps9506 said:
In short it is either Anthelia sp., Cespitularia sp., Heteroxenia sp., or Xenia sp.
:D
Anthelia has polyps that grow from the stolon base, 1-4 rows of pinnules that are non retractile.
Cespitularia has polyps at the apex and near the apex of a stalk, 1-4 rows of pinnules
Xenia has polyps on apex of stalks, 1-6 rows of pinnules.

Still leaves ya wide open as I see 4 rows of pinnules and it is hard to tell if they are growing from a common mat or from a stalk :)
Click to expand...


So, it's a coral? :smoking:

:bouncer:


Ya know... I have had xenia before, that moved around the tank, then shrank, then came back, then got traded into the LFS. Any way, I'm thinking that this doesn't really look like the xenia I used to have. Though I know there are lots of kinds of xenia.

I'm actually partial to acrofauxclovia :)

It will be interesting to see what it grows into. Tomorrow I will try to get better pics.
 
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