Possible Coral ID?

DeepBlue

DeepBlue

Member
My system is 1 year and 1 month old. Approximately 6 months ago, I started noticing a faint orange spot on one of my rocks. This spot began to grow over the next month or so. It is hard to the touch and has fibers that extend from the tips of each of the branches. When I do my regular maintenance, I usually will use a toothbrush to lightly scrub some of the rocks to remove algae. If I happen to brush against this (corals?) tips, it develops a white coating over the tip for about a day or so and then it goes away. I try not to brush into the coral, but it has happened. Assuming it is a coral, I have been supplimenting the water with Reef Complete, Reef Calcium and Reef Builder on a every other day schedule on a rotating basis (not using all the items at once). My calcium is at 400ppm and dKH is at 10-11. This piece is growing and now has 8 branches on it and is approximately 1" tall now. I have a second piece developing about 5" from this one. I also have several starts of a macro algae (I can't think of the name) that I had read requires the calcium levels I have. So, I am just wondering if anyone has any idea what type of coral this might be, if it is one? Thank you!

P.S. Sorry for the poor image, but it is tough shooting a Bow Front glass tank as it distorts the focus.
 

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DeepBlue

DeepBlue

Member
No, it's not a feather Duster as that is a worm. It is a stony coral, but a very unique one at that. The bristles do not contract when I get near it.
 
deaclauderdale

deaclauderdale

Well-Known Member
I saw something like that at my LFS today. the store owner said it's some type of sponge, I will contact him and see if he has a name for it.
 
lgerold

lgerold

Active Member
Whatever it is, it sure is beautiful!

Is it possibly a some sort of a worm colony sporting a hard tube?
 
DeepBlue

DeepBlue

Member
Reefjitzu - thank you! After following your lead and searching the web, it appears that it is a form of Oculina sp. It exhibits the same trates with regards to feeding, being that it produces a mucus coating over the tips to trap food and the mucus fibers that extend from the tips. This is a species that is a deep sea coral but is also found at shallower depths (arround 3 meters). The deeper it is in the ocean, the larger the coral will grow verticaly and conversly, the shallower it is, the shorter and more spread out horizontaly it will be. Though it is commonly refered to as "Ivory Coral" it actually comes in colors ranging from brown to lavendar to reds and oranges dependng on their environment. They love strong light and flow and feed on plankton. This is very exciting!

I have ruled out that it is a worm as it is not a tube, it is a solid, stoney. Sponge? I think I have ruled that out as well due to the nature of sponges that this one does not exhibit. But if someone finds out otherwise, I would be currious to hear about it.

Thank you all for your input on IDing this. I will continue to research it as it is so unique.
 
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