Alveopora

[manger]

ok, i know they say that these don't keep in reef tanks, but here is one that i've had for 11mos and it is growing nicely! i just noticed a new branch forming from a lone polyp the other day. so that's the good news.
the bad news is that anything that I put it near that isn't a soft coral suffers.
does anyone know what there defense mech is?
ps excuse the sickly bubble in the foreground. i saved it from LPS and am trying to grow new stalk.

 

[manger]

will little sickly bubble grow new corallum? how long would that take?

 

[sggavin]

it looks like you have your corals alittle too close, if you move them about 3 inches apart you should have better results

 

[manger]

thanks sggavin, though i think a lot of it has to do with camera angle, though they are quite close, especially the pink and green star polyps. that is intentional. they check eachother's growth which is out of control.

 

[nm reef]

Based on the pic you provided I'm not totally convinced that you have a alveopora...I've attached a pic of mine below. They have a 12 count tentacle structure...yours may be the same but from the pic provided it looks like there may be more than 12 per stalk.
As for defense...mine has never shown any aggression at all...it is relatively close to several other corals and has never caused a single problem...but the massive frogspawn near it has overgrown my alveopora and I'll soon need to move one or the other.:thinking:
http://members.cox.net/ronniebuck/co...ora_122202.jpg

 

[007]

I too am questioning this as an alveopora. . . but a clearer pic would help. As for defense mechanisms, I have never noticed any aggression, especially because mine is directly next to both frogspawn and xenia.

 

[manger]

i bought it as alveopora, though i agree with you after reading more about alveo. many many more polyps per branch, more than goneopora. wonder what it is. unfortunatel it is camera shy today, due to some heavy cleaning, here is a picture of it with polyps withdrawn.