Does anyone know what this coral is? Hitchhiker...

[crazyzeus1]

This was on our rock 6 months ago when it was put in the tank & has grown since then... Anyone know what it is? There is a hard, white skeleton underneath, which reminds me exactly of a Torch Coral "head". But the fleshy part looks nothing like the Torch Coral we had in the tank. And we have VHO lighting, not MH...so we're just seeing what this little guy does over time...If I only knew what it was!
It has the shape of a flying saucer.
It's the pink "thing" in the middle of the picture. Not the mushrooms or the zoos...

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[tstaub3]

I have one also it is a fungi.

 

[crazyzeus1]

Do fungi have a hard skeleton? And it has a "mouth" & will eat meaty foods when I feed it. Does that sound like fungi?

 

[bigarn]

Can you get a closer shot? I'm thinking hammer or frogspawn. :thinking:

 

[biglurr545]

is that a pic of it fully open because it looks like a frogspawn when it closes up frogspawn and hammer corals have mouths and will eat food if you give it to them either way thats a great hitchhicker

 

[crazyzeus1]

This shot is when it's fully open. The only thing that isn't showing up are the bright neon green little tentacle things (about 1/4 inch long) that are on the edge of each little ridge.
I tried to get a closer shot but wasn't able to get it clear. Thanks already for some suggestions. I'm going to move the rock up to the top of the aquarium....my guess is that it needs strong light & has been doing OK in our tank at lower level, but will do better at the top.

 

[crazyzeus1]

And FWIW...it started out about the size of a pinto bean, & now it's about the size of a quarter fully opened...Wheee!

 

[thomas712]

Try feeding it some food, squirt some at the tenticals with a turkey baster, watch to see the difference during the day vs night, those tentical things might come out more at night for nocturnal feeding.
Thomas

 

[crazyzeus1]

I have watched this guy pretty closely because I'm so curious what it is. The LFS service guy who comes to service our tank thought it was a Lobophylia, but every one that I've looked up on the internet looks nothing like what I have.
At night, it seems to close up, and during the day is when it's green tentacles or tips come out.
It responds very well to spot feeding. I usually spot feed it a chopped mysis here or there.

 

[biglurr545]

definetly a frogspawn or a hammer coral the only diffrence betweene the two are the tenticle shapes. if it has bumps with pink on the tips then its frogspawn but if there a curved elongated cyrcle then theyre hammer corals look at them on here to see the diffrence and yes they need stron lightin
heres a pic of my young frogspawn

 

[biglurr545]

frogspawn

 

[crazyzeus1]

Here's a closer shot...not very clear, but perhaps a closer look would help...

 

[harndog]

almost looks like a very tiny plate. For sure LPS so strong lighting is dead on. If it is growing you are doing something right. Keep us posted.

 

[crazyzeus1]

We did move this whole rock to the top of the tank, to provide the strongest light our tank could provide. Seems to be happy...I guess...
The zoos that are on the rock don't seem to like the new placement. Darn...