OOPS! Incorrect coral ID. Lighting question.

sazarac

sazarac

Member
Ok, ok, ok. I goofed. I went to the definitely NOT local fish store and bought what I THOUGHT was some green star polyps and a mushroom.
I asked the guy there "How much is that coral"? "$20" he says, and I say "OK, that's green star polyp right"? I get in response "Uh huh". Cool. Give me that and the big unattached mushroom and I'll be on my way. He added an extra unattached shroom and I was a happy camper.
That is until I checked up on my "poylp" online. Ummm...NOT green star. Tubipora musica is what I got. Pretty stuff. Deep purple tubes with metallic green "flowers". Really nice, and it came with a blue 'shroom on the rock as well. SO I got 3 'rooms, a pipe organ coral and a hitchhiking blue legged hermit. All for $25. I WAS pretty happy......
BUT. Big but. Will the BioCube 29 stock lighting work for my new coral?

My coral book says low to high. Gee, helpful. Some sites say high, some say low to moderate. GEEZ!

All the "stars" opened fully that same day, and have been since I got it on Sunday (16th). One little piece got broke off, but I poked it back into the same rock and at least two of those have "peeked" out. The mushrooms seem happy if size is any indication. I got both to attach. The blue one though is kinda weird looking. It COULD be a yuma..or a hairy. I'm just learning so I don't know. Any help would be appreciated.
Why, oh WHY do the LFS's have such DIM lighting in their sale tanks? But BRIGHT lighting in their display tanks?! And WHY do they keep all the really COOL stuff on display with NFS
signs? blah..
I've attached two photos. One right after I placed it in the tank, the other yesterday.
Saz

 
rtspeed

rtspeed

Member
it will be fine just get it half way up towards your light and it will thrive for you, they are pretty hardy corals, but some people seem to diagree.
As for there dt's looking better then there stosk tanks, if you go in and see those first your like wow this looks like a good store, and as you have noticed they have regular light on there others becuase when they sell it to you is your problem now and not theres.
It all comes down to bisnuss to all of them.
 
trippkid

trippkid

Active Member
It is GSP, the Pipe Organ you thought it may be, actually forms a skeleton, GSP's don't(just spread in a mat form), the coloration of the skeleton is also different than what you have pictured, more reddish purple and it is hard.
Matt
 
sazarac

sazarac

Member
Can GSP "break" off? And is it hollow?
Originally Posted by trippkid
http:///forum/post/2480334
It is GSP, the Pipe Organ you thought it may be, actually forms a skeleton, GSP's don't(just spread in a mat form), the coloration of the skeleton is also different than what you have pictured, more reddish purple and it is hard.
Matt
 
sazarac

sazarac

Member
Any ideas on the mushroom?
If it is indeed GSP, can I mix other types of polyps with it?
I wish the books and such would show both the open AND the closed corals, so a better identification can be made by noobs like me. I feel like a doofus.

Saz
 
trippkid

trippkid

Active Member
Don't feel like a doofus, ID'ing something you know nothing about can be difficult sometimes(These two corals are very closely related). You can mix them up some, the only thing is they grow so fast sometimes, it may take over the other polyps, if you let them. The mat can break off, and I guess it would appear to be hollow, but it is not. The pipe organ coral creates a calcite skeleton(very red in color) and grows upward not so much outward like the GSP(encrusting). The polyps of a PO look more like clove polyps than GSP. There seems to be some debates and confusion on the taxonomy side of the GSP's. I'll try to find a good pic of the PO for you to compare.
Can you get a good pic of the mushrooms, I thought I could see one in the previous pics, under the GSP, but too hard to tell what it is, at least for me.
Matt
 
sazarac

sazarac

Member
It DOES get very frustrating not knowing what I'm looking at sometimes. I am relieved that the coral is what I THOUGHT it was. I had no idea what it looked like closed, so I was a bit confused.
I did a quick test. I poked the base to see what it felt like. It isn't soft like I expected, and the polyps ALL reacted to my prodding. I didn't expect that either. The part that broke off didn't react. However, at least part of the base IS hollow. I can look inside where it's broken.
I finally found one online that looks very close to mine. It's called Neon Green Star Polyp. It doesn't match the GSP in my coral book at all. (blah!)
As for the mushroom, my camera doesn't take close up shots. What I sent is about as close as I can get. I can try this weekend with another camera. I can tell you this, it is blue around the mouth, shades of brown on the rest. It has a raised texture, however, that texture isn't even all over the mushroom, it radiates out from the center in lines to the edges. The texture fluoresceses green under actinic light. And what I can see of the edge is just like that on a ricordia. I have one orange ricordia. As far as comparing online, the closest I can find with the coloration, the shape and the texture is Discosoma carlgreni.
Other then that, got me! It doesn't look like any mushroom I've personally seen in a store. Of course, that's ain't sayin' much!

Saz
Originally Posted by trippkid
http:///forum/post/2481005
Don't feel like a doofus, ID'ing something you know nothing about can be difficult sometimes(These two corals are very closely related). You can mix them up some, the only thing is they grow so fast sometimes, it may take over the other polyps, if you let them. The mat can break off, and I guess it would appear to be hollow, but it is not. The pipe organ coral creates a calcite skeleton(very red in color) and grows upward not so much outward like the GSP(encrusting). The polyps of a PO look more like clove polyps than GSP. There seems to be some debates and confusion on the taxonomy side of the GSP's. I'll try to find a good pic of the PO for you to compare.
Can you get a good pic of the mushrooms, I thought I could see one in the previous pics, under the GSP, but too hard to tell what it is, at least for me.
Matt
 
sazarac

sazarac

Member
I DID think it was GSP when I bought it. But then I got it home and it was closed up and I thought, "Hummmm".... "THAT looks NOTHING like a mat". So then I looked online and saw the Pipe Organ and thought it was that, but judging from the replies, it IS indeed a GSP. Which is a relief to be honest. However, now I have the Mystery Mushroom. My singular lack of knowledge is mind numbing sometimes. (sigh)
Saz
Originally Posted by Krista921
http:///forum/post/2482508
i would have deffinatly thought they were green star polyps so dont feel bad ha
 
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