Somethingsfishy Posted July 22, 2003 Share Posted July 22, 2003 It looks much like a hybrid...and earn algae doesn't sting it is a harmless organism. It could be a hybrid of a coral mixing with algae. Is this stuff hard? soft? Link to comment
AbSoluTc Posted July 22, 2003 Share Posted July 22, 2003 I got this coral with my rock a few days ago. I beleive it is an anemone, but why does this particular anemone have a shell? I am just curious. Can anyone ID this for me? Link to comment
tinyreef Posted July 22, 2003 Share Posted July 22, 2003 some hydrozoans can grow as fast algae, in some cases. i know the algae abs is thinking of and it does look exactly like that pic but it is relatively flexible and very slimy. i'm ASSuming that steve has touched/prodded it to confirm it's relatively firm and it does sting. altho s-nip does have a point to the speed of growth does make it suspicious. Link to comment
tinyreef Posted July 22, 2003 Share Posted July 22, 2003 codium i think that's what abs is talking about. there are (as with everything in this hobby) other colorations and formations. the darker green is what i'm more familiar with (and probably abs). the utricles on them can 'sting' a little, like barbs or prickles (hehe, i said prickles ). sooo, maybe abs isn't so off. i can admit i'm wrong. heck, i'm divorced, i'm inherently wronged! X) Link to comment
caja Posted July 22, 2003 Share Posted July 22, 2003 Yay tiny! I've been looking for that. Link to comment
adinsxq Posted July 22, 2003 Share Posted July 22, 2003 i bet mermaids use it for a tickle tool Link to comment
SteveC Posted July 22, 2003 Author Share Posted July 22, 2003 Well, it is pretty flexible. Maybe it is some kind of algae. Abs, instead of making fun of me maybe you could post a link to a page describing the kind of algae you're talking about, or suggest a reference book where I could find it. Edit: Whoops, I missed tinyreef's link. Thanks, tinyreef. OK, Abs, you can go back to being a jerk who contributes nothing useful. Link to comment
kennerd Posted July 22, 2003 Share Posted July 22, 2003 He's not laughing at you, he's laughing near you, SteveC. I was about to post the query as to the consistency of this feller, and given your description, look at the article that tiny dug up & I think you're on track. Link to comment
SteveC Posted July 22, 2003 Author Share Posted July 22, 2003 Hmmm. Well, it's close but it doesn't quite look the same. And I'm not sure why there are hairs that stick out sometimes and don't stick out other times. But I never claimed to know for certain what it was. Oh, I forgot to mention, the thing isn't as big as it appears in the pictures. Maybe six inches across at its absolute widest point. Link to comment
Crakeur Posted July 22, 2003 Share Posted July 22, 2003 ok, I'll be the guy with the stones to ask. Is it hard or soft? can it be bent or is it rigid? If it has any give to it, it isn't a stony coral. If that is the case, abs, my apologies. I was under the impression Steve could tell the difference between a stony coral and an algae. Damn you steve, damn you. Either way, I would love a piece of this. Link to comment
SteveC Posted July 22, 2003 Author Share Posted July 22, 2003 No, it's flexible. But I thought that since it's not a scleractinian, it wouldn't necessarily be rigid (a closer look at Borneman's book indicates it does build a calcereous skeleton). My mistake, as some of you have made abundantly clear. And I just went over and grabbed it to see what would happen (because I'm an idiot) and it still makes my skin itch. Maybe I'm allergic to it. And I still don't understand the fine hairs that are out sometimes and not others. Hey, I did the best I could with what I knew. Sorry, Crakeur, everyone. Link to comment
Crakeur Posted July 22, 2003 Share Posted July 22, 2003 no need to apologize. you never actually said it was stony, only that you thought it was a fire coral because it made you itch. Abs, I am officially offering my apology - as much as it burns my throat. Link to comment
supernip Posted July 23, 2003 Share Posted July 23, 2003 my camera sucks and my crab ate most of it but here's a pic Link to comment
supernip Posted July 23, 2003 Share Posted July 23, 2003 here's my pitiful attempt at a close up. Sorry crak, you aren't a numb nut. heat of the moment sorta thing Link to comment
Crakeur Posted July 23, 2003 Share Posted July 23, 2003 supernip, I am a numbnuts, but for different reasons. The pic he originally posted looked like it could have been a green fire coral or the algae you have. In my first post I said it looked like seaweed (algae) but Steve made it sound as if though he was sure it wasn't. Thanks for the blurry photos. They gave me a headache. Much obliged. Link to comment
SteveC Posted July 23, 2003 Author Share Posted July 23, 2003 Hey, I know I'm still a noob! I do appreciate everyone's help, though. Sorry for leading everyone on. I honestly didn't mean to be such a frag tease! Link to comment
adinsxq Posted July 24, 2003 Share Posted July 24, 2003 hey guys, i was at the cabrillo beach marine aquarium today (chaperone for bratty kids... ugh!) and i saw some of that algae stuff. i can see how it could be easily mistaken for coral especially with all that fuzz. stevec, how is it lending to the look of the tank as a whole? if it's not the algae that's stinging the surrounding coral, then what do you think it is? Link to comment
SteveC Posted July 24, 2003 Author Share Posted July 24, 2003 I think it looks pretty cool. I like it. And considering that the only corals I have so far are plain old cup corals (I'm pretty sure those aren't algae!) and a patch of Carribean star coral that isn't doing very well at the moment (both were hitchhikers), it adds a lot to my tank! It's prettier than the halimeda and grape caulerpa I've got. It's darker and more solid than the pictures I've seen on the net. The fuzz is weird because sometimes it's there and sometimes it isn't. Yesterday it wasn't there when I looked, and this morning it was (on some branches but not others). It's extremely uniform on the branches where it does appear. I tried to take a picture of it but without a steady camera stand I can't take that close of a shot without getting a big blur! I think what's happening with the cup corals underneath is that the codium is blocking the water flow and they aren't able to feed. So they're not feeling well and staying retracted. That's my theory anyhow. Tonight I'm going to trim that thing back and see if that helps. Link to comment
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