new coral born in my tank

[less than bread]

Freaky looking, and by freaky, I mean cool. I was thinking elegance in the first couple pictures. But now I’m not sure at all

[patback]

Is a baby plate a possibility?  

[mcarroll]

No idea really, it's too small.  But from experience, I'll still guess Plate Coral.

[Tamberav]

The striping made me think elegance but Elegance were spawned in captivity.. and they look a bit different I would say

 

https://www.reef2rainforest.com/2022/09/08/captive-bred-elegance-coral-breakthrough/

 

Might just be a pretty hidden cup coral

 

 

 

[gio14]

On 1/13/2023 at 10:57 PM, Tamberav said:

The striping made me think elegance but Elegance were spawned in captivity.. and they look a bit different I would say

 

https://www.reef2rainforest.com/2022/09/08/captive-bred-elegance-coral-breakthrough/

 

Might just be a pretty hidden cup coral

 

 

 

the baby elegance looks completely different, so probably this is not an elegance, I tend to exclude also plate coral since it seems totally different.

 

[mcarroll]

Look for pics of baby plates, not adults that have already dropped off their stem.  

 

They have to be one of the most common tank-born corals.  I've actually seen one in person, and it wasn't even in a fancy coral tank.  Mostly a brightly-lit FOWLR tank that had been getting regular water changes.  I think the coral may have come on their live rock...not sure tho.  (I suspect Plate Corals are better-than-average at feeding in low-flow aquariums....maybe just due to their bottom-living lifestyle, but they might have some innate abilities as well, similar to Favia and some others.)

 

At any rate, keep us updated with pics!   👍

[gio14]

Another update after few months... still no idea what this coral is...

At the moment it has 2 polyps (circular, less than 1cm diameter each), long tentacles and a central mouth

[debbeach13]

Thanks for giving an update. I would also be guessing.

[banasophia]

How about maybe a balanophyllia or rhizotrochus? Or maybe a sun coral or dendro?

 

 

 

[gio14]

mmm, I've compared carefully both balanophyllia and rhizotrochus and I cannot find a match...

my coral is:

• growing under good light (I'd say 200-250 par) based on the position
• spreading like a micromussa, so not building a "tall" skeleton
• has a single protruding mouth, can eat mysys and artemia
• polyp isn't that big (at least at the moment, after growing to about 1cm diameter began to separate and produce similar polyps)

so... I think still no match for the moment!

[banasophia]

Hmmm…did you say if it closes up at all? Maybe pics with it closed and also under white lights would help?

[jambon]

I have been following this.. now my opinion is a type of favia. My war coral started like that and is like a softball size now. Yours looks good, and hungry. 

[gio14]

Hi all,

here's another pic I just took, still no id but, whatever it is, it is slowly growing

maybe in the end  Jambon is correct... or maybe this is a baby caulastrea, at least this is what I think it looks like

 

[Tired]

Oh, well, that rules out a lot of the earlier guesses! Interesting how it's formed into that shape from what it was before. Definitely resembles something like a micromussa, at least to my eye, or maybe acan echinata.

 

How large is it at this point?

[gio14]

This may look similar ( of course, not exactlythe same...), in the next months skeleton should start to grow...

 

The coral at the moment is a little more than 1cm (diameter)

 

[Jaren45]

I second it looking like an echinata, that's very interesting!