Some kindia coral???

[jg013c]

So I just set up my nano cube 1 week ago and yesterday I brought home a big purple live rock bolder!!! So much interesting life came on the rock, like a couple of small stars and a bristle worm (uh oh...) :*(

 

There is a green/brown splotch (not the technical term) on the side of the rock, and on the splotch are some small polypie heads.

 

DOES ANYONE KNOW WHAT THIS COULD BE???

 

Is it some kinda coral?

[Dr. Saltwater]

Could you take a pic form a little farther away? I've got something in my mind but I don't like to guess. It's clearly a coral if you look at the outstanding polyps ....

[jg013c]

Here is the full picture... it looks like something largewr has been cut from the lower left.

[Tempest]

Possibly calustrea.

[reef hugger]

It looks like the encrusting base of an acropora (or some other sps) that was attached to that rock or on the rock next to it.

[oosurfin]

im still a rookie but maybe some kinda portie? if your tank has only been up a week it may not make it through the cycle but i had a group of about 10 zoo's make it (10ppm+ ammo spike etc) so if youre not cycled best of luck .

[jg013c]

Well I put the rock in one week after I started the tank. I started the tank with lots of LR & LS and a cotton ball bacteria culture from the LFS's tank. All the params are in excellent shape so hopefully some of the coral will pull through... The polips do close at night and open during the day, this is true regardless of the state of the lights.

 

The rock it came with has tons of criters, chitons, amphipods big & small, tiny feather dusters & other tube worms, small stars.. And after the lights go off, out come snails, sea hares and, unfortunately BRISTLE WORMS! And lots of them, I think I have seen about 7, so I imagine there are plenty more. They are small and very very skinny (perhaps because I have no fish food/fish waste for them to eat).

 

I tried plucking them out with treasers but its very hard!

 

Any sugestions

[adinsxq]

it looks like vomit.

 

is it hard or soft?

do the polyps retract?

also please describe the lower white region <- skeleton?

[EtOH_is_good]

bristle worms will come out if you feed the tank, but why take them out. generally, they're good for the tank. although it still may be a porite, i haven't seen one with so few polyps. there's a whole range of encrusting corals that is can still be.

[jg013c]

Actually I think adinsxq is correct, it is vomit. It may just be bristle worm vomit!

 

The polyps are soft and they close at night, so I guess they retract.

 

That white thing sort of looks like a fleshy base where a larger section of the coral was cut off, no doubt for seporate sale.

 

As for whether or not to remove Bristle worms, a search of this forum reveals that some people feel they should go while others feel they should stay. The LFS guy told me to feed them to the toilet. I am worried that they may destroy coral, as many people say they tend to do. Other people say they are pests and should be removed, although it is easier said than done!

 

Has anyone had luck riding their tanks of bristle worms?

[yoshiod9]

i havent had any problems with my bristle worms and i have a bunch of 4-6 inchers! i rarely feed my tank(maybe once every other week or so if i remember!) and they havent caused any visible harm in the past year.

[SaltyDawg]

Looks like an encrusting pagoda to me. Like a pagoda CUP coral but this species encrusts itself. Turn that side towards the light more and if it is it will develope a velvet like sheen on it in between spaced out medium sized fleshy polyps. when they retract they will look like small holes. ( Basicaly looks like a sphinkter when retracted). also if you touch a part of it and it sloths of a litle slimy crap its probably a pagoda. They are super sensetive to our touch and oils on our skin. Very nice coral if it is.