Coral ID and what is it doing? Good or bad?

[zaidalin79]

I have had this coral a few months. I am not sure what it is but the closest thing I see online is a leptastera. It does have tiny "eyelashes" that are not normally visible. My damsels have adopted it and defend it very aggressively, biting if I get near it and knocking anything I put around it down. Recently I have noticed it occasionally opens a sort of mouth in the middle of the colony and a white/clear bubble of material emerges. I have been told this is a good thing that it is gathering nutrients and growing, and I have been told I need to target feed it that it is a bad thing. First picture is how it normally looks, second is while this is happening. Can anyone identify what the coral is and what it is doing? I have tried searching for info but I am not sure where to start.

 

[Maks Reef]

Looks like something from the favites or favia groups..

 

[JGT]

I think the bubble in the middle has nothing to do with the overall colony. It looks like a leptastera. But, it wouldn’t have one, central mouth. Each one of the coralites has their own mouth. I think there is some other coral, Nem, or shroom in the middle that is creating the bubble.

 

[zaidalin79]

I think the bubble in the middle has nothing to do with the overall colony. It looks like a leptastera. But, it wouldn’t have one, central mouth. Each one of the coralites has their own mouth. I think there is some other coral, Nem, or shroom in the middle that is creating the bubble.

That is an interesting idea. There is nothing I can see though, when it is done it closes back up and looks like the first picture.