Help ID - Sponge and LPS?

ChuzUThisDay · Jul 26, 2016

These are on a piece of live rock we purchased. Both had been under another rock and seemed to be squashed. We first thought the brownish red stuff was putty someone had used on the rock and the polyp was a zoa or paly. There are no "eye lashes" on the outside of the polyp, only little sweepers in the middle, so we know it's not a zoa/paly. The polyp swells when we feed baby brine shrimp (guessing he likes it) and we noticed the reddish brown "putty" had white tubes extending slightly yesterday as well.

Any help is greatly appreciated!

Tahoe61 · Jul 26, 2016

Sponge and Rhodactis, but I need a better image of the Rhodactis to be sure.

Welcome.

ChuzUThisDay · Jul 26, 2016

Tahoe61 said:
Sponge and Rhodactis, but I need a better image of the Rhodactis to be sure.

Welcome.

I was pretty sure about the sponge, thanks. I'm not so sure about a mushroom though. I'll see if I have a better picture of the other.

ChuzUThisDay · Jul 26, 2016

Here's a couple shots with a little better detail. One of them you can see the "skeleton" at it's base and lower left from a week or so ago . Any thoughts?

Tahoe61 · Jul 26, 2016

That is a Rose Coral/Manicina areolata an LPS are fairly common hitch-hiker on Caribbean rock. They are pretty cool.

ChuzUThisDay · Jul 26, 2016

Thanks! We'll watch it and see how it grows and what colors come about, if any. These are in my wife's tank (I'm the "pool boy" helping to take care of it) and she is all excited to see life coming about in it. I assume they grow, fold, and change shapes similarly to brain corals?