Help ID this coral

chrisparks · Mar 16, 2016

I bought some live rock awhile ago and after a few weeks of moving stuff around in my tank and I noticed on a piece of rock that almost looks like a Christmas tree, there was something that almost resembles some sort of LPS. It is bright green in the center and a light color of brown every where else. It is definitely growing from the rock almost like the rock was a colony of these years ago. When I accidentally touched it months ago it retracted like all LPS corals. Any suggestions would be great and just to clarify it is right under the acan frag in the pictures.

cloak · Mar 16, 2016

It looks like a baby Fungia. (Plate coral)

Salty1962 · Mar 16, 2016

Definitely looks like a plate coral.

chrisparks · Mar 16, 2016

I never thought to compare it to a plate coral but now that you all mention it I can see the resemblance. Do they typically start attached to live rock, every plate coral I have ever seen has been all by itself.

cloak · Mar 16, 2016

I don't know if they all start off like that, but what your seeing is definitely not uncommon. As it gets bigger and bigger it will most likely break free and come to rest on the sand bed. GL.

chrisparks · Mar 16, 2016

Here are a few FTS and it is attached to the rock on the bottom left.

evolved · Mar 17, 2016

chrisparks said:
Do they typically start attached to live rock

Yes, they anchor themselves like that when young. It'll naturally detach once it's of size.

Wilsoni · Mar 17, 2016

+1 on a baby plate! My LFS has one that I've tried getting them to sell to me. It's growing on a rock ledge as well.

chrisparks · Mar 17, 2016

OK cool thank you all for the help. I really like R2R verse most other fourm, I actually get help here unlike other forums I have been on!!

chrisparks · May 30, 2016

Just wanted to give a little bit of an update and it looks like it was a baby plate that is looking more and more awesome everyday. It looks green with white stripes, I suck with taking pictures but it could look worse.

petro2342 · Jun 7, 2016

Wow that's awesome!! How does it just start growing like that?

joshkirkland83 · Jun 7, 2016

chrisparks said:
Just wanted to give a little bit of an update and it looks like it was a baby plate that is looking more and more awesome everyday. It looks green with white stripes, I suck with taking pictures but it could look worse.

Don't detach it from the rock and it will drop babies.

chrisparks · Jun 7, 2016

When I got that piece of rock it almost looked like a deformed version of an aptasia but I decided to wait a few weeks to see what would happen if I fed it small pieces of frozen food. It started growing and now I am happy I didn't kill it haha. It is almost the size of a nickel now and growing pretty fast.

chrisparks · Jun 7, 2016

joshkirkland83 said:
Don't detach it from the rock and it will drop babies.

I will definitely keep it attached then. Little things like this amaze me that's why I love this hobby. It's one thing to go buy a piece of coral but when you get one that you don't know anything about then to watch it grow into something awesome it makes my day.

petro2342 · Jun 7, 2016

chrisparks said:
I will definitely keep it attached then. Little things like this amaze me that's why I love this hobby. It's one thing to go buy a piece of coral but when you get one that you don't know anything about then to watch it grow into something awesome it makes my day.

You and me both!!! I agree because I love seeing things grow and knowing that you helped it succeed!