ID this thinly encrusting & slow-growing pink SPS please?

[playapixie]

Any idea what this SPS frag is? It’s encrusting but only very thinly; the base material is not a substantially different color than the rock and it hasn’t thickened anywhere; color of the base is blue-purple (really just looks like the rock underneath.) The polyps are tiny, fuzzy, and pink. The longest dimension on that frag is about 2” for scale. It is growing VERY slowly in my tank, which grows all of my montipora quite quickly; for that reason and the fact that the polyps are much smaller and more evenly dispersed, I don’t think it’s monti. I have it pretty high in the tank around 300 PAR under Radion G4 and moderate to strong indirect flow. I keep my paramenters very stable with auto dosing under the Red Sea Coral Pro accelerated growth parameters (high-end ca/alk/mag) and very low phos (0-0.02) and nitrate (1-2.) I’d like to ID it so I can figure out if it would be ok encrusting the rocks at the base of my acro and seriatopora colonies or montis. Would also be nice to know if it’s slow growing because of placement, or if that’s just its nature. The source it came from didn’t know what it was. Thanks!

 

[Reefer40b]

Its a encrusting monti.

 

[playapixie]

I’m thinking maybe stylocoeniella?

 

[Reefer40b]

I would also say it could be that maybe a less blue pic would help..

 

[Dennis Cartier]

Looks exactly my superman stylo (stylocoeniella). So I would say stylo. Does it exhibit sweepers at night? If so Stylo.

Dennis

 

[playapixie]

Looks exactly my superman stylo (stylocoeniella). So I would say stylo. Does it exhibit sweepers at night? If so Stylo.

Dennis

Ooh, I haven't noticed sweepers but not sure I've paid attention to it at night. I'll watch. How aggressive is yours? will be be dangerous at the base of acros if it is stylo? Stylocoeniella was my best guess so far.

 

[cristata.reef]

+1 on Stylocoeniella. Montipora has flushed polyps that have fused tentacles while Stylocoeniella has more distinct tentacles polyps which are raised on small stalks when fully extended

 

[DesertReefT4r]

It's a superman montipora. I had one for a few years, cool coral and one of my favorite encrusting montis. Keeps its color very well and is hardy.

 

[cristata.reef]

It's a superman montipora. I had one for a few years, cool coral and one of my favorite encrusting montis. Keeps its color very well and is hardy.

Hobgoblin (or whatever other trade name) Stylocoeniella rather

 

[Dennis Cartier]

Ooh, I haven't noticed sweepers but not sure I've paid attention to it at night. I'll watch. How aggressive is yours? will be be dangerous at the base of acros if it is stylo? Stylocoeniella was my best guess so far.

The sweepers on mine are not too dangerous, about 1" long, but their presence and quantity will rule out monti. Now my Space Invader Pectinia, that thing is deadly. Lost too many frags to it to count.

As another poster mentioned, the polyps on a stylo will be on stalks and extend quite far from the flesh, with longer pointed tentacles. Whereas a monti will have squat polyps with fused tentacles. Zooming in on your photo, the polyps look more stylo than monti. You should be able to see the difference in tank much easier.

Dennis

 

[adtravels]

monti for me

 

[adtravels]

monti for me

 

[playapixie]

+1 on Stylocoeniella. Montipora has flushed polyps that have fused tentacles while Stylocoeniella has more distinct tentacles polyps which are raised on small stalks when fully extended

Yes! It looks more like what you describe for stylocoenella. Thanks.

 

[playapixie]

The sweepers on mine are not too dangerous, about 1" long, but their presence and quantity will rule out monti. Now my Space Invader Pectinia, that thing is deadly. Lost too many frags to it to count.

As another poster mentioned, the polyps on a stylo will be on stalks and extend quite far from the flesh, with longer pointed tentacles. Whereas a monti will have squat polyps with fused tentacles. Zooming in on your photo, the polyps look more stylo than monti. You should be able to see the difference in tank much easier.

Dennis

Yes, I’ve thought all along that it doesn’t look like monti. The polyps are fluffier & whispier and on stalks like you describe for stylo. I haven’t been home to look at night for sweepers but I’ll look closer tonight!