ORA Shortcake? Species?

[MrObscura]

This isn't the typical microclados, what is it?

 

[Graffiti Spot]

Good question. I know I had a nice wild piece years back when the first one was becoming popular that was just like it. Looked very similar to this but in this picture the tips are much longer. Mine original one also tabled really thick. It could be flow and tank conditions making it grow different and or a different species. I would like to hear the answer too.

 

[MrObscura]

I'm no expert, but I'm pretty sure that no microclados. The structure is too different for it to simply be a result of flow.

 

[29bonsaireef]

You'd be surprised the different growth structures A. Microclados can take on

 

[MrObscura]

It can turn into a tabling smoothskin looking thing?

 

[29bonsaireef]

Yes, Microclados is naturally a tabling acro. Lighting and flow play a huge part on a corals growth, I'm sure parameters even come into play as well.

 

[rossco]

When I said slow grower over a year ago, I wasn't kidding. (The picture in the OP is mine that I posted Feb 2018) The thin branches are getting longer and it is still slowly growing in diameter. I have taken a few frags, no more than half a dozen.

Still no idea the species though.

Here is a picture from today along with it to compare.

And a frag that is showing the same growth tendency

 

[MrObscura]

Microclados might be tabling but I can't see it turning into a smooth skin with a very reduced amount of coralites.

When looking up microclados I can't find a single pic of it where it simply doesn't look like a microclados.

 

[29bonsaireef]

You can see in sections of this colony the long axial shoots coming up. Not sure what it takes to create that growth, but I've seen it a few times in the hobby and a few times while collecting as well.

 

[x2uranium]

Now that is a microlados!!!!

 

[PasstheTorch]

Very interesting growth pattern it looks really cool