Unknown NFS? LPS hitchhiker

Shirak · Jul 12, 2020

hmm Well scratching my head a bit on this one. Came on a yellow leather coral from Australia. Was attached to the rock at the base of the leather. Under a couple blue t5 it looks white until it opens to eat and the inside looks blackish. Any idea what it could be?

Quick shot with my iphone and filter so not the best but you get the idea.

BighohoReef · Jul 13, 2020

YIKES!!! At first, I thought "oh what's eating those zoas?!?" following I'm interested to know. Do you have a clearer picture? Has it grown since you put it on the rack? I'd say if it's eating and growing I might isolate it until proper ID can be made.

Shirak · Jul 13, 2020

BighohoReef said:
YIKES!!! At first, I thought "oh what's eating those zoas?!?" following I'm interested to know. Do you have a clearer picture? Has it grown since you put it on the rack? I'd say if it's eating and growing I might isolate it until proper ID can be made.

lol Will move it over towards the glass so I can get a better picture. Not much to look at during the day. It spent a few weeks at the base of the leather coral until I realized it was there! I was removing the leather so I could take some frags and this chunk fell off the rock and I was thinking some piece of rock rubble or broken leather base.. but nope this thing! So it's only been a few days since I have been target feeding it. Seems happier and more active now.

BighohoReef · Jul 13, 2020

Maybe it'll color up and you got some ultra rare coral

Sadly that's probably not the case. I'm super interested to find out what this thing is... interest piqued!

Shirak · Jul 13, 2020

Better photo today. Can see a couple of the polyps are out and about more fully.

Cell · Jul 13, 2020

Some sort of sun coral?

najer · Jul 13, 2020

I think palys with an invasive sponge.

Shirak · Jul 13, 2020

najer said:
I think palys with an invasive sponge.

Pretty sure it's just the one organism and not a sponge over some paly's but I will take a closer look.

Shirak · Jul 23, 2020

Well I got a couple more photos. One after lights out and it was opened up much more. The other is a top down shot just now. Eats pellets and stuff.. so

Shirak · Jul 23, 2020

Cell said:
Some sort of sun coral?

Hmm I don't think so. The sun corals I am familiar with have much more distinct skeleton which extends out from the base even when the polyps are retracted. This thing is kind of a lumpy blob when they are closed up.

Shirak · Mar 11, 2021

Just an update on this oddball. Much greener with touch of brown around the tentacles. Still have the white speckles on the body just not as noticeable. May have to frag a piece and see what kind of skeleton it has. Color is close.. I just did a quick cellphone photo and adjusted best I could since it's under blue T5

Shirak · Mar 11, 2021

Loves to eat! polyps close up tight into the mound when it catches something.

Shirak · Mar 11, 2021

It's grown some.. hard to tell. It's sandwiched between an Acan echinata on one side and a Lord on the other.. and well a bower in the distance lol. It was sending some growth down through the eggcrate so hmm not sure it's easily removeable now! hard to see below due to the coralline on the glass ;x

Arabyps · Mar 11, 2021

I'm curious... did you dip the coral and if so what did you use?

JosephM · Mar 11, 2021

Looks like some palys to me tbh

Shirak · Mar 11, 2021

Arabyps said:
I'm curious... did you dip the coral and if so what did you use?

Would have been dipped in Bauer originally along with the leather coral it came in with.

dedragon · Mar 11, 2021

im thinking palys that are overgrown with sponge or something. bayer probably wouldnt do much to the sponge. h2o2 dip might get sponges off

Shirak · Mar 11, 2021

Appreciate all guesses but most definitely not palys or some polyp overgrown with sponge. Not sure if there is a calcium skeleton as I have not cut it yet. Photo below after feeding so I could get the polyps to retract. There are no sponge like stuff and the tissue of the polyps is exactly the same as the tissue of the main body. Probably never know as it was some hitchhiker on a chunk of rock with a yellow Aus leather. But it is pretty cool!