What is this coral and why does it pump only at night?

[thejacgues]

This coral in the day time is flat and looks similarly to Fungia. Pumps only in the night time and increases its volume even 20-fold. What is is and why does it pump when the lights are off?

 

[radreef02]

This coral in the day time is flat and looks similarly to Fungia. Pumps only in the night time and increases its volume even 20-fold. What is is and why does it pump when the lights are off?

Pic of it during day time?

 

[Sleeping Giant]

Interesting

 

[fk3212]

By the looks of it...it looks like a Mushroom Coral. But, I'm not sure!

 

[Alexopora]

Cant be precise but you are spot on, it belongs to the Fungiidae family (Fungia, Cycloseris, Lithophyllon etc). Basically the plate/dome/tongue corals. Regarding the puffing up at night, I cant tell u for sure why they do this but I can assure you its normal. My dome coral of 1 year and half does this frequently once lights are off.

It doesnt show on the pic but when it does puff up, it looks exactly like yours.

 

[thejacgues]

This is how looks before it pumps (so basically always when the lights are on). It pumps only at night. I also have fungia color and it's as any other LPS - gets bigger in daytime, gets smaller st night. The fiolet fungia-like coral on contrary, which I find exceptional and a bit difficult to understand.

 

[Alexopora]

This is how looks before it pumps (so basically always when the lights are on). It pumps only at night. I also have fungia color and it's as any other LPS - gets bigger in daytime, gets smaller st night. The fiolet fungia-like coral on contrary, which I find exceptional and a bit difficult to understand.

Depends actually. My candy canes and Favia expand after dark with their tentacles out.

 

[thejacgues]

Yeah the same here with the tentacles, but size-wise all LPS with a soft tissue tend to be more pumped and bigger during the day, this one being an exception. It also doesn't have any tentacles, so I wonder if he pumps like that to catch food or for any other reason.

 

[A Young Reefer]

This is how looks before it pumps (so basically always when the lights are on). It pumps only at night. I also have fungia color and it's as any other LPS - gets bigger in daytime, gets smaller st night. The fiolet fungia-like coral on contrary, which I find exceptional and a bit difficult to understand.

Yep that looks like a plate coral

 

[Orito]

I had an orange plate that did something like this.

 

[joefishtank]

When it puffs up like that that's how they move.

 

[Kellye]

This is a really late reply but mine are all mostly closed at night. I believe they rest during that period. Save energy for morning feed. Absorb and process from day activity. Each day they open back up.

 

[encrustingacro]

Looks like Cycloseris; most "Fungia" in the hobby are actually from that genus. Most fungiids have the ability to inflate like that.