Is this a coral?

[Ancient Storm]

Hi,
I am having trouble identifying this brown leathery looking thing that came on my TBS live rock. Its hard to see in this picture, but it is brown in color and has small circles 3/8" in diameter all over the surface. Any help in Id'ing this would be appreciated.

[Mariner]

Can't tell much from the pic. Sounds/looks like it might be a sponge though. Did you ask the TBS folks?
Mariner

[Ancient Storm]

Heres a link for a larger pic.....Talking about the brown toadstool looking thing to the right of the brown gorgonia stalklarger tank shot (http://www.prolineracks.com/mytank.jpg)
Thanks

[Ancient Storm]

anyone.....anyone....

[NicoleC]

I'd guess a sponge, but need a closer pic.

[Ancient Storm]

still havent figured out how to take good closups tank pics with the digital camera yet.

[Ancient Storm]

Here's the best pic i can get of this thing:
closup (http://www.prolineracks.com/reefbrownclose.jpg)
Sorry about the stuff hanging on it. Cleanup crew did a good job so far but they missed that spot. TBS rock is 3 weeks old.
Thanks

[bler]

looks like it could possibly be a brain or pineapple coral (possibly dead with some algae growing on it) would most likley need even a closer shot for a definate identification..

i'm no expert either, just a guess..

[BryanJ]

Start researching corals in the lps family. I'm with bler on this one. It is definitely a coral though. Just not sure which one.

[Cearbhaill]

It is Siderastrea radians.

[Mariner]

Yeah, from the last pick it's definitely a coral, and Cearbhaill seems to have nailed the ID
Here's a link (http://www.sms.si.edu/irlspec/Sidera_radian.htm) to some info on Sidera radians -- apparently a pretty common coral in Florida waters. Do a google search on it and see if what you get matches what you've got ;)
HTH,
Mariner

[Whisperer]

Anyone thinks it's a porite?

[Frick-n-Frags]

No, Porites don't have those large polyps like that.

[Reef Junkie]

Yeah, not a Porites. From the picture it looks like a coral and Cearbhaill is probably right, or close.
Bill

[Ancient Storm]

Thanks for the link Mariner. Thats the closest looking picture I've found so far. I've never noticed any tenticles on this coral. Just the small circular depressions with a star type pattern inside each circle. Is this normal? The coral looks to be healthy as the color has remained the same since arrival and there appears to be no decay.

[Ancient Storm]

Just checked on Whisper's theory about Porites. Found this link:
Porites (http://porites.geology.uiowa.edu/database/corals/systemat/portoric.htm)
The pattern inside the dimples is very similiar to mine. I also recieved a small rock (bout 6" long) from TBS that looks like a fossilized version of of this brown coral and looks like an exact match for this attached Porites link.
Thanks for the help....but still not 100 % sure.

[Cearbhaill]

I still vote Siderastrea radians. The appearance is spot on, S. radians are native to the area TBS farms in, and are the commonest corals found on TBS rock.

Looks like a duck, quacks like a duck...

[Ancient Storm]

I'm leaning towards Siderastrea radians as well Cearbhaill. But still hard to tell. By the way, I checked out your website. Looks like you also bought the TBS rock. Did u get any hitchhikers like Mantis or Apistasia Anenome? Did you get any Siderastrea radians on your rock. And lastly how is the life on the rock holding up? Thanks

[Frick-n-Frags]

Also, if you zoom in a pic, you can make that look really big. They even state corallites are <2mm which is about 2 pencil marks thick. But after seeing that pic, I totally understand why you came to that conclusion. The Siderastreas are all >2mm usually considerably larger

Between owning a Porites, a Siderastrea(or one of those, I think mine is Siderastrea siderea - it grew off a rock that a Monti frag was mounted on BONUS!!!) AND Veron's books, you can just get a general feel for certain differences.

Furthermore, you have to deal with geographical location. Atlantic corals are way fewer than Pacific, which really narrows down the selection of what grows in the Bay. Ie according to Veron, only 6 species of Porites grow in the Atlantic, none of which have depressed corallites like that.

WHOA!!!! Wait a minute, that's a fossil :D :D Good one. That flavor of Porites doesn't even exist anymore.

[Ancient Storm]

Thanks,
Sounds more nad more like Siderastreas. The coralites are more like 7-8mm in diameter. Any suggestions on feeding or general care for Siderastreas?

[Frick-n-Frags]

Wow, that stuff can take 13ºC to 31ºC temp. I wish all corals were that tough. And they also said it is commonly mistaken for S. siderea, so maybe I have the radians stuff too. All three of those in Veron's book look superficially the same.

Mine grew on a volunteer basis from one little speck that glowed in the actinics. It grows, then dies back. The polyps are actually pretty big and they can catch powdered flakefood that is target fed. But I only did that just to see. I basically ignore it and it just hangs around. Incidentally, the Monti frag was my very first SPS, so this rock is like 5+ years old already.

[Ancient Storm]

Thanks alot Frick, I really appreciate all the help you've offered over several of my threads.

[Cearbhaill]

Looks like you also bought the TBS rock. Did u get any hitchhikers like Mantis or Apistasia Anenome?

I removed one small mantis from the rock. I hear popping from my refugium from time to time, but as long as "whatever it is" stays in there away from my display tank I don't care.

Did you get any Siderastrea radians on your rock.

Many of them. If you target feed them brine shrimp or similar foods you can very nearly watch it disintegrate while the coral eats it.

And lastly how is the life on the rock holding up?

Very well. I've been cycled since the end of January and the only losses I've experienced have been some of the sponges- the big yellow puff ball looking things. Actually they did not die but simply looked so wasted and near death that I yanked 'em out.

I gave away my Condy, the Epicystis, and the urchins as well as a pile of crabs.

[Ancient Storm]

I lost a few sponges as well, but so far those were the only casualties. I'm hearing clicking in my tank too, but havent yet seen a mantis. Only got 30 lbs of rock, so not a whole lot of places it could hide. Hope I dont have one, don't care to feed it all of my inverts.
Did you get any of the orange tubular corals on your rock and if so....do you know what type they are? Seen them on a lot of TBS rock photos and you can see some of them on the right of the Siderastreas in my last attached pic.