Can someone please ID this coral

[lynn53]

I believe it to be a Monitpora, is this correct? Also, the color is a very deep green blue not mauve. It's really large..probably about 10" across, quite often the top kinda melts off and drips down (thats the only way I can describe it) Is this how this reproduces or spreads?
thanks so much

 

[dpaynter]

It looks a little too fleshy to be a Montipora. It looks like some kind of Echinophyllia to me.

 

[lynn53]

Why does it "melt down or drip down" every while? You can see at the end there is a dripping part. It will take about 3 weeks to actually drip off ...then it happens again in awhile.
thanks

 

[dpaynter]

I've seen something like this when the skeleton gets broken for some reason. The broken piece falls away and stretches out the fleshy part until it separates. If just the flesh is "dripping" off of the colony, I would also guess that it was some sort of asexual reproduction.

Does the colony look healthy otherwise? Do the pieces that drip off survive and start to grow?

 

[lynn53]

The coral is very healthy looking and when I got it was about 2-3", now a few years later it is close to foot in diameter. I have never been able to keep track of the piece's that have dripped off, nor has there been any growth like it anywhere in the tank.
It just ocurred to me that this may possibly co-inside with water changes...I'll have to watch for this next time. This piece is at the top of the tank and is exposed to the air for a short time during this process. I've never ever kept track of how often and when it does this. But if someone can tell me this is a normal way of corals reproducing...then I would think thats what it is doing.
thanks

 

[Anthony Calfo]

I have a vibe that it is actually Hydnophora. Do check the ID gallery here for other Hydrophora species and see if any look familiar. Then see Google Images archive for the same (genus)

 

[lynn53]

Thanks! Do you have any idea what it's doing? This tip that melts off?

thanks