quik ID help please

[Porkchop]

New to saltwater, found this growing on some rock, popped off its stem during water change, now resides on sand bed.
Can anyone tell me what this is please...?
it grew pretty fast, about the size of silver dollar now. Anyone know how big it might get as well?
Oh, and will the stem grow another?
Thanks

 

[user 26995]

My first thought is a fungia plate coral but not quite. Does it have a hard skeleton?

You say it had a stem? Can you get a pic of it?

 

[Porkchop]

Ok, so it seems to have popped off of this stem looking thing here.
the coral has a hard skeleton about the size of a dime, underneath and in center.
the coral it self, is alot of soft tissue, as it shrunk up to quarter size when i checked for skeletal.

 

[jrgilles]

Nice hitchhiker. No idea what it is though...

 

[Herefishyfishy]

Not sure of species, but if a LPS is healthy as this polyp appears to be and gets enough light and nutrients, will definately grow more skeleton.
The base doesn't look calcarious though. Is it hard like rock or leathery?

 

[trido]

Definately looks like a fungia in the sand bed to me

 

[Herefishyfishy]

Duane I agree polyp looks like one, but if it polyp came from that base pointed to, kinda rules that out as fungia always have that flat ridged plate skeleton

 

[Krish]

If it is growing nicely, may not be too sensitive to water conditions as I see what appears to be a diatom bloom on the sand bed so probably not a mature system.


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[1guydude]

+1 looks like a new or newer set up.
Could be a rock nem of some kind... ive got a some.

 

[Porkchop]

Well... Thanks for the input, but still unknown.
W/O touching base, it seems leathery, but skeltal bit underside of head seems bony.
Bu,t didnt disturb/handle it to much, just a quik grope....
I was just hopin that someone knew by appearance what it could be...
Thanks all....

 

[user 26995]

Well you've got us a little puzzled...But we will keep our eyes out for anything that it could be.

 

[Herefishyfishy]

If there had been no narrative offered, would have guessed they were two distinct animals. The tan one a fragment of a toadstool leather and the item in the sand a baby Fungia. Both creatures readily reproduce by budding/dropping

 

[BReefed]

...but skeltal bit underside of head seems bony.

Sure sounds like a LPS? Applying Occum's Razor here, what prevents it from being a fungia?

Only thing I would say is that I don't see a ridged skeleton of any kind. If there was one I'd guess F. Scutaria or F. Somervillei.

Can you take a top down photo?

Might want to move it away from that frog anyway?

 

[Porkchop]

Cool, thanks for input, i will look into it
K well now the stem seems to be producing another head....
Or am i just wishful thinking?
I will post a new pic from top soon.
Head keeps moving in sand. 6-7" over 3-4 day period

 

[Porkchop]

BReefed, I think you nailed it... F. Scutaria
i did a google search and this seems to be as close as one could guess
couple cool videos of time lapse diggin itself out of burial too.
Video: Buried corals dig themselves out of trouble | News | Practical Fishkeeping
Thanks

 

[Porkchop]

 

[user 26995]

Wow...that is a cool piece. And it does look like that "stem" is growing again. Doesnt look like it stings.

 

[10gnano]

BReefed, I think you nailed it... F. Scutaria
i did a google search and this seems to be as close as one could guess
couple cool videos of time lapse diggin itself out of burial too.
Video: Buried corals dig themselves out of trouble | News | Practical Fishkeeping
Thanks

Pretty cool videos

 

[Porkchop]

Ya, its very cool one!
It seems to resemble the one in second video more than the first.
Probable Herpolitha limax (Tongue coral)
The recent pic of stem was out of water, when its in water, it seems more pronounced and forming. Just cant get good shot through glass.
I will keep posting the growth over time, like i said, it grew pretty fast.

 

[BReefed]

Right on! Good find then.

Your rock was a heck of a lot cooler than mine then.

Mine just gave me crabs )