ID please

[panmanmatt]

Can someone give me an ID on this coral? I believe it to be Heliopora coerulea, Blue ridge coral. It has the polyps and flesh of a leather but with a hard skeleton.

 

[RichT]

tan coral with polyps
HTH

 

[panmanmatt]

Thanks Rich. Care to take a shot at this one?

 

[concept3]

first one is a blue ridge.

second one looks like some kind of carnation

 

[panmanmatt]

first one is a blue ridge.

second one looks like some kind of carnation

Thanks Merv. I thought it was as it's the only soft coral with a hard skeleton. The LFS tried to sell it to me as a montipora species.

You're a little off on the second one.

 

[RichT]

D'oh. I was gonna type in Blue Ridge but mine is a bit darker......with a light blue ridge. I wasn't sure if it was hard or soft (don't do softies). After all, this is the softie forum.
The second..............gorgonian?

 

[panmanmatt]

Actually, it is a bit darker, but the flash kinda brightened the pic a little. I've only had it for 2 1/2 weeks and it has quite a bit of new growth on it.

Not a gorgonian either. It was sold as lemnalia. Not a coral you see available very often anymore.

 

[RichT]

I don't know. I don't see it.
You may want to post on RC.

The polyps in your picture look more like sea fan polyps than anything.

lemnalia's include colt corals, kenya trees, finger corals, and so forth. I don't think that's what you have. But I could be wrong.

 

[eholceker]

the first one is definitly a blue ridge coral. The second one is very hard to tell. Could be lemnalia. I think it looks more like a nephtea or a neospongodes. Can you take a picture with the sclerites open?

 

[panmanmatt]

I'll try to get a better pic it's gonna be hard as the frag is only about 1/2-3/4 inch when opened.
Actually the sclerites are open in that pic.

It's definitely not a sea fan/gorgonian as it completely retracts like a leather coral and has no skeleton.

 

[eholceker]

i would lean more towards a nephtea or a neospongodes. the bushy appearance would lean me to thinking neospongodes. I meant to take a pic closed. ;D

take a look at these pics.

http://liveaquaria.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=1910&N=0
http://liveaquaria.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=2548&N=0

 

[eholceker]

try to get a picture of the axial as well. nephtea and nespongodes have a very distinct stalk.

 

[sharks]

Looks like nephtea to me but hard to tell.
~S

 

[panmanmatt]

Ok, I'll try to get some better pics over the weekend. Lights are out now on the tank.

S I said, it's a small frag and my camera isn't the greatest but I'll see what i can do.

I also posted the pic over at RC so we'll see what they have to say too.

 

[eholceker]

i would post it at marine depot. let borneman take a look.

 

[panmanmatt]

i would post it at marine depot. let borneman take a look.

Just did, thanks for that. I had all but forgotten about him being over there.

 

[panmanmatt]

Eric seems to think dendronepthea. Here is a pic of it closed up and the closest I can get of the stalk.

 

[eholceker]

very possible. I would say it is either a dendro or a neodpongodes. The 2 are very similiar and hard to tell. Does the coral remain closed when they lights are out?