Help IDing an unknown coral

T

Tommysmommy

Can anyone tell me what this is? A couple of months ago, I bought the rock on the right, from a member, with pulsing xenia on it. At that time, there was a small patch of this dark green stuff. The green stuff has spread across the original rock and formed the bridge to the rock on the left. It is killing the xenia. Any ideas on what it is?
 
No, it doesn't. The only polyps I've seen are tiny redish or rust colored. And those I don't see often. I have GSP and this doesn't act anything like that.
 
Might be purple clove polyps which are very invasive. They will take over just about anything in the tank.


Sent from pay phone in the airport.
 
Hmmm? That doesn't sound encouraging. Would clove polyps form arms like an acropora? The pieces circled in red are growing up from the dark green stuff. The yellow circle shows what's left of the xenia.
 
I know green star polyps can. So I assume clove polyps would be able to as well.


Sent from pay phone in the airport.
 
Do the little mounds have crater looking openings? Kinda looks like meteor shower cyphastrea can you get a close up of the surface?
 
If it's a sponge I highly doubt it's invasive. If your worried about what it is i would chip that piece if the rock off and isolate until it's identified. I can't tell anything from pic would just be blind guess.
 
Yes, it does have little craters. I never would have thought it was a sponge. Interesting. Thank you so much! It has decimated my pulsing xenia but doesn't seem to be encroaching any further on the palys on the rock on the left. Should I try to get rid of it, and if so, how?
 
I don't know what that is. But not a sponge in my opinion. Looks like the mat of gsp but for it to spread like that it should be opening up.
 
I have some black sponge growing. It does grow fast. Just keep an eye on it. Exposer to air will kill it. You could move it into your sump. Always good to have sponge there.


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A sponge should have a hole like feature that will intake water. I don't see that in the pic. It could be there though hard to tell.
 
If it's sponge then it should start coming off with a toothbrush the base should crape off easily. Is it hard or squishy?
 
This is some purple encrusting sponge I have. [attachment=0]ImageUploadedByTapatalk1412620406.054306.jpg[/attachment]
 
Honestly, I'm not sure if they were polyps or not. There seemed to be a few rusty looking things in a couple of spots a few days ago but I haven't seen them since.
 
It does resemble an encrusting sponge but I've never seen green! Try poking it with something if it's squishy it's a sponge. If it is an encrusting sponge then I doubt it's what killed your Xenia. Xenias can be very picky it could be that it started to wither away cause it wasn't happy and the sponge was like "thanks for the space"! I have had one Xenia colony die in my tank and another do great in the exact same spot! Got them from the same place just had different lineage I guess.
 
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