Coral ID and price check?

Kakabub · 07/26/2009, 09:53 PM

My LFS just got this in, I've never seen it before. They want 80bucks for it, looks super cool but wanted your guys input...

kcarrol2 · 07/26/2009, 10:10 PM

Nice!

bsclarinet · 07/26/2009, 10:28 PM

Wow that's awesome....though I have no clue what it is. I'd be interested in knowing though....

romsoccer12 · 07/26/2009, 10:38 PM

bleached

andrewk529 · 07/26/2009, 10:43 PM

is that a favia?

jbird69 · 07/26/2009, 10:47 PM

bleached favia. or favites?

danrobberg · 07/26/2009, 10:56 PM

it looks like an aussie acan. my lfs has a tn of them. pretty pricey.

Peter Eichler · 07/26/2009, 11:26 PM

Looks like a bleached favid to me...

NCSUsalt · 07/26/2009, 11:28 PM

looks like a bleached and receded acanthastrea to me

the point though is that it is not a healthy color, if it recovers it'll be a deeper red.

es1887 · 07/26/2009, 11:33 PM

definitely a bleached favid, it could color up very nicely. 80 bucks for a piece like that is a little pricey, but could be well worth it. i actually enjoy buying pieces that are bleached, browned, or just do not look good, and making them a prized piece. if you feel comfortable in the fact that you could turn that coral around and make it look better, buy it, but if not obviously do not buy it.

OwenInAZ · 07/26/2009, 11:34 PM

Definitely a favia (check out the edges where they deceased polyps had a skeleton), and bleached. Let it color up some before you make a decision, assuming it doesn't just die. For 80 bucks I'd prefer to get the best chances of survival that I can.

tmz · 07/27/2009, 12:21 AM

It's an acanastrea lordhowensis and it's polyps are closed. Wait for it to open up to judge the color and health.

OwenInAZ · 07/27/2009, 12:25 AM

Respectfully, I seriously doubt it's an acan. Look at the right side of the colony, you can see the stony socket that a favia polyp sits in.

Kakabub · 07/27/2009, 12:26 AM

Sorry about the poor pic quality, took it with my phone. The spots on the upper right and lower right are on the acrylic viewer box thing, not the coral. (edit)

Wow! I'm glad I ran this by you guys... I had a feeling something was a bit 'off' with this particular coral. I never buy anything new from my LFS, I just let it sit and watch it for a couple of weeks/month. If someone else buys it then oh well, but I want to make sure it's thriving in the LFS and survived the harvest/shipping/shipping to LFS before I pay good money for it. This being said, since I've never seen a coral like this before, I had to check it out. It didn't appear to have any necrosis/dead polyps around the edges at all which is one of the reasons I even considered it. If it colors back up and looks healthier do you think 80 bones is worth it? I could probly talk em down to 70 since i go there so much... well maybe...

will check on it in a few days and update

tmz · 07/27/2009, 12:54 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by OwenInAZ
Respectfully, I seriously doubt it's an acan. Look at the right side of the colony, you can see the stony socket that a favia polyp sits in.

Muussidae(Mussids) and Favidae(favids) can sometimes look close. This ,however, is Mussidae Acanastrea lordhowensis Color wise it appears to be an Austrailian morph. The ployps are retracted except for maybe one on the bottom. It may have expelled some zooxanthelae. I'd watch it for a few days to see if it opens. If it is healthy ,$80 is reasonable, in my opinion.

njdevilsfan · 07/27/2009, 03:14 AM

agreed with tmz
he always gives the best advice

OwenInAZ · 07/27/2009, 08:04 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by tmz
Muussidae(Mussids) and Favidae(favids) can sometimes look close. This ,however, is Mussidae Acanastrea lordhowensis Color wise it appears to be an Austrailian morph. The ployps are retracted except for maybe one on the bottom. It may have expelled some zooxanthelae. I'd watch it for a few days to see if it opens. If it is healthy ,$80 is reasonable, in my opinion.

Well, if he buys it we'll know for sure, right

If I look on the top part of the coral I can sort of see what you're talking about. Regardless of its actual identity, and even if it is a completely different color when it's not bleached, it's a huge piece whatever it is, so 80 bucks is probably reasonable.

tmz · 07/27/2009, 11:01 PM

I'd wait on it. The connective tissue which bridges between the polyps looks quite pale. This could just be shipping stress or worse. I wouldn't buy it until the polyps extended and it was showing good health, Then at $80 it would be a very good price, in my opinion.

rendogg · 07/28/2009, 12:02 AM

Is that one of those Antarctic corals? If so, it's definitely worth 80$!

Seriously, it's way too hard to make an accurate ID of that in the shape that it's in.

I would hold off until it shows signs of improvement or, if your confident in your system and skills, talk the LFS owner down to a more reasonable price for a bleached coral.

Kakabub · 07/29/2009, 09:45 PM

I'll swing by the LFS tomorrow and if it's still there take a pic.

Kakabub · 08/06/2009, 09:27 PM

Went by the LFS today, yah I know it's been a few days but they had already sold it the day after I looked at it, for 100 bucks!

seapug · 08/06/2009, 10:24 PM

Looks like a Faviid but could be a severely shriveled Acan, but I doubt any aussie acan with that many polyps would be going for $80. Ask the LFS . If they got it with a shipment there's a 90% chance some sort of vague description on the shipping list. The wholesaler would likely call it something more specific than "Pink LPS colony".

JuliusJames · 08/07/2009, 12:53 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by es1887
definitely a bleached favid, it could color up very nicely. 80 bucks for a piece like that is a little pricey, but could be well worth it. i actually enjoy buying pieces that are bleached, browned, or just do not look good, and making them a prized piece. if you feel comfortable in the fact that you could turn that coral around and make it look better, buy it, but if not obviously do not buy it.

Nice! I like your way of thinking. Your bleached, brown, not so good looking corals are lucky to have an owner like you. I might have to try your idea =)

luther1200 · 08/07/2009, 02:33 PM

I thought Acans had distict polyps. Meaning they didn't share a polyp wall with the 1 next to it, like a Platygyra does. But I am no expert on the subject, and could be wrong. I just always thought that for some reason.

07/26/2009, 09:53 PM	#1
Kakabub Registered Member Join Date: May 2009 Location: SF/Sactown Posts: 220	Coral ID and price check? My LFS just got this in, I've never seen it before. They want 80bucks for it, looks super cool but wanted your guys input...

07/26/2009, 10:10 PM	#2
kcarrol2 Premium Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Kansas City Posts: 52	Nice! __________________ Sometimes I worry about being a success in a mediocre world. Lily Tomlin Current Tank Info: 110 RR Oceanic, custom stand and canopy, Kent Maxxima RO/DI

07/26/2009, 10:28 PM	#3
bsclarinet Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Knoxville, TN Posts: 132	Wow that's awesome....though I have no clue what it is. I'd be interested in knowing though.... __________________ Julie Current Tank Info: 45 gallon reef tank - 1 O. Clown - 1 bicolor blenny - 1 canary blenny - 1 six line wrasse - 1 watchman goby and tiger pistol shrimp - hermits, snails, emerald crab, urchin - sun coral - frogspawn - candy cane, variety of softies

07/26/2009, 10:38 PM	#4
romsoccer12 Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: ohio Posts: 2,625	bleached __________________ Colin R Current Tank Info: 3rd tank working fine!(29gal oceanic biocube) 5-6months old

07/26/2009, 10:47 PM	#6
jbird69 Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: The beautiful State of Jefferson Posts: 2,751	bleached favia. or favites? __________________ Broke Back Mountain is not a movie, its the pile of dead ninjas in Chuck Norris' back yard

07/26/2009, 10:43 PM	#5
andrewk529 Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: wilmington, delaware Posts: 317	is that a favia?

07/26/2009, 10:56 PM	#7
danrobberg Registered Member Join Date: May 2009 Location: Buffalo NY Posts: 962	it looks like an aussie acan. my lfs has a tn of them. pretty pricey.

07/26/2009, 11:26 PM	#8
Peter Eichler Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Milwaukee Posts: 6,081	Looks like a bleached favid to me... __________________ April 2015 TOTM

07/26/2009, 11:28 PM	#9
NCSUsalt Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: raleigh, NC Posts: 619	looks like a bleached and receded acanthastrea to me the point though is that it is not a healthy color, if it recovers it'll be a deeper red.

07/26/2009, 11:33 PM	#10
es1887 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: boulder co Posts: 652	definitely a bleached favid, it could color up very nicely. 80 bucks for a piece like that is a little pricey, but could be well worth it. i actually enjoy buying pieces that are bleached, browned, or just do not look good, and making them a prized piece. if you feel comfortable in the fact that you could turn that coral around and make it look better, buy it, but if not obviously do not buy it. __________________ "is it saltwater?" "yes." "the whole thing?!" -idiot Current Tank Info: 48x24x30 150, 2 400w 20k radium, 2 110w vhos, 2 mp40w, apex aqua controller, sro 5000 skimmer

07/26/2009, 11:34 PM	#11
OwenInAZ Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Flagstaff, AZ Posts: 2,409	Definitely a favia (check out the edges where they deceased polyps had a skeleton), and bleached. Let it color up some before you make a decision, assuming it doesn't just die. For 80 bucks I'd prefer to get the best chances of survival that I can. __________________ Owen Professional Bacteria Geek "Ree... cy... cling?" "One day it's a bowl full of cherries, one night I'm suckin' on lemons and spittin' out the seeds" Current Tank Info: 90 gallon tall reef

07/27/2009, 12:21 AM	#12
tmz ReefKeeping Mag staff Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: West Seneca NY Posts: 27,691	It's an acanastrea lordhowensis and it's polyps are closed. Wait for it to open up to judge the color and health. __________________ Tom Current Tank Info: Tank of the Month , November 2011 : 600gal integrated system: 3 display tanks (120 g, 90g, 89g),several frag/grow out tanks, macroalgae refugia, cryptic zones. 40+ fish, seahorses, sps,lps,leathers, zoanthidae and non photosynthetic corals.

07/27/2009, 12:25 AM	#13
OwenInAZ Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Flagstaff, AZ Posts: 2,409	Respectfully, I seriously doubt it's an acan. Look at the right side of the colony, you can see the stony socket that a favia polyp sits in. __________________ Owen Professional Bacteria Geek "Ree... cy... cling?" "One day it's a bowl full of cherries, one night I'm suckin' on lemons and spittin' out the seeds" Current Tank Info: 90 gallon tall reef

07/27/2009, 12:26 AM	#14
Kakabub Registered Member Join Date: May 2009 Location: SF/Sactown Posts: 220	Sorry about the poor pic quality, took it with my phone. The spots on the upper right and lower right are on the acrylic viewer box thing, not the coral. (edit) Wow! I'm glad I ran this by you guys... I had a feeling something was a bit 'off' with this particular coral. I never buy anything new from my LFS, I just let it sit and watch it for a couple of weeks/month. If someone else buys it then oh well, but I want to make sure it's thriving in the LFS and survived the harvest/shipping/shipping to LFS before I pay good money for it. This being said, since I've never seen a coral like this before, I had to check it out. It didn't appear to have any necrosis/dead polyps around the edges at all which is one of the reasons I even considered it. If it colors back up and looks healthier do you think 80 bones is worth it? I could probly talk em down to 70 since i go there so much... well maybe... will check on it in a few days and update Last edited by Kakabub; 07/27/2009 at 12:50 AM.

07/27/2009, 03:14 AM	#16
njdevilsfan Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: texas Posts: 658	agreed with tmz he always gives the best advice __________________ SOME PEOPLE ARE LIKE SLINKIES - NOT REALLY GOOD FOR ANYTHING BUT THEY BRING A SMILE TO YOUR FACE WHEN PUSHED DOWN THE STAIRS Current Tank Info: 210lps,75anemone,60frag,20

07/27/2009, 11:01 PM	#18
tmz ReefKeeping Mag staff Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: West Seneca NY Posts: 27,691	I'd wait on it. The connective tissue which bridges between the polyps looks quite pale. This could just be shipping stress or worse. I wouldn't buy it until the polyps extended and it was showing good health, Then at $80 it would be a very good price, in my opinion. __________________ Tom Current Tank Info: Tank of the Month , November 2011 : 600gal integrated system: 3 display tanks (120 g, 90g, 89g),several frag/grow out tanks, macroalgae refugia, cryptic zones. 40+ fish, seahorses, sps,lps,leathers, zoanthidae and non photosynthetic corals.

07/28/2009, 12:02 AM	#19
rendogg Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Abbotsford, B.C. Posts: 578	Is that one of those Antarctic corals? If so, it's definitely worth 80$! Seriously, it's way too hard to make an accurate ID of that in the shape that it's in. I would hold off until it shows signs of improvement or, if your confident in your system and skills, talk the LFS owner down to a more reasonable price for a bleached coral.

07/29/2009, 09:45 PM	#20
Kakabub Registered Member Join Date: May 2009 Location: SF/Sactown Posts: 220	I'll swing by the LFS tomorrow and if it's still there take a pic.

08/06/2009, 09:27 PM	#21
Kakabub Registered Member Join Date: May 2009 Location: SF/Sactown Posts: 220	Went by the LFS today, yah I know it's been a few days but they had already sold it the day after I looked at it, for 100 bucks!

08/06/2009, 10:24 PM	#22
seapug Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: 4980 ft. Posts: 7,954 Blog Entries: 1	Looks like a Faviid but could be a severely shriveled Acan, but I doubt any aussie acan with that many polyps would be going for $80. Ask the LFS . If they got it with a shipment there's a 90% chance some sort of vague description on the shipping list. The wholesaler would likely call it something more specific than "Pink LPS colony". __________________ insert clever saying here. Current Tank Info: 200 gallon custom Marineland DD peninsular tank. LPS dominated mixed reef. Previous 90 gallon mixed reef TOTM April 2009.

08/07/2009, 02:33 PM	#24
luther1200 Premium Member Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: NJ, shore Posts: 4,376	I thought Acans had distict polyps. Meaning they didn't share a polyp wall with the 1 next to it, like a Platygyra does. But I am no expert on the subject, and could be wrong. I just always thought that for some reason. __________________ Matt, 65G reef tank Current Tank Info: 65g reef, mix of sps, lps, few softies. Hoping to upgrade within the year.