ID coral

lacosta28 · 03/11/2011, 09:32 PM

My friend brought me a frag from his tank today at work. What a nice gift. Anyway he said the name of it but I forgot. I want to read up on it so I know how to take care of it. Thank you.

[IMG]

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100%hydrophylic · 03/11/2011, 09:38 PM

galaxia?

think it has alot of names tho

galaxia have really long sweepers than can be up to 8 inches. cant really have them near anything else

SushiGirl · 03/11/2011, 10:22 PM

Not sure what that is, but it's not a galaxea.

Edit: Does it have any kind of skeletal structure? Almost looks like a mat, but it's really hard to tell with that pic. Closer pic maybe?

lacosta28 · 03/11/2011, 10:34 PM

When I dipped it all those little tentacle things went inside some structure. They have green tips.

Edit: it also has 2 really long tentacles. Like 6 inches while the rest are about 1/4 inch.

SushiGirl · 03/11/2011, 10:39 PM

Does it look like this close up?

galaxea_coral19.jpg

galaxea_coral23.jpg

lacosta28 · 03/11/2011, 11:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SushiGirl

Does it look like this close up?

Attachment 141742

Attachment 141743

Umm it sort of resembles that. Let me see if I can get a better picture.

lacosta28 · 03/12/2011, 12:01 AM

Here are some more pictures. Not sure if they help out. One is taken further away to give a sense of the size.

[IMG]

[/IMG]

SushiGirl · 03/12/2011, 12:32 AM

I'll eat crow now! From the closer pic it looks like it has the same skeletal structure as a galaxea. I think 100%hydrophylic is 100% right!

I bought this one for $35 in 2002...boy have times changed!
galaxea_coral3.jpg

100%hydrophylic · 03/12/2011, 10:24 AM

lol.

what was the thing you posted sushi girl?

Percula9 · 03/12/2011, 10:27 AM

That coral is a torch coral, in the family of Euphylia. They also include frogspawn,anchor or hammer. It requires moderate water flow and feed once in a while,and good lighting. Yours might be the frogspawn but I think its the torch. They are all in the same family. Definitely not a galaxia.

Bananafish · 03/12/2011, 10:44 AM

+1 Torch

SushiGirl · 03/12/2011, 12:14 PM

100%, I posted my old galaxea.
My first thought was torch coral, but I've never had one so I've never examined the skeletal base of one up close. The closer up pic he posted, on the bottom facing looks just like the skeletal structure of the galaxea, plus the bottom polyp looks very similar.

Do i need to spit my crow back out? LOL

NakedClown · 03/12/2011, 01:46 PM

Its a torch, i have one that started like that and now has 5 heads. Looks great =)

100%hydrophylic · 03/12/2011, 03:11 PM

thats not a torch guys..... now i dont want to look like a jerk, but id be willing to bet that its a galaxea lol. look at how its spreading along the base. it almost has an encrusting style of growth. ive never seen an encrusting torch. also, the baby heads arent that much smaller than the fully adult heads. my torch corals either split, or some grow off of the base, and are SIGNIFICANTLY smaller than the full grown heads. From what ive seen galaxea have much smaller fully grown heads, and the baby heads on his arent very small compared to the grown ones

hey, i could be wrong, but im pretty darn sure im not. A LFS i go to always has that exact same galaxea.

and sushi, the skeletal structure of the closed galaxea in your picture threw me off, it usually looks like the cylindrical base is much shorter than that. is that one in particular just a funny growth, or do all of your heads on the colony have longer bases like that? yours looks really nice

SushiGirl · 03/12/2011, 03:13 PM

The very first pic looked encrusting to me (not the closeup). But galaxea don't encrust. Here is a galaxea branch that had broken off the one I had.
galaxea_coral11.jpg

100%hydrophylic · 03/12/2011, 03:18 PM

it doesnt? i thought if it had rocks to grow on, it will cover those first with a skeletal matt covered in flesh, and then the heads will start to grow in height?

all the ones ive seen kinda follow the shape of the rock somewhat. idkkk

SushiGirl · 03/12/2011, 03:29 PM

Not that I remember, but that was a long time ago. I knew nothing at all about the coral back then and it was huge when I bought it. It never appeared to be encrusting anything to me.
galaxea_coral18.jpg

100%hydrophylic · 03/12/2011, 03:39 PM

Galaxea astreata
http://data.aims.gov.au/coralpages/h...0pages/184.htm

Galaxea paucisepta
http://data.aims.gov.au/coralpages/h...0pages/581.htm

Galaxea cryptoramosa
http://data.aims.gov.au/coralpages/h...0pages/846.htm

Galaxea acrhelia
http://data.aims.gov.au/coralpages/h...0pages/710.htm

Galaxea fascicularis
http://data.aims.gov.au/coralpages/h...0pages/185.htm

Galaxea horrescens
http://data.aims.gov.au/coralpages/h...%20pages/5.htm

some have more of an encrusting growth, some are more branching

SushiGirl · 03/12/2011, 04:46 PM

Interesting! Thanks for the education!

Percula9 · 03/13/2011, 01:08 AM

For the last time it's a torch. I have had the galaxea, so I'm well aware of the differences. I know you will not be convinced though, be that as it may.

lacosta28 · 03/14/2011, 12:54 AM

Just an update. The guy that gave me the frag said it is a galaxea. He orignially got it from our LFS and that they have some frags there too. I went in and they also said they are galaxea.

Percula9 · 03/14/2011, 10:46 AM

I suggest finding a new LFS, as they obviously don't know the difference.

100%hydrophylic · 03/14/2011, 06:32 PM

percula9, could you post a pic of your torch? im curious, because ive not seen a torch that looks like that.

not trying to be disrespectful, just curious.

Percula9 · 03/15/2011, 04:34 PM

If you look at the bottom of that pic he posted, you will see a round stalk, that is an empty stalk that used to contain another torch head. If you look just to the right of that one you will see another one from the side. This is typical of Euphyllia.The tentacles in a galaxea are more dense www.petsolutions.com Go to this web site and type in their search box and the image will come up.

100%hydrophylic · 03/15/2011, 04:54 PM

not trying to start a fight, i just want to get the OP the best ID

now, based on the size of that frag relative to the algae clip and just the picture. it looks to be maybe a 1in squared frag, maybe at most 2in squared. on that frag i see atleast 3 adult heads, and many many babies. idk about your torches or euphylia, but any i have ever had will grow a single adult head the size of that entire frag before it grows babies or splits. now, i do not beleive that it is possible to even have a euphylia frag that small with 9+ heads. it just doesnt seem to me how torch/frogspawn/hammers grow.

thats alot of euphylia for a single little frag lol

just to make sure, can the OP tell us the size of the frag?

i could be wrong, but again, just trying to cover all basis so that the OP can get the best ID

03/11/2011, 09:32 PM	#1
lacosta28 Premium Member Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: Albuquerque Posts: 632	ID coral My friend brought me a frag from his tank today at work. What a nice gift. Anyway he said the name of it but I forgot. I want to read up on it so I know how to take care of it. Thank you. [IMG][/IMG]

03/11/2011, 09:38 PM	#2
100%hydrophylic Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: GA Posts: 1,636	galaxia? think it has alot of names tho galaxia have really long sweepers than can be up to 8 inches. cant really have them near anything else __________________ :) Current Tank Info: 75g mixed reef, 28g nano SPS

03/12/2011, 12:01 AM	#7
lacosta28 Premium Member Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: Albuquerque Posts: 632	Here are some more pictures. Not sure if they help out. One is taken further away to give a sense of the size. [IMG][/IMG]

03/12/2011, 10:24 AM	#9
100%hydrophylic Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: GA Posts: 1,636	lol. what was the thing you posted sushi girl? __________________ :) Current Tank Info: 75g mixed reef, 28g nano SPS

03/12/2011, 10:44 AM	#11
Bananafish Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: Western Suffolk, New York Posts: 311	+1 Torch __________________ ~ Sal ~ Current Tank Info: It's 3,000 gallons smaller than I wish it could be

03/11/2011, 10:22 PM	#3
SushiGirl Premium Member Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Fort Worth, TX USA Posts: 8,267	Not sure what that is, but it's not a galaxea. Edit: Does it have any kind of skeletal structure? Almost looks like a mat, but it's really hard to tell with that pic. Closer pic maybe?

03/11/2011, 10:34 PM	#4
lacosta28 Premium Member Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: Albuquerque Posts: 632	When I dipped it all those little tentacle things went inside some structure. They have green tips. Edit: it also has 2 really long tentacles. Like 6 inches while the rest are about 1/4 inch.

03/11/2011, 10:39 PM	#5
SushiGirl Premium Member Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Fort Worth, TX USA Posts: 8,267	Does it look like this close up? galaxea_coral19.jpg galaxea_coral23.jpg

03/12/2011, 12:32 AM	#8
SushiGirl Premium Member Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Fort Worth, TX USA Posts: 8,267	I'll eat crow now! From the closer pic it looks like it has the same skeletal structure as a galaxea. I think 100%hydrophylic is 100% right! I bought this one for $35 in 2002...boy have times changed! galaxea_coral3.jpg

03/12/2011, 10:27 AM	#10
Percula9 Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Orange County CA Posts: 3,819	That coral is a torch coral, in the family of Euphylia. They also include frogspawn,anchor or hammer. It requires moderate water flow and feed once in a while,and good lighting. Yours might be the frogspawn but I think its the torch. They are all in the same family. Definitely not a galaxia.

03/12/2011, 12:14 PM	#12
SushiGirl Premium Member Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Fort Worth, TX USA Posts: 8,267	100%, I posted my old galaxea. My first thought was torch coral, but I've never had one so I've never examined the skeletal base of one up close. The closer up pic he posted, on the bottom facing looks just like the skeletal structure of the galaxea, plus the bottom polyp looks very similar. Do i need to spit my crow back out? LOL

03/12/2011, 01:46 PM	#13
NakedClown Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: Mesa, AZ Posts: 716	Its a torch, i have one that started like that and now has 5 heads. Looks great =)

03/12/2011, 03:11 PM	#14
100%hydrophylic Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: GA Posts: 1,636	thats not a torch guys..... now i dont want to look like a jerk, but id be willing to bet that its a galaxea lol. look at how its spreading along the base. it almost has an encrusting style of growth. ive never seen an encrusting torch. also, the baby heads arent that much smaller than the fully adult heads. my torch corals either split, or some grow off of the base, and are SIGNIFICANTLY smaller than the full grown heads. From what ive seen galaxea have much smaller fully grown heads, and the baby heads on his arent very small compared to the grown ones hey, i could be wrong, but im pretty darn sure im not. A LFS i go to always has that exact same galaxea. and sushi, the skeletal structure of the closed galaxea in your picture threw me off, it usually looks like the cylindrical base is much shorter than that. is that one in particular just a funny growth, or do all of your heads on the colony have longer bases like that? yours looks really nice __________________ :) Current Tank Info: 75g mixed reef, 28g nano SPS

03/12/2011, 03:13 PM	#15
SushiGirl Premium Member Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Fort Worth, TX USA Posts: 8,267	The very first pic looked encrusting to me (not the closeup). But galaxea don't encrust. Here is a galaxea branch that had broken off the one I had. galaxea_coral11.jpg

03/12/2011, 03:18 PM	#16
100%hydrophylic Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: GA Posts: 1,636	it doesnt? i thought if it had rocks to grow on, it will cover those first with a skeletal matt covered in flesh, and then the heads will start to grow in height? all the ones ive seen kinda follow the shape of the rock somewhat. idkkk __________________ :) Current Tank Info: 75g mixed reef, 28g nano SPS

03/12/2011, 03:29 PM	#17
SushiGirl Premium Member Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Fort Worth, TX USA Posts: 8,267	Not that I remember, but that was a long time ago. I knew nothing at all about the coral back then and it was huge when I bought it. It never appeared to be encrusting anything to me. galaxea_coral18.jpg

03/12/2011, 03:39 PM	#18
100%hydrophylic Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: GA Posts: 1,636	Galaxea astreata http://data.aims.gov.au/coralpages/h...0pages/184.htm Galaxea paucisepta http://data.aims.gov.au/coralpages/h...0pages/581.htm Galaxea cryptoramosa http://data.aims.gov.au/coralpages/h...0pages/846.htm Galaxea acrhelia http://data.aims.gov.au/coralpages/h...0pages/710.htm Galaxea fascicularis http://data.aims.gov.au/coralpages/h...0pages/185.htm Galaxea horrescens http://data.aims.gov.au/coralpages/h...%20pages/5.htm some have more of an encrusting growth, some are more branching __________________ :) Current Tank Info: 75g mixed reef, 28g nano SPS

03/12/2011, 04:46 PM	#19
SushiGirl Premium Member Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Fort Worth, TX USA Posts: 8,267	Interesting! Thanks for the education!

03/13/2011, 01:08 AM	#20
Percula9 Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Orange County CA Posts: 3,819	For the last time it's a torch. I have had the galaxea, so I'm well aware of the differences. I know you will not be convinced though, be that as it may.

03/14/2011, 12:54 AM	#21
lacosta28 Premium Member Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: Albuquerque Posts: 632	Just an update. The guy that gave me the frag said it is a galaxea. He orignially got it from our LFS and that they have some frags there too. I went in and they also said they are galaxea.

03/14/2011, 10:46 AM	#22
Percula9 Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Orange County CA Posts: 3,819	I suggest finding a new LFS, as they obviously don't know the difference. Last edited by Percula9; 03/14/2011 at 10:52 AM.

03/14/2011, 06:32 PM	#23
100%hydrophylic Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: GA Posts: 1,636	percula9, could you post a pic of your torch? im curious, because ive not seen a torch that looks like that. not trying to be disrespectful, just curious. __________________ :) Current Tank Info: 75g mixed reef, 28g nano SPS

03/15/2011, 04:34 PM	#24
Percula9 Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Orange County CA Posts: 3,819	If you look at the bottom of that pic he posted, you will see a round stalk, that is an empty stalk that used to contain another torch head. If you look just to the right of that one you will see another one from the side. This is typical of Euphyllia.The tentacles in a galaxea are more dense www.petsolutions.com Go to this web site and type in their search box and the image will come up. Last edited by Percula9; 03/15/2011 at 04:50 PM.

03/15/2011, 04:54 PM	#25
100%hydrophylic Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: GA Posts: 1,636	not trying to start a fight, i just want to get the OP the best ID now, based on the size of that frag relative to the algae clip and just the picture. it looks to be maybe a 1in squared frag, maybe at most 2in squared. on that frag i see atleast 3 adult heads, and many many babies. idk about your torches or euphylia, but any i have ever had will grow a single adult head the size of that entire frag before it grows babies or splits. now, i do not beleive that it is possible to even have a euphylia frag that small with 9+ heads. it just doesnt seem to me how torch/frogspawn/hammers grow. thats alot of euphylia for a single little frag lol just to make sure, can the OP tell us the size of the frag? i could be wrong, but again, just trying to cover all basis so that the OP can get the best ID __________________ :) Current Tank Info: 75g mixed reef, 28g nano SPS

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