This thing started growing out of a rock I had a different frag glued to, I have no idea what it is. It is an encrusting coral with green and orange polyps, the polyps are some a little big for an sps but they are still small.
Another hitchhiker ID
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It is sitting on a standard frag plug that you can kind of see in the pic for a size reference. I think the plug has about a 1 inch diameter. It is closed up at the moment I'll go look at it in a bit to attempt to get a nominal value for polyp size.
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jgraz
Valuable Member
+2 that is definitely a cyphastrea.
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After some googling I think it might be a cyphastrea, I've never seen an official one in person. It also sort of resembles some photos of some encrusting montis I've seen, but the polyps seem a little bigger and more bunched together plus I've never seen a monti with more than one color in a single polyp (this has orange centers with green and white skirts I know the photo doesn't show it that well but you can sort of see it). Is there an easy way to tell a cyphastra from an encrusting monti? Here is another pic with more polyps open so you can see the high density of polyps. Sorry for the crappy iPhone pics. Either way I think I'm gonna move it to a spot in my display.
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jgraz
Valuable Member
It's cyphastrea. In the first pic you can see where the polyps are retracted. It's almost like the coral closes around it. That's exactly like mine. I have countless montis in my tank not one has polyps that big.
Otter_rs
Well-Known Member
You have no reference to how big those polyps are. Besides, all of your Montiporas are in your aquarium, so how can you assume polyps can't get bigger under different conditions as I have seen personally over the years? I too can see the same pic. and I don't see a protruding coralite to show me cyphastria. Not saying I'm 100% sure, but I can't see how you can be sure with that pic either.
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OP
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You might have missed it but I stated in an earlier post that it is sitting on a frag plug that is just over an inch wide...it is about an inch wide from left to right in the pic and about eight polyps span an inch with the polyps overlapping a little.
I have had a couple montis and the polyps are a little larger than any other montis I have or have had (about 1.5-1.8x) that is one of the reasons why im not sure. That and the multicolored polyps. It does look kind of weird closed up as well, there are little edges around the holes and it does seem to close sort of. I'm pretty certain it is either a monti or cyphastra, you both make compelling arguments. I have never seen a cyphastra in person but I'm going to check one out this weekend when I head out of town.
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Otter_rs
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Sorry, missed that. So then your polyps are 1/8 inch diameter then? That is well within the size of a Montipora polyp.
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Otter_rs
Well-Known Member
Rainbow Montipora have polyps of multi color too like you describe. Can you contact the place where the hitch hiker originated? They may be able to tell you what may have crept on to your plug. Let us know when you find out for sure.
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OP
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It came out of a rock I broke to glue a frag to, I prefer to glue my frags to rocks and the rocks to plugs to grow out. It was just a piece of live rock I have, so there is no telling. The multiple colors in talking about are in a single polyp, each polyps is green orange and white
Otter_rs
Well-Known Member
There are so many color morphs and shapes of Montiporas out there, but it still sounds like a version of the rainbow Montipora to me. Which I think is Montipora tuberculosa.
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Frick
Well-Known Member
Cyphastrea will have septa in the colallites that will extend from the surface. Then a polyp usually of equal size rises from that corallite.
Montipora will be a immersed corallites with a polyp coming out. They can be bigger.
A Pokerstar Montipora is call that because of the orange center of the polyp with a green skirt, making it look like a poker chip.
Montipora will be a immersed corallites with a polyp coming out. They can be bigger.
A Pokerstar Montipora is call that because of the orange center of the polyp with a green skirt, making it look like a poker chip.
Otter_rs
Well-Known Member
Cyphastrea will have septa in the colallites that will extend from the surface. Then a polyp usually of equal size rises from that corallite.
Montipora will be a immersed corallites with a polyp coming out. They can be bigger.
A Pokerstar Montipora is call that because of the orange center of the polyp with a green skirt, making it look like a poker chip.
Good explanation.
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