Baby plate coral help wanted

[Railrider1920]

Hi Folks,
I walked into my LFS last week. They had a big rock of regular green zoas. On this rock there was a single polyp of something weird looking. I thought that it was a mushroom of some sort or maybe an acan. The guy there fragged it off for me and told me when it got bigger, frag some off and bring it back. Sure, why not. Good deal on my part.

Well, I'm fairly certain that it is actually a plate coral, not a mushroom or acan. It is growing out of a rock. When it closed up, the rock looked very similar to a dead piece of galaxia. It was slightly larger than a pencil eraser when I brought it home and it is now about the size of my pinky nail. I glued the rock it is on into another rock so it wouldn't get lost.

Most of what I have read says to keep plate corals on the sand. If this thing is infact a plate coral, will it detach itself from the rock it is on? If it will, about how big would it be when it does this? If you think it is something else, what do you think it is?

I'll try to get a better pic when my lights come on.
Thanks for any advice / suggestions offered,
Rob

Not much of a better pic.

 

[mydraal]

Better pic please :rolleyes: lol

 

[Railrider1920]

mydraal, do you work at a grocery store? It has to be you. I don't know anyone else that might use that as a screen name. lol. zoas opened and look good.

 

[jrl]

yep plate coral,i would leave it where it is until its big enough to not get covered by sand

 

[mydraal]

mydraal, do you work at a grocery store? It has to be you. I don't know anyone else that might use that as a screen name. lol. zoas opened and look good.

At least you didn't give away my address :hammer:. Of course they opened up and of course they look good. You got them from (ME) :D lol

 

[stunreefer Verified Sponsor]

It is a Fungia sp.

If this thing is infact a plate coral, will it detach itself from the rock it is on? If it will, about how big would it be when it does this?

Was there a small stem on the bottom of the plates' skeleton, or just the smooth skeleton? Fungiids (Fungiidae) reproduce in several different means, one being by growing a little stalk on the bottom, and over time as they grow large and heavier the stalk will snap, or something will knock them hard enough (including current) to snap the stalk. Regardeless I'd leave it on the rock for quite some time so it doesn't get lost (as you mentioned).

Many Fungiids can actually "scoot" themselves along the substrate and move into an area that they appreciate... very cool! Of course, they won't do this if glued to a rock ;)

 

[dfisch1]

it is a plate. I have seen my friends fungiids reproduce by budding, and once or twice I have seen them cast off tissue that free floated until it landed and started growing.

 

[Russellaqua]

Many fungiids grow attached to rock until they mature, at which point they detach and live as solitary polyps on the sand bed. Occasionally, you find rocks for sale with these baby Fungia sp. attached to them.

 

[Railrider1920]

stunreefer, dfisch1, Russellaqua, I apologize for not responding to this when I should have. Thanks for the additional info. The plate has made it through just fine. Once while feeding the tank, some food landed on it and it shriveled up and looked like it died. All I saw was just the skeleton. It came back and was fine a couple of days later. I'm really glad that I asked him to frag this off for me. Some newer pics attached. Smaller one is november 09 and the larger one (with the zoa to the right ) is march 16 10, completly covering the rock it is still on.

 

[subielover]

Awesome

 

[fenderguy1]

100% plate coral