Can anyone ID this?

[swannyson7]

I found this kicking around on my sandbed about amonth ago so I decided to mount on a plug and throw it in my frag tank. I thought that as it grew, I might be able to identify it, but it's doubled in size and I still have no idea. Anybody know?

 

[Paul_N]

looks like a baby plate.

 

[wicked demon]

LPS, maybe a fungia, or cycloseris

 

[swannyson7]

looks like a baby plate.

I agree that the top does look like a small fungia, but my pic is misleading. It has a 1/4" calcerous "stalk" that it grew from, which I've never seen a plate do. Any other ideas?

 

[fsu1dolfan]

It kind of reminds me of like a little meat coral. Or baby scolymia. Any pics of it in the water?

 

[swannyson7]

I can't really get a good pic of it in the water due to its location in the frag tnak, but it looks pretty much the same, just a brighter green. It's relatively flat with small tentacles like you would find on a plate. The only thing that confuses me is the stalk that it's growing on which leads me to believe it isn't a fungia

 

[Paul_N]

I agree that the top does look like a small fungia, but my pic is misleading. It has a 1/4" calcerous "stalk" that it grew from, which I've never seen a plate do. Any other ideas?

So it is not flat on the bottom? Interesting.

***I hit edit on your post instead of reply with quote initially...doh.

 

[wicked demon]

I dont see a septa membrane, hense the plate ID, and yes plates can grow off a stalk or stump.

 

[Paul_N]

i am going to go with baby plate. I found this : "In the above pic you can see that the small plate is "hovering" over the rock, not laying on it. It's actually attached by a small stalk,"

Plate proprogation | Bay Area Reefers

It is in post #27

 

[swannyson7]

I dont see a septa membrane, hense the plate ID, and yes plates can grow off a stalk or stump.

Thanks! I never knew that plates could grow a stalk. Learn something new every day! I got a zoa frag from the LFS that looked like they were glued a piece of fungia skeleton, so maybe that's where it came from. If only it was a nice red plate like the babies Rev has. :wink:

 

[fsu1dolfan]

Hey check this out!! Might be an explanation for why there is a stalk.

"When young the Fungia spp. are connected with a stalk to rock work. Over time as the coral develops, the stalk gradually weakens and breaks, leaving a central scar. The scar is then gradually overgrown"

Disk Coral, Fungia sp., Mushroom Coral Information and Coral Pictures