Coral ID this please
- Thread starter Afreed1
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RockBox13
Active Member
The green one is a Pocillopora damicornis, the orange is a Montipora, might take a while for the frag to distinguish itself to confirm species unless someone has done that already. I think the suspects are Monti samarensis, altasepta, cactus and gaimardi. Possibly a digitata, really outside chance it’s a hispida or australiensis.
The differences that stick out are that Seriatopora polyps are lined up into rows along the corals and the tips usually don’t have an axial corallite or polyp on the tip branching Montipora also mostly lack that top axial corallite giving a kind of bald look to the tips of branches and the polyps are usually coming from a tiny pocket or depression in the surface. Pocillopora have that crappy look of “I’m gonna poop babies all over this joint” like it’s dropping those nasty polyps everywhere already. Pocillopora is the Xenia of hard coral.
The differences that stick out are that Seriatopora polyps are lined up into rows along the corals and the tips usually don’t have an axial corallite or polyp on the tip branching Montipora also mostly lack that top axial corallite giving a kind of bald look to the tips of branches and the polyps are usually coming from a tiny pocket or depression in the surface. Pocillopora have that crappy look of “I’m gonna poop babies all over this joint” like it’s dropping those nasty polyps everywhere already. Pocillopora is the Xenia of hard coral.
ReefingDreams
Active Member
My money is on poccilopora. I wouldn't worry about reproduction at this point and see how it develops over the next couple months and then make the call. Should be able to get a better ID then with a little more growth.
Afreed1
Active Member
I think i’ll just take it back to my LFS just incase. Read to many bad stories about pocillopora. It sucks because I think its a awesome looking coral, but I dont wanna risk it hurting my other corals.
RockBox13
Active Member
Don’t let it discourage you at all from the other Pocillopora species though! The ones you probably don’t ever want are the damicornis, brevicornis, aliciae and acuta which all look similar to the damicornis and probably don’t belong with the super nice “cat paws” kinda shaped ones that have some amazing growth forms and texture with deep color to them. Pocillopora verrucosa frag
Colony picture is not mine.
encrustingacro
Valuable Member
Pocillopora damicornis
I would LOVE to have meandrina/verrucosa/grandis in my tank, but I have yet to find any of them in my LFSs. Sadly, from what I can tell, these 3 species don't grow in our tank the same way they do in the wild. Instead of growing into a "branched hemisphere," they grow upwards, likely a result of point-source lighting that is common in the hobby.
I don't think you would find aliciae in the hobby, as they are a subtropical Australian endemic.Don’t let it discourage you at all from the other Pocillopora species though! The ones you probably don’t ever want are the damicornis, brevicornis, aliciae and acuta which all look similar to the damicornis and probably don’t belong with the super nice “cat paws” kinda shaped ones that have some amazing growth forms and texture with deep color to them. Pocillopora verrucosa frag
Colony picture is not mine.
I would LOVE to have meandrina/verrucosa/grandis in my tank, but I have yet to find any of them in my LFSs. Sadly, from what I can tell, these 3 species don't grow in our tank the same way they do in the wild. Instead of growing into a "branched hemisphere," they grow upwards, likely a result of point-source lighting that is common in the hobby.
RockBox13
Active Member
Not enough flow to make them hunker down you think? I’m a big fan of the the thickened digitate Acropora and I’ve kept monticulosa, gemmifera, digitifera, humilis and some others. I was doing that with Ecoxotic Cannons and MP-60’s a long time ago. Like spathulata that I’ve kept, they’re hard to color up properly, but a specific reef with a high intensity light and flow zone can make the most difficult corals to give color to possible. A shallow reef crest seems like a nice project to me.
MoshJosh
2500 Club Member
Put me in the pocillopora stylophora camp, though leaning pocillopora.
At first I was thinking Monti Digi, however, in my experience montis still look pretty green under white lights where as your coral appears pretty washed out/brown under white lights. . . not super scientific haha. That and a few other structure things I can't really put my finger on make me think pocillopora. . .
Pocilloporas can spread and "take over", I have a few volunteers in my tank, but thats just free frags if you ask me.
At first I was thinking Monti Digi, however, in my experience montis still look pretty green under white lights where as your coral appears pretty washed out/brown under white lights. . . not super scientific haha. That and a few other structure things I can't really put my finger on make me think pocillopora. . .
Pocilloporas can spread and "take over", I have a few volunteers in my tank, but thats just free frags if you ask me.
DenverSaltyFarm
Well-Known Member
Looks awesome! Where did you find a frag of this?This is what you want for pocillopora. Got this verrucosa 8 months ago as a frag. Amazing growth.
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