Plate coral help

[Reefing_Engineer]

Hi all,
I don’t even really know if this is a fungia, it really looks like one though when it actually had its polyps out It’s been retracted and deflated, because for a while only half of it was puffy while the other half was tight to the skeleton. But now it’s really not happy and I don’t know why. I’ve moved it to higher and lower flow areas for a week at a time and also higher towards the light where it was initially happy when I got it. I just want to know if anyone has some insight into this coral because I’ve never had one and really don’t want to lose it!
I have a 15 gallon tank and do weekly 15% water changes. My parameters are
Nitrate/phosphate- 0
Alk- 7
Ph-8
Calcium- 400
Salinity - 1.025
Temp 77-78 F
Thanks for the help!

 

[Alexopora]

Hi all,
I don’t even really know if this is a fungia, it really looks like one though when it actually had its polyps out It’s been retracted and deflated, because for a while only half of it was puffy while the other half was tight to the skeleton. But now it’s really not happy and I don’t know why. I’ve moved it to higher and lower flow areas for a week at a time and also higher towards the light where it was initially happy when I got it. I just want to know if anyone has some insight into this coral because I’ve never had one and really don’t want to lose it!
I have a 15 gallon tank and do weekly 15% water changes. My parameters are
Nitrate/phosphate- 0
Alk- 7
Ph-8
Calcium- 400
Salinity - 1.025
Temp 77-78 F
Thanks for the help!

You might want to get a clearer picture as it is hard to id. Is this coral like a full round piece or is it like a quarter piece? I’m asking because I have seen lfs selling 1/4 of a fungia as frags. The fact that suspected Fungia is attached to a frag plug makes me think it either a fragged piece or a lithophyllon.

Also most reefers would place place corals in the Fungiidae family towards the bottom of the tank, as these guys don’t appreciate super intense lighting and high flow. Plus, these group of corals are known to move around by inflating and deflating their tissue.

You mentioned that one half of it is puffy and the other retracted. This sounds like a flow issue where it might be getting a bit too much flow on one side. So I’d suggest placing it towards the bottom part of your tank. Either gluing it to the rockwork or on the sandbed.

 

[Reefing_Engineer]

You might want to get a clearer picture as it is hard to id. Is this coral like a full round piece or is it like a quarter piece? I’m asking because I have seen lfs selling 1/4 of a fungia as frags. The fact that suspected Fungia is attached to a frag plug makes me think it either a fragged piece or a lithophyllon.

Also most reefers would place place corals in the Fungiidae family towards the bottom of the tank, as these guys don’t appreciate super intense lighting and high flow. Plus, these group of corals are known to move around by inflating and deflating their tissue.

You mentioned that one half of it is puffy and the other retracted. This sounds like a flow issue where it might be getting a bit too much flow on one side. So I’d suggest placing it towards the bottom part of your tank. Either gluing it to the rockwork or on the sandbed.

Sorry for the late reply, it’s dead week for me so I was a little scattered! Here are some more pictures! I had it my frag holder initially and it seemed happy but when I put it on the disc and moved it down to the sand bed it shrunk up so I was just trying to go back to what worked initially. I can’t seem to identify a mouth on the frag so that’s why I was doubting that it was fungia! Thank you for your help!

 

[dvgyfresh]

It doesn’t look like a fungia plate coral to me, they are usually very round /look like sand dollars

 

[Reefing_Engineer]

It doesn’t look like a fungia plate coral to me, they are usually very round /look like sand dollars

Yeah, that’s what I thought initially but wondered if there was an encrusting variety? I’m still new and not very informed so I’m probably way off

 

[dvgyfresh]

Yeah, that’s what I thought initially but wondered if there was an encrusting variety? I’m still new and not very informed so I’m probably way off

I don’t think plate corals encrust may be wrong also lol, but I’ve never seen it they are different in a sense they also don’t frag it’s a singular specimen with a mouth in the middle

 

[Alexopora]

Sorry for the late reply, it’s dead week for me so I was a little scattered! Here are some more pictures! I had it my frag holder initially and it seemed happy but when I put it on the disc and moved it down to the sand bed it shrunk up so I was just trying to go back to what worked initially. I can’t seem to identify a mouth on the frag so that’s why I was doubting that it was fungia! Thank you for your help!

The more I look at it the more I am convinced its probably a fragged plate coral. Like whoever had this before this must have quartered the fungia hence why you can’t find the mouth. It takes forever for a quartered fungia to regain its round shape. I mean there are other possible corals besides fungia but so far just looking at the pictures I’m leaning to a fragged/quartered fungia.

 

[Alexopora]

I don’t think plate corals encrust may be wrong also lol, but I’ve never seen it they are different in a sense they also don’t frag it’s a singular specimen with a mouth in the middle

There is lithophyllon. The fungiidae that encrusts. I have a Jack O Killer lithophyllon that will encrust over anything. I’ll post some pics when morning comes.

 

[Alexopora]

There is lithophyllon. The fungiidae that encrusts. I have a Jack O Killer lithophyllon that will encrust over anything. I’ll post some pics when morning comes.

Here’s a few pics of it.

 

[dvgyfresh]

Here’s a few pics of it.

Wow that is cool and a first!

 

[Reefing_Engineer]

Here’s a few pics of it.

Woah that’s pretty cool!! I think I have one like that possibly but definitely not as colorful! I think I’ll keep it on the sand bed like you advised until it can round out and get a mouth! Thank you all for your help! I just didn’t want to kill something because it was something I misidentified because that would be a real tragedy!