Soft Coral ID?

[bigtimereef]

Hi everyone,

I just recently moved a 60 gallon SW tank from someone who couldn’t take care of it anymore and was curious if anyone could help me ID these soft coral species. I’ve been taking care of a few reef tanks for about a year, but this is the first reef tank that I’ve owned myself. Thanks!

 

[RockBox13]

Looks like you have zoanthids up top and possibly Rhodactis mushrooms on bottom. It looks like they weren’t getting enough light, but they should bounce back pretty quickly.

 

[BristleWormHater]

First picture is maybe a kind of palythoa?
Second Pic looks like a type of mushroom
@ISpeakForTheSeas

 

[bigtimereef]

First picture is maybe a kind of palythoa?
Second Pic looks like a type of mushroom
@ISpeakForTheSeas

Yeah I wasn’t sure what the tube ones were?

 

[BristleWormHater]

Yeah I wasn’t sure what the tube ones were?

Yeah those are really weird, I've never seen anything like it.

 

[RockBox13]

They’re zoanthids at first glance. I’d bet my balls on it.

 

[BristleWormHater]

They’re zoanthids at first glance. I’d bet my balls on it.

Zoas don't have stalks like that, only palys do and paly stalks are not that long.

 

[bigtimereef]

Yeah those are really weird, I've never seen anything like it.

Whatever they are, it’s the primary coral in this tank lol

 

[BristleWormHater]

Yeah I wasn’t sure what the tube ones were?

Actually I think these are majano anemones. They are a pest anemone like aptasia, but they spread slower and look good under blues so some people keep them around.

 

[bigtimereef]

Actually I think these are majono anemones.

Interesting there’s definitely a few aptasia but I’ve never heard of that

 

[RockBox13]

Zoas don't have stalks like that, only palys do and paly stalks are not that long.

They do when a rock is placed on top of them for a long time which is what it looks like happened here. If you’ve never seen zoanthids reach for light, that’s what it looks like. Check the picture. I rest my case

 

[BristleWormHater]

They do when a rock is placed on top of them for a long time which is what it looks like happened here. If you’ve never seen zoanthids reach for light, that’s what it looks like. Check the picture. I rest my case

Way to many tentacles to be zoas aswell. I'd say the polyps are too big too

 

[bigtimereef]

Way too many tentacles to be zoas aswell. I'd say the polyps are too big the

Way to many tentacles to be zoas aswell. I'd say the polyps are too big too

The zoas I’ve taken care of have been much smaller and more colorful but I’m also semi new to reef tanks

 

[liddojunior]

At first thought it was some snake polyp, I can’t tell what they are

But the mushrooms are funky looking too, it’s like hairy mushroom

 

[ShakeyGizzard]

first one looks like duncans on drugs, the second is rodactus shrooms

 

[ISpeakForTheSeas]

First picture is maybe a kind of palythoa?
Second Pic looks like a type of mushroom
@ISpeakForTheSeas

I'd say either unusual anemones of some kind or a very unusual species from an uncommon genus in the Zoanthidae family (not duncans as they're not branching at all, not snake polyps - Isaurus tuberculatus - because the tentacles are wrong for those, though it's possible it's another species in the genus).

 

[BristleWormHater]

I'm just wondering where the original owner found these corals!

 

[F i s h y]

Look up yellow polyps or wood polyps. Old school coral related to coast and palys. Used to be very popular late 90s due to bright yellow coloration.

 

[F i s h y]

 

[rayadog]

I'd say either unusual anemones of some kind or a very unusual species from an uncommon genus in the Zoanthidae family (not duncans as they're not branching at all, not snake polyps - Isaurus tuberculatus - because the tentacles are wrong for those, though it's possible it's another species in the genus).

Yay for overarching zoanthid family name that includes palythoas