SPS Identification Help

[ariellemermaid]

I recently ordered an assorted SPS 5 pack from Live Aquaria, however, the corals didn’t come with names! So, I’m hoping some folks out there can help identify what I ended up with.

The 2 in the middle front are the original frag plus fragged pieces that broke off.

Thanks!

 

[BranchingHammer]

1: looks like poccilipora
2: looks like stylophora
3: a green acro
4: montipora (capricornis?)
5: encrusting montipora

 

[ariellemermaid]

1: looks like poccilipora
2: looks like stylophora
3: a green acro
4: montipora (capricornis?)
5: encrusting montipora

Thanks! Should we be concerned about the white spots on 4 (the original frag)? It’s been in the QT for only about 2 days so far.

 

[BranchingHammer]

Thanks! Should we be concerned about the white spots on 4 (the original frag)? It’s been in the QT for only about 2 days so far.

If they spread, yes.

 

[ariellemermaid]

If they spread, yes.

They look mostly like “thin” or maybe bleached spots. I’m asking even more because I have another monti that completely bleached when I moved it to our DT. After about 3 months back in the QT it made a full comeback but now that we’re trying to transition it again it has some of the same spots. Difficult to see in the picture below but just imagine the brighter spots in the picture look more white compared to the rest. It does have a white halo around the edges but I understand that’s growth, and it did grow while in QT. (Also a little hair algae). So overall we’ve struggled a bit with monti’s perhaps due to light acclimation.

 

[BranchingHammer]

I would think that as long as their is some nutrient source in the QT (ie fish or heavy feeding) and stable parameters, the monti will be fine.

 

[Yellow⌚man24]

1: looks like poccilipora
2: looks like stylophora
3: a green acro
4: montipora (capricornis?)
5: encrusting montipora

Hi I really need your help please! So I recently got a new favia frag and I am now noticing a white like web growing only on the plug itself ?

 

[BranchingHammer]

Hi I really need your help please! So I recently got a new favia frag and I am now noticing a white like web growing only on the plug itself ?

Hi, I would recommend starting a thread with a picture in the subforum “reef discussion”, and using the hashtag #reefsquad. Just from your description, it sounds like some type of branching sponge, or vermetid snail mucous.

 

[ScottR]

Hi, I would recommend starting a thread with a picture in the subforum “reef discussion”, and using the hashtag #reefsquad. Just from your description, it sounds like some type of branching sponge, or vermetid snail mucous.

I’d check the monti cap for monti eating nudibranchs. Dip in coral dip and see if anything comes off. Or examine very closely. They’re very small and hard to see with an untrained eye. Or else, it could be bleaching which could be a number of things: parameters, lighting... and so forth.

Like branching hammer said, sounds like a sponge. You can just take it out and scrape it off if so.

 

[ariellemermaid]

Hi I really need your help please! So I recently got a new favia frag and I am now noticing a white like web growing only on the plug itself ?

Yeah that’s called thread hijacking ;). Favias are LPS so you’re not even in the right forum section at the moment.

But since this is a helpful place no hard feelings. I had a favia once; added an emerald crab and within minutes it took a huge chunk out of it and it never recovered. I digress. I had something on a plug myself I couldn’t identify and it was ruled a sponge if that helps:

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/corals-what-am-i-looking-at.784908/

 

[ariellemermaid]

I’d check the monti cap for monti eating nudibranchs. Dip in coral dip and see if anything comes off. Or examine very closely. They’re very small and hard to see with an untrained eye. Or else, it could be bleaching which could be a number of things: parameters, lighting... and so forth.

I’ve dipped every coral in the tank but don’t have the experience yet to say whether anything came off. Also, I’ve only had 2 monti’s so if there are MEN they can’t be very happy. The monti seasons greetings bleached completely in the clean DT in 24-48 hours and has done great recovering in the QT for the past 3 months. The new monti is only 2 days old in the QT.

So, for the sake of argument, let’s rule out MEN for now. As for parameters alk/ca/mg are all fine however I do struggle with weekly water changes to keep nitrates <10 even in a fish-free QT. So that’s one issue but the season’s greetings recovered and thrived in that tank so let’s also assume params are ok.

That leads me to light. I’m convinced given the above facts that I’ve killed SPS and others with light and so that’s my real concern. The seasons greetings went from 171 par to now 116...I felt like that should be safe to start in the DT (same params). The new monti came in a bag from an online store and I bought a new rack but I estimate it’s probably around 200 with a 4 day acclimation starting at 10% having no idea what PAR it’s used to.

So this is my worry with any white on an SPS specifically. I don’t want to bleach it with too much light, but I’m also concerned about starving SPS of light. Any thoughts? Am I taking a reasonable approach?