Is this live coral?

[Brent F]

I can't get a good picture. One piece of life rock in my tank is has a coral texture and what looks like green polyps. Is this live coral? The reason I'm asking is this piece of rock is on the very bottom of my aquascaping and I was wondering if it was something worth moving to the top to get it in light. It would mean having to re stack most the rock in my tank to do so.
http://i274.photobucket.com/albums/jj252/Brent_F/rock006.jpg

[demonsp]

Bad pic.If its a zoo it would close up if you touch it. Or it will close at night or shrink. Looks like coraline but you said green.

[ReefTECK]

No i dont think so. It looks like a skeleton of a coral that may have once been living on the rock. I see a lot of these with all the live rock we go through where I work!

[Brent F]

It's a 2 X 1 inch area that is white "rock" on the ridges and all the recessed areas are the same shape - narrow white ridges with green between them. I wish I could get a better picture.

[demonsp]

White and hard with no movement would be dead coral.

[ooja3k]

I think i have the same things as you..

Does it look like this???

http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=138548

If so it is Siderastrea.

[Brent F]

Makes sense - probably with some algae inside the polyps making them look green inside. I found it strange that the outside would be white and the inside of each polyp would look green and the same. Thought I'd post this in the off chance it was worth moving.

[ooja3k]

the coral in the pictures within that link that i posted are a live coral, its growing slowly, but surely..

the polyps are never visible... you sure yours is dead?

[Brent F]

I'm not sure. I just rearranged a couple rocks and got it near the light, in the open so I can watch it.

[thi7b]

It looks like a skeleton of a dead coral. That green color could it be green algae growing on it.

[Brent F]

Yes, it is most likely dead. Since the tank only has cleanup crew in it so far I was able to spin the rock and get this out front in the light where I can see it. Worst case, it's attractive and out where I can see it now.

[thecichlidpleco]

Some encrusting montipora came on LR i got and looked the same way, now bright green and looking pretty healthy after a year.

[Brent F]

I'll post an update in a couple months. Time will tell.

[Brent F]

I had a guy in town give me a great answer. He said many coral skeletons take on a greenish tinge when the flesh has decomposed or been eaten. They go green, then brown, then coralline can take over. The coloration is from different strains of bacteria. This explains why they are green on the inside but white outside. Just bacteria living on the final remains of the polyps. What had me curious is the green is inside the polyp holes only and there is no algae on the outside.