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JohnV8r
03/26/2013, 10:00 AM
Can anyone tell me what these are?

Unidentified #1

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=5247&pictureid=51477

Here is the background: It is about 5 mm in diameter. The picture doesn't do the color justice, but it has green edges, a pink body, and what appears to be a green mouth.

When it first appeared, I thought it was just different colored coralline algae. However, it soon developed a more puffy profile. Then what appears to be a mouth appeared. It is on the bottom of my reef (30" down).

Unidentified #2

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=5247&pictureid=51478

This appears to be the exact same color as my large Duncans colony. Is this some form of my Duncans colony reproducing?

jacob.morgan78
03/26/2013, 11:16 AM
The second picture could be the result of some polyp bailout. The first I can't tell... I'd need a clearer picture.

JohnV8r
03/26/2013, 12:07 PM
What is a polyp bailout? Never heard of that.

Here are two more pictures of the first unidentified item:

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=5247&pictureid=51489

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=5247&pictureid=51488

These are probably as good as I am going to be able to get the photos. They almost look like small acans, but they are more flat and have never extended tenticles. I would chalk it up to corraline algae, but they grow in an oval pattern with green centers, then pink bodies, and green edges.

jacob.morgan78
03/26/2013, 01:04 PM
When certain corals are stressed they can lose polyps that can float around until they settle somewhere else (or die). It's all an asexual means of reproducing that some corals are able to do. But in the aquarium, it's usualy due to stress.

I really don't know what the other is. (I'm not even 100% that the other is the result of bailout). Could it be just a hitchhiker on a rock that you didn't notice was there?

JohnV8r
03/26/2013, 01:48 PM
I'm pretty certain unidentified #2 is coming from my Duncans colony. Color is an exact match and that is one of the only LPS corals I have. My Duncans is maxed out in terms of it's ability to grow its softball shape. It's currently got a diameter of about 8" when fully extended and when retracted the tubes point at every conceivable angle.

Water quality is not an issue; nitrates = <1, dKh = 9-9.5, phosphates = <.03. All additives are automatically dosed, so there are no big spikes in chemistry.

The only potential stress would be Green Palys next to it, or my extra large 5" Tomato Clown that likes to host/lay on it. Other than that, I would guess it's some attempt at reproduction.

There have been no additions to my reef in almost a year. Based on that, I don't think it's a hitchhiker.

I guess the good news about unidentified #1 is that it is good looking.