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View Full Version : Identify that coral!

briansmyth
10-30-2005, 10:23 PM
Hmmm ... what is it? Got it from Cowtown three months ago and it has grown quite well in my tank. Cowtown referred to it as a zebra coral, but I haven't been able to verify that or find out much about the anemone. ScaryGary points out that you should get the scientific name for what you are buying since the common name may refer to three or four or more different types of what might be a similar animal.

This zebra anemone is green and has white tips - if you touch any of the tips you get the feeling that you are getting velcro'd, so there is a fair amount of sting although it isn't much for a human. This anemone moved around my tank quite a bit originally and I had to manually weight it to some places to get it to stay. The anemone has been in one place for just about two months, but then decided to move three times in the last couple of days. The last time, I watched it move two or three inches in about five minutes. It has planted itself into the sand bed at this point ( yes, hard to believe given that 95% of my tank is rock!)

This zebra coral does not obey the` stay' command. I think the growth of some grape caulerpa in the tank blocks out the `sun' and consequently the coral tries to go further south for the winter or something like that.

Can you identify this coral?
Jan
10-31-2005, 09:52 AM
It sure looks like my Macrodactyla doreensis.It likes good light and good water flow.,and likes a sand bed to anchor although it was up higher in the rocks when I only had NO flourescent lighting.Since I now have power compact it has moved down I have noticed that anytime I have changed my lighting ,it decides to move. It moved again a couple of days ago when I added more actinic lighting.My Tomato Clown is in love with it.Have had both for several years and it is as big as a dinner plate.Takes up alot of room in the tank.
briansmyth
10-31-2005, 10:58 AM
Your suggestion seems to make sense, Jan. The habits you mention also seem to fit. I see on the web, that some species similar to yours that can be confused with it include H.crispa, H.malu and Hecteractis aurora.
briansmyth
10-31-2005, 11:01 AM
...which further illustrates why one should get the scientific name for something rather than just the common name - as ScaryGary mentions.

Hmmm ... the more I know, the more I realize I don't know!
briansmyth
10-31-2005, 11:32 AM
http://www.corallibrary.info/showphoto.php?photo=599&cat=540

This is where I found a photo of what seems to be the same coral, but this one is purple in colour. Thanks for your help, Jan, in identifying this coral ... and with a scientific name!
briansmyth
12-15-2005, 07:15 PM
Was feeding the coral in question tonight when I dropped a piece of plankton, still a bit cold obviously, onto the coral - the coral closed up immediately and shrunk into the sand bed like it had never been there!

It's coming out now a bit - hopefully I haven't killed it or killed a part of it. Lesson ... frozen cubes should be thawed away from corals.

I've used the thumb and forefinger rubbing technique with my frozen cubed food for a year and a half without a problem, but tonight I had a challenge.
scary gary
12-15-2005, 07:21 PM
Brian are you talking about a zebra anemone ? When you where asking about id.ing this coral I thought it was a coral.
briansmyth
12-15-2005, 07:36 PM
I think my head must be as frozen as the food cubes I was handling, Gary!

Yes, this was an anemone - and it was correctly identified by Jan. Sure enough, after Jan posted, the anemone found its way into my sand bed - just like hers - and then has grown well from there and has looked very healthy.