Coral ID

[Demm]

Well i got this coral yesterday from a LFS the lady said it was a gonipora. She told me that it would be easy to keep, and that it is an sps, and it's non-aggressive. well i posted the pic of it on my journal, and i was told it's definately not a gonipora. so now im in need of an ID. it has little polyp things that look like circular flowers almost. they are really tiny and come out of all those little holes. when the coral closes up it shuts all those holes. these are the best pictures i could get, so hopefully they will help in getting an ID, and knowing how to take care of it right.
it's basically encrusted onto a rock, it's almost all the way around. you can see a bit of the rock from the underside.
thanks alot!
http://i149.photobucket.com/albums/s76/demmonnice/CIMG7106.jpg
http://i149.photobucket.com/albums/s76/demmonnice/CIMG7112.jpg
http://i149.photobucket.com/albums/s76/demmonnice/CIMG7109.jpg
http://i149.photobucket.com/albums/s76/demmonnice/CIMG7110.jpg
http://i149.photobucket.com/albums/s76/demmonnice/CIMG7111.jpg
pic of it kinda closed up:
http://i149.photobucket.com/albums/s76/demmonnice/CIMG7072.jpg

[tropicana]

To me it looks like it is a gonipora but not 100% sure.

[erikharrison]

It looks like a gonio, just all closed up. Mine took a few days before it extended. I "heard" that they like to be on the sandbed, but not entirely sure if that is accurate.

[Texreefer]

I would be very reluctant to take advice from a stranger, when they want your money,, I does look like a VERY unhappy Gonio, in which case it is not an SPS,, and they are not all that easy,,, very stable ,clean water is needed.

[blueboy]

i second what tex said. i wouldn't take that womans word on ANYTHING. she's already proven herself to be either terribly uneducated about her wares, or deliberately misleading. there are too many GOOD aquarium stores around that need our business to support these types of salespeople. they are making a profit at the cost of the livestock, and the customer!

[Texreefer]

I have had my reef up almost two years and its packed with sps and I won't keep a goniopora for fear of killing it

[BIGBIRD123]

My wife has 11 gonioporas and all are doing well, but she has done a lot of reading about them and their care. She has one that has 6-8" polyp extension. The one important thing about them is....low light-low flow...and NO Clownfish.

S

[BigKGlen]

Which LFS was this?

[greenmako]

That is an astreopora which is in the SPS classification it will encrust as it grows and takes moderate to high light

[ismvel]

I grabbed the green one that they had there....not bad....24 bucks after the 40% off yesterday...and it looks great.....crappy camera though...sorry.
http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t219/maelv75/20%20gallon/PC300012.jpg
Sitting in the center
http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t219/maelv75/20%20gallon/PC300008.jpg

[Demm]

well i wasnt gonna say which fish store it was, but i guess maelv gave it away lol.

so it is a astreopora for sure then? and i'm guessing it doesnt look to healthy at all?

edit: i just looked for some information pages on it, and i cannot find nothing on them. anyone have any links or anything i might be able to get on their care?

right now i have it about 5 or 6 inches from the surface. i have a 324 watt T5 setup (in a 55g) hopefully that will be enough...

[ismvel]

.....but i guess maelv gave it away lol.

I guess I did.....:at_wits_end: (if I had any hair).....LOL....PM sent and:

http://www.easyreefer.com/sps_identification/genus/acroporidae/astreopora.php

I personally thought it was a goniopora myself until I got home and really looked at it, and started REALLY wondering why the polyps were short...oh well, I like my peice.

This site sys it is int he family of Montipora and Acropora, so I imagine strong lighting, good flow, and calcium are key to maintaining this coral....

I also assume they are more of the filter feeder variety than having to target feed????

[Demm]

oh god dont even say target feed with all those little polyps, i'd die lol