What do I have here?

[tebstan]

I haven't added much to the tank lately, and it's been a long time since I've seen any hitch hikers, since the tank is well established and the usual stuff ran its course.

I noticed this little thing growing months ago, and figured it would either die or grow. It didn't. A month ago I snapped a pic, and another one tonight. It may have grown a tiny bit, but it's been in the same spot for a long time. Nothing is bothered by it, I'm just wondering what it might be.

Any ideas?

[Watergun]

Looks like Giniopora but that would be incredible if it was.

[tebstan]

That's what I thought too, but it just couldn't be... I've never had one in the tank. I've got a short polyped blue gono I got from ace, but never had the long tentacled green variety this resembles. The tank has been up for 3 years, so I don't know how long this thing was dormant or when it crept in.

I *really* want to touch it to see if that base is spongy or skeletal. I'm afraid I'd squish it, but truth is I can't reach it.

It's kind of on an overhang, in a lot of shadow, in low flow, but appears to be photosynthetic by the way it reaches.

[StevenSeas]

I would definitely guess goniopora.... but where from..

Maybe a morph from the one from Ace?

Anyway that you can count how many tentacles it has around its oral disk? That would atleast give a starting point to start ruling stuff out. Also if you could find out what its base is like, though if it is a goniopora/alevopora you probably qouldnt be able to tell what its base is lile cuz it would likely be thin and encrusting at thia point.

[tebstan]

It's too small to be sure, but I would guess 8 per stalk


In the second pic you can see a regular size zoa polyp above it for perspective.

The gono I have from ace almost looks like zoas, the tentacles are so short. It's a small frag, encrusting. I don't see any similarities to this hitch hiker. Sorry no pic of the frag, but it just looks like purple/blue zoas.

Popping up out of nowhere like this I'd think it was some softy, but that base sure looks like a skeleton.

[StevenSeas]

Well Def not a goniopora as they have 24 tentacles, and alevopora have 12 tentacles. So doesnt seem like either are likely candidates.

[hobogato]

could it be clove polyps? or anthelia just starting out? maybe even new xenia colonies?

[OrionN]

Well, with 8 tentacles, it is one of the Octocorals which are soft corals other than Blue ridge (which is a hard SPS like coral). One of your soft coral reproduced. Give us a list of your soft-coral in the tank and go from there. Document it well because this could very well be a pioneer first ever sexual reproduction event of your coral. It could also frag dropping (usually much larger frag break off from the mother colony) or polyp bail out type of reproduction (only heard from hard coral).

I would take frequent macro pictures, document when the last time you added anything to your tank, your tank condition and on and on....
If you can take picture of all your corals.

I would be very excited if this happen in my tank. Good luck.

[hobogato]

maybe it is a spawn from your yellow leather coral?