FAQs about Identification of Soft Corals of the Family Alcyoniidae 3

FAQs about Identification of Soft Corals of the Family Alcyoniidae 3

Related Articles: Soft Corals of the Family Alcyoniidae

Coral ID... Looks Like a Couple of Sinularia 01/02/08 Hi there! <Hi Jamie! Mich with you today!> Happy New Year to you all!!! <Thank you and to you!> Can you please identify these two corals for me? <I hope so!> The first was sold as 'medusa' coral, <The only coral that I've heard call a medusa coral is Studeriotes and this does not appear to be it.> which doesn't narrow it down too much for me. <Or me either! The photo's a little blurry... but I think it's may be a Sinularia or something in the Suborder Alcyoniina.> The other came on a live rock I bought. <That is a cabbage leather (Sinularia dura).> Both are doing really well in my tank and have both grown well since I've had them. <Very good! More for you here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/alcyoniidsii.htm > Many thanks for your help. Jamie
<I am happy to assist. Mich>

Soft Coral ID? Sinularia 12/31/2007 Hello, <Hi Jeff, Mich here apologizing for the delay.> I bought this from my LFS and they said it was from Palau (Spelling?) and that it is Green Finger or Tree Coral (Sinularia sp). <Looks like a Sinularia to me.> It doesn't look like any pictures of Sinularia flexibis I can find in that mine doesn't have as many bumps on the branches and it doesn't look like any Sinularia sp pictures I find. <May be a factor of your lighting and or your water flow...> It has doubled in size to about 6in. tall since I bought it a year ago. <Well that sounds pretty good!> Also, can I frag it by snipping pieces off and Super Gluing (gel) it to rubble? <You can frag it by cutting it and using a rubber band to attach it to a piece of rubble. The rubber band will be much more effective than the cyanoacrylate.> Please see attached picture. <I see it!>
Thanks, Jeff
<Welcome, Mich>

Coral I.D.... Lemnalia and Discosoma neglecta <Greetings random aquarist, Mich here.> I searched for about an hour on various sites and could not come up with any conclusive answers. I was hoping someone there would be kind enough to identify the coral on the left side of this pic I attached and the mushroom on the right. These two pieces were given to me by a friend but he did not know what they are for sure. He said the one was a colt coral. <The coral on the left does not look like a Cladiella to me. I suspect a Lemnalia or possibly a Sinularia, if it is either and it starts to look like it's on it's way out you will want to remove promptly from the tank as both can be toxic to tankmates. The mushroom is a Discosoma, looks more like a neglecta to me but could be a carlgreni.> Regardless of what they are...they are looking quite healthy and happy in my nano tank. <Glad to hear.> I was just really itching to know exactly what type of species they are. I would like to tell others who ask me about them correct information. <Hope this helps. Mich>

A dyed Sinularia at that.

Coral I.D.... Lemnalia and Discosoma neglecta... Inappropriate Housing... Mixes 11/14/2007 Mitch, <Hi there random aquarist! Mich with you again.> I must apologize... <As must I, for the delay... was trying to gather a little more info here before responding.> I ought to have told you more about the tank this coral is in. <Can be helpful.> It is in my nano tank...11 gallons, <Yikes! Small!> 13 watts of fluorescents, <Yikes! Dim!> with a type of wet dry filtration using ceramics instead of bio balls, a sponge, and carbon in the lighting hood. <Yikes! Nitrates?> As for the creatures in it I have the two afore mentioned <Yikes! Photosynthetic!> along with 2 turbo snails, 4 blue leg crabs, 1 fire fish goby, and 2 small hippocampus erectus (black seahorses). <Yikes! Crowded!> I did some follow up research on your suggestions and those particular corals require more light and water movement then my tank creates. <Yes you are correct here. This is an incompatible mix. Your seahorses require lower flow and lower temperature and really should be a larger tank than this, 20 gallons at a minimum, 30 gallons would be better. The corals need much more flow and warmer temps that the seahorses and require significantly more light..> Another piece of info that might help is that my horses are able to hang on the coral in question with no significant problems. <Well most any of the corals that this resembles are pretty noxious. I really know very little about seahorses...Perhaps this is a function of the seahorse and not the coral.> So I am still wondering if it could possibly be some type of finger leather. <Sinularia are some of the most noxious.> The pic I sent you was in the middle of the photoperiod. I will attach a photo of the whole tank and a close up of the coral in question during the middle of the photoperiod. <Colors just seem off...> At night the specimen shrinks up into a small stout version of itself sort a like a dead pink tree. <Shrinkage, is typical in both Sinularia and Lemnalia. But this coral should not be this limp and floppy. Boy! That sounds bad'¦ > The gentleman at the LFS looked at the pic and suggested that it was a type of color impregnated finger coral that was propagated in captivity. <I'm really have a hard time getting a good feel for the colors, but brownish pink or even green or purple exist in nature.> I now defer to your expertise. <Well, I certainly wouldn't call myself an expert, just a fellow hobbyist who enjoys helping others.> Any other thoughts or suggestions? <Have included above. A few more links you might find helpful here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/tube-mfi.htm http://www.wetwebmedia.com/seahorsecare.htm A tremendous resource here: http://www.seahorse.org/
Hope you find some helpful, Mich>

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