Critter Identification – 08/26/09 Hi <Hello.> I have recently acquired a candy cane and have found what appears to be a soft coral amongst the heads. Can you have a look to see if you can ID it please as I have looked through the site and a couple of books I managed to get my hands on but cant find anything similar. It measures approximately 10mm across and the polyps protrude about 2-6mm (tips are feathery), the top is dome shaped and the stalk looks like that of an aiptasia. <It is hard to discern from the photo, but I would guess family Alcyoniidae, and Genus Sarcophyton.> Apologies for the quality of the photo but its the best i could do. <Do a search on Sarcophyton and see if it might look similar, but I am afraid that is the best I can do from that photo, perhaps another crew member will chime in.> Thanks in advance for your help and the great informative site that you provide. Regards Gavin <You're welcome, Josh Solomon.>

Soft Coral Identification: Xeniidae. 8/25/2009 Hello WWM staff. <Hi - I love your email name..."Cnidarious Ptychocyst"> I have a Coral I would like to have identified in my stock 14 gallon BioCube. I obtained it Free of charge by another aquarist as a somewhat forgettable little brown frag. <Ok> Since that time it has grown from a mere four branches to over twenty, many of which are almost four inches long. <Sounds like a Xenia.> Polyp placement is sparse, the base of the coral seems to creep across rocks. the structure of the limbs seems to resemble a system of tubes, each tube ending in a polyp at the top. <Looking at your picture, it is definitely a Xenia.>. It is currently the fastest growing coral in my aquarium and i have already fragged it several times in the few months I have had it. It now exists in five different areas of the aquarium. <They will spread rapidly, to the point of being a nuisance when they have conditions they are happy with.> You can remove them or frag them as you desire.> Any thoughts? Do have a read here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/xeniidarts.htm as well as the linked pages on the top of that page. Anything you would want to know about them is answered.> <MikeV> <<... to RMF this looks (we are talking about the organism in the middle?) like some sort of Alcyoniid; likely a Sinularia sp.>>

Re soft coral identification Part 2! 9/6/09 Hello again WWM crew. <CD> I bring news. I have identified the coral in question after asking around in person at my LFS. A man gave me the name and i did some searching on Google for it. This coral is called Paralemnalia which according to further Google searches is a type of Sinularia. <Mmm, sep. genera, families... but I do agree with the ID. BobF> Cheers.

Soft Pink Coral ID... Dendronepthea 5/8/2009 Hi, <Hi Jay, Mich here.> I recently purchased what was described as a Soft Pink Coral. <A vague description, not a name.> I stupidly purchased it without really knowing what species it is. <I am in agreement with you here. Please learn from your mistake and research any living creature you plan to assume care for, before actually assuming care!> Please could you help me in the identification.... <I will try.> I have done some research and am hoping it isn't a coronation coral... <I'm guessing you mean a carnation coral, and yes, that looks to be what you have.> as from what I read they are hard to care for. <Yes, most all Dendronepthea do not survive in captivity. They do not contain zooxanthellae, which makes feeding them in captivity all but impossible currently.> Any help on care would also be greatly appreciated. <Not a lot I can tell you here. Enjoy this coral while it lasts, as it most likely won't last more than a couple of months, if that.> Many thanks in advance <Welcome, please learn from this mistake, research before you buy!> Jay Driscoll <Michelle Lemech>

Unknown Coral Species Possibly Invertebrate? (Hee-hee…aren’t they all?) – 04/20/09
Hi,
<<Hello>>
I'm sort of embarrassed to ask a question about a species identification, especially with so much information available over the net, at the LFS or the library. But in all honesty, I have Googled for hours and have stopped in every fish store to ask questions and still have no answers. (didn't make it to the Library)
<<Okay>>
I bought what I thought was a Xenia in one of the many stores that I frequent, I bought it thinking that I was well read and knowledgeable enough to take care of a new addition to my tank.
<<But…>>
I picked out what I wanted, a light brown healthy looking Xenia with tentacles that started at the foot that was buried in the sand, and extended up about 3 inches.
<<Not a Xenia then…are “encrusting” organisms>>
The shape is like a Christmas tree,
<<And this is your first clue>>
full at the bottom, gradually becoming smaller at the top. I walked away from the specimen tank to defend a poor little clown fish that was being picked on by bigger bullies and did not observe the employees putting my prize of the day in the plastic container, so imagine my surprise when I get home and see this brown looking morel mushroom looking thing suspended in saltwater.
<<A good analogy>>
(pick morels in woods every spring) Where's the waving tentacles and the little fingers at the end of the tentacles? So I fight the urge to drive back to the store, 50 miles away, plus the store was closed for the evening and I removed the brown wilting looking mushroom thing from the bag and have no clue what to do with it because it has a soft foot with nothing attached to weigh it down or prop it up.
<<Yup…another clue>>
First time I have had to deal with this, I always get coral that are attached to frag or rock. So I bury the foot in the sand,
<<A good move…>>
until the little bugger is somewhat upright. An hour or so later the tentacles start to creep out of the cap, woo hoo!!, the fish store people didn't switch a slimy mushroom for my Xenia. I turned off the tank light and went to bed. Next morning, I come downstairs and go straight to my tank and my poor half Shroom and Xenia are gone.
<<Clue number three…>>
Nothing there, vanished. I start on the morning tank regimen and come back an hour later to turn the skimmer back on and low and behold there is my Xenia waving around in the current.
<<A good sign>>
Now I am just dying to know how my Houdini Xenia just disappears and reappears, so I check the tank every hour or so and about 8 hours later, he starts shrinking, pulls all his tentacles so far into that funny little mushroom cap that you wouldn't even know that he had tentacles and he just got smaller and smaller, burying himself in the sand, until he disappeared.
<<Ah yes…>>
Next morning he pops up right against the tank wall, about 3 inches away from where he buried himself. I sort of push him a couple of inches away from the wall
<<Mmm, careful…best to let this critter pick its own spot>>
and he happily waved his Houdini arms and fingers around for another 8 hours and disappears. Next morning he pops back up against the tank wall, where he is currently residing.
<<Ah…>>
What do I have?
<<The description and behavior you describe sounds very much like a Sphaerella or Studeriotes species of soft coral (http://www.wetwebmedia.com/paralcyoniidae.htm )…some common names are Christmas Tree Coral, and Medusa Coral>>
I cannot find any information on Xenia's that retract their tentacles and bury themselves in the sand.
<<Is not a Xeniid>>
I can't find any information about an invertebrate with tentacles like a Xenia.
<<Try a Google search on the Latin and common names I listed and see what you think>>
All the fish store employees just look at me funny and think that I am a twit who shouldn't be within 10 feet of an aquarium.
<<But, they don’t know what this coral is either…right? >>
Do I care for it like a Xenia?
<<Mmm, no…this is an azooxanthellate coral that requires direct supplemental feeding…and much like Dendronephthya species, is not easy to keep. To be honest, I don’t give you good odds for maintaining this animal for long as it will likely starve to death in a few weeks to months. You can try feeding small meaty foods like Cyclops-Eeze, Rotifers, etc…but in my experiences these animals always slowly shrivel away and die. I think the best thing would be to return this coral to the LFS for a refund/store credit>>
Houdini seems to be doing okay for now, but I'm concerned that it will decline in the future if I am not treating it accordingly to its species.
<<Even so…there’s not a lot of info on the “successful” care of this genus>>
I will try to send photos of his tricks, it's just a matter of catching him doing them.
Thank You for any information at all.
Beth
<<Sorry it’s not better info… EricR>>