Help ID this LPS

[Gyarados]

I got this frag as a bonus from trading with a friend and he himself did not know what it was because of its small size. He had it under low light, low flow.
My guess would be LPS of some sort because of it’s skeletal structure. Thought I’d ask you guys to help I.D so I can give this coral proper flow and light.

 

[Saltyreef]

Wow I would probably say a chalice or an acan but I really don't know

 

[Saltyreef]

The colors look more like an acan vs chalice

 

[Tired]

That is a... something. The coraline on the shell says that shell has been exposed for a long time, so I'd guess we're looking at a frag that's in the process of growing back from being a tiny scrap of flesh. It should manage just fine if given the right conditions, though.

Acan seems reasonable. Or- could it be something like a scoly? I don't know what their skeletons look like.

 

[Gyarados]

If the skeletal structure is bigger than the flesh does that mean that coral was once the size of the skeletal?

 

[Saltyreef]

If the skeletal structure is bigger than the flesh does that mean that coral was once the size of the skeletal?

Yes

 

[Saltyreef]

But who knows how mature it was.

So we dont know if acan or welso/scoly

 

[Gyarados]

So should I clean the skeletal so it can regrow on it more easily? Or is that not how it works lol?

 

[Saltyreef]

So should I clean the skeletal so it can regrow on it more easily? Or is that not how it works lol?

No just leave it. If its happy it will regrow new skeletal structure over the old.

 

[Tired]

The dead skeleton is now functionally the same as rock. It can't put its flesh back into that skeleton, it has to grow over the old material. No cleaning required- let it do its thing. Try feeding it, too.

 

[Gyarados]

I see, thanks I’ll just put the coral under acan conditions

 

[Tired]

Probably a safe bet. Really, that's a safe bet for a lot of LPS corals.

 

[encrustingacro]

I got this frag as a bonus from trading with a friend and he himself did not know what it was because of its small size. He had it under low light, low flow.
My guess would be LPS of some sort because of it’s skeletal structure. Thought I’d ask you guys to help I.D so I can give this coral proper flow and light.

View attachment 3049081

Lobophylliidae sp.

Judging by the flesh, it's not an Acanthastrea (echinata, hemprichii, pachysepta), as those have a different flesh texture. If you are referring to Micromussa when you are saying acans, it's not that either, as those also do not have smooth flesh. Same thing with scolys (Homophyllia australis, cf Micromussa pacifica, Lobophyllia vitiensis) and wellsos (Trachyphyllia).

My best guess is that it's a lobophylliid chalice, most likely Echinophyllia.

 

[ryanjohn1]

I think it was a button scoly that is certainly in the process of dying

 

[encrustingacro]

I think it was a button scoly that is certainly in the process of dying

Flesh texture isn't right for button scoly (Micromussa pacifica)

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

I got this frag as a bonus from trading with a friend and he himself did not know what it was because of its small size. He had it under low light, low flow.
My guess would be LPS of some sort because of it’s skeletal structure. Thought I’d ask you guys to help I.D so I can give this coral proper flow and light.

View attachment 3049081

Looks almost dead unfortunately

 

[Alexopora]

Cant id but agree that judging from the coraline on the dead skeleton, this looks like a recovering lps. Like other’s suggested, some feeding will encourage growth. But rather than a dying frag which should show fresh and growing exposed white skeleton, this shows a recovering frag.

 

[Tired]

That's certainly a frag that /was/ in the process of dying, but I don't think it's still headed that way.

 

[vetteguy53081]

I got this frag as a bonus from trading with a friend and he himself did not know what it was because of its small size. He had it under low light, low flow.
My guess would be LPS of some sort because of it’s skeletal structure. Thought I’d ask you guys to help I.D so I can give this coral proper flow and light.

View attachment 3049081

Looks like acan bowerbanki but very mis-shaped.