Unknown creature, sponge, or coral?

[kels64]

I found these two little fellas at my local pet store and they were so pretty and fluffy and pink I brought them home and put them in my reef tank. They are growing like crazy and I have no idea what they are. I’m including pictures from front and side and hopefully you guys can help me out. They are very soft and don’t really have much structure to them they sway in the current.

 

[ScottR]

Seriatopora. Birdsnest

 

[kels64]

Seriatopora. Birdsnest

No this isn’t a Birdsnest coral I have a Birdsnest coral. This is very soft and floppy. My birds nest coral is very much an LPS. Maybe my pictures aren’t very good. It’s very rounded and soft and fuzzy looking.

 

[ScottR]

One is possibly montipora digitata. Would need a close up of the polyps to see more clearly

 

[ScottR]

No this isn’t a Birdsnest coral I have a Birdsnest coral. This is very soft and floppy. My birds nest coral is very much an LPS.

There’s a type called bird of paradise that has thicker branches.

 

[mdb_talon]

Seriatopora. Birdsnest

She said they dont have structure and sway in the current so some sort of soft coral. Looks kind of like a colt coral.

 

[ScottR]

She said they dont have structure and sway in the current so some sort of soft coral. Looks kind of like a colt coral.

I see. I completely overlooked that. Thanks

 

[kels64]

There’s a type called bird of paradise that has thicker branches.

Is it soft like a sponge? Because this is very soft. If you take it out of the water it just flops over and collapses. Nothing like any of the monti or Birdsnest I have.

 

[busybits]

Is it a finger leather of some sort. They stayed soft and no structure

 

[kels64]

She said they dont have structure and sway in the current so some sort of soft coral. Looks kind of like a colt coral.

I’m thinking this lighter pink one may be a colt coral as you said. It does have a sort of a stem to it like the pictures I’m looking at hair of colt coral. The other one doesn’t look like that though it looks like something else. Here are pictures of the one I think that you have identified correctly as colt coral.

 

[kels64]

Is it a finger leather of some sort. They stayed soft and no structure

Possibly the other one could be although it looks very different than any of the finger leather that I have.

 

[minus9]

They look like Cladiella to me, but most likely Alcyonium.

 

[kels64]

They look like Cladiella to me.

Do you think they both are? They look similar but also very different. The one that is a lighter color I think is definitely the Cladiella or colt coral. The other one has a very different appearance as far as it doesn’t really have a stem and there’s no space in between the little polyps. Is it just a different sub-type of the same species?

 

[kels64]

Thank you guys so much for your help by the way! This is really been bugging me to have these lovely little animals in my tank and not even know what they are. LOL

 

[minus9]

AKA, colt coral.

 

[minus9]

Are they both soft, almost slimy to the touch at the base?

 

[kels64]

Are they both soft, almost slimy to the touch at the base?

They are soft but they are not at all slimy. They got upset and pulled in all their little polyps when I touched them. Here are some pictures with them with their polyps tucked in.

 

[kels64]

The bigger one with the darker color kind of purple pink has a very wide base that is spreading laterally across the live rock.

 

[Sleeping Giant]

Sinularia Finger Leather Coral

 

[kels64]

Sinularia Finger Leather Coral

Hmmm.... I have four very large sinularia finger leather in my tank and these really don’t look anything like it and they also don’t excrete anything when you touch them like the sinularia does. They are also not at all slimy feeling when I touch them like the sinularia. Is there a different sub species?