Resolved One more for the ID experts.

I'm not sure what this is. Nobody at my LFS was able to ID this.. they said "Some kind of hairy mushroom" but I'm pretty sure they're wrong.

Take a look and please, let me know if you know what this one is. It's on my biggest rock next to my Green Star Polyps.

Thank you!!

- Mag.

 

well I'll take a guess and say it looks like some kind of (cream colored)star polyps.

 

It's an encrusting gorgonian. It can sometimes be invasive (but then again so can green star polyps).

 

My first thought was young GSP growth but looking real close it looks like waving hand. I'm probably way off..

 

I was going to say clove polyps..but once I saw inwall's post I'm going to agree with the encrusting gorgonian.

 

But after Googling 'encrusting gorgonian' I believe Inwall is the winner!
encrusting gorgonian - Google Search

 

.

You're completely on the right track. It does appear like waving hand Anthelia. That was my first initial glance as well.

However, take a step back. Look at the second picture. It's completely different now isn't it? Look how thickly it's encrusting bumps in the rock and how the encrustation is advancing to the lower left. That's not Anthelia, Xenia, nor Pachyclavularia....they encrust very thinly.

There is an octocoral that really appears like the above that has a very thick encrustation....it's a gorgonian (which is an octocoral too so it looks similar). ID'ing things isn't exactly easy...especially with my old eyes.

 

INWALL tending to the mod duties...


LOL just having fun!

 

Thank you! I believe that may be the correct ID. I know it wasn't a hairy mushroom because it's solid like a rock where the real hairy mushroom I have it's soft.

I'm posting more pics with daylight for confirmation. My camera doesn't like my lighting after all and the colors don't come the right way when they're on.
So, here they are, low and high def pics of it (sorry about the size, I'll leave the compressed thumbnails after confirmation:





Hope they help confirm, I had this coral almost from day 1 and it really bothered me not knowing what it was. Let me add also, that at first, this coral was covering part of the GSP, as you can still see in the pictures, but it's receding slowly and that it just recently, aftrer 7+ months started putting out these polyps out. Before that it was just like a burgandy blanket. That's why I wanted to know what it was, so I could care better for it.

Thanks!!

 

Let me add that you guys (all of you in this community) are my heroes! One too many times when I'm reading all of your replies I'm in absolute awe for the level of knowledge you have on Corals and I can only hope that I will eventually get there and be able to take care of my corals properly.
That's why 3reef.com has become my new home. I also have a subscription on RC, but let me tell you that almost anybody there cares as much and helped me as much as you always do here.

I really DO appreciate all of your help, every single time.

+K to all of you. You never stop to amaze me.