Help ID this SPS please...

mr_alberta · #1 02-14-2006, 03:48 PM

Hi everyone,

I was given this coral frag from a friend of mine a while back, but I'm not sure exactly what it is!

I think it might be a Pavona, but I'm not sure. Can anyone else help with a guess? Its fuzzy and doesn't really have very large polyps. Pretty much what you see in the photo is what you get.

Ruth · #2 02-14-2006, 03:51 PM

I've got one of those too except it is more of a teal/blue color. I was told that it was a cats paw but it doesn't really look like one to me. Following along.

Delphinus · #3 02-14-2006, 04:29 PM

I would guess Pavona of some kind (there are of course several species). Seen this kind a few times, usually just id'd as Pavona or cactus.

My WAG on this is P. cactus since it is the closest that resembles this one (I just did a search on P. cactus, P. clavus, P.decussata, P. explanulata, P. frondifera, P. praetorta, and P. varians).

To me, a "cats paw" is a Stylopora (usually S. pistillata although also seems to be others in the species, but I can't remember the names at the moment) and sometimes I've seen Pocillopora called cats paw. When I was looking at pics of Pavona's I thought P. clavus sort of resembled Stylopora but without the hot pink colour. Of course common names seem to be a open game so who knows.

Anyhow my guess is Pavona as well.

Murminator · #4 02-14-2006, 04:35 PM

I'll agree on the pavona too I have a brown one that started out looking like that before it branched out.

Ruth · #5 02-14-2006, 04:41 PM

This is what I have.
https://www.oceanaquatics.com/view_p...ct=CATJN9TZ190

Delphinus · #6 02-14-2006, 05:00 PM

Psammacora sp. eh? Well, looks pretty convincing.

Check these out:
http://www.melevsreef.com/pics/0903/0923_pics.html
(That probably solidifies the ID as Psammacora...)

http://www.reeffarmers.com/limitedpsammocorablue.htm
Not quite the same, but hey, it's waitlisted until September 2007!

(That reeffarmers.com site is always good for a chuckle. Sure, put my name down for November 2011 please...)

danny zubot · #7 02-15-2006, 05:28 PM

What kind of lighting do Cactus corals prefer. My frag bleached a bit after my light upgrade and hasn't recovered yet. I have kept it up high under 400 watt MH, too much?

rickjames · #8 02-15-2006, 07:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by danny zubot

What kind of lighting do Cactus corals prefer. My frag bleached a bit after my light upgrade and hasn't recovered yet. I have kept it up high under 400 watt MH, too much?

Mine is under 400W about a foot below the surface, hasn't bleached but also hasn't grown much in the 4 months i've had it.