What is this?

[chimmike]

It's a hitchhiker on my cured LR. No idea what it is, it's been growing out of the LR for a week now and looks like it's about to open up.

I've got some other stuff that is growing out here and there that is pretty neat, some small featherdusters, some other things.

 

[chimmike]

anyone?

 

[chimmike]

anybody? nobody?

protopalythoa maybe?

 

[chimmike]

come on, someone has to know!

 

[warped1]

Not a clue -- but I do know from watching a lot of horror movies that whole cities have been devoured by something like this growing up -- It was nice knowing you

 

[roka64]

It looks like a button poylp.

 

[Innovator]

Proto/Palythoa

 

[Wizzard~Of~Ozz]

+1

 

[roka64]

Google Image Result for http://animal-world.com/encyclo/reef/zoanthids/images/palythsp.jpg

 

[mandown123]

does it look like a button polyp - or does it look like a mushroom - i think mushroom. Either way - you lucked out cause they will probably multiply big time!

 

[Wizzard~Of~Ozz]

the fringe doesn't look like a mushroom to me.. Also all the pics I see of mushrooms, the edge curls back towards the base, not outward away from the base. When it closes, does it curl inwards like a ball?

 

[chimmike]

the fringe doesn't look like a mushroom to me.. Also all the pics I see of mushrooms, the edge curls back towards the base, not outward away from the base. When it closes, does it curl inwards like a ball?

it most certainly does.

sign of it being a palythoa?

 

[Kurt_Nelson]

If it curls up and shrivels up into a ball when the lights go out, I'd put my money on mushroom.

 

[chimmike]

it curls inward, but not like a ball. And it's got zoa-like polyps. It sticks out maybe 1/4" from the rock.

 

[Devilishturtles]

Definitley looks like a button polyp / protopalythoa to me too.

 

[Wizzard~Of~Ozz]

All my zoas curl inward like a ball. hard to describe..

These are zoanthids.. same behaviour just slightly different. (you can see some that are closed)

And this was a hitch hiker I got on some LR..

Not as good of a picture.

 

[roka64]

The button poylps will "encompass" the food. The zoas will "grab" the food and force it to their mouths. I only know this because I got both types as hitch hikers. The zoas don't really make much movement. The buttons "grab" food (kinda like a Venus fly trap).

 

[Kurt_Nelson]

All my zoas curl inward like a ball. hard to describe..

Yeah... I guess my "does it curl up in a ball" question didn't narrow it down, did it?! In my mind, I had a mental picture of how my mushrooms sometimes roll up inward on themselves at night, forming a ball with their tissue. Zoas just retract into themselves.

 

[Wizzard~Of~Ozz]

True, never thought of the poor wording. simple things I guess..

Retract into a ball would probably have been better.