Can someone identify this?

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Dakotahshy

Aquarium Advice Apprentice
Joined
Aug 9, 2011
Messages
26
Location
Little Britain, Ontario
I have had this in my tank for well over six months. Not sure what it is, but sometimes when I feed the fish a kind of anemone reaches out and takes some food like he is in this picture. 2011-10-24 09.44.26.jpg Now it has left his rock entirely and is crawling around my tank. I assumed he was attached inside this rock thing but apparently he isnt. I have set him back on top of the rock but he isnt going back in. Does anyone recognize this so I can do some research on him. This is what it looks like after he left and is crawling around.2012-06-20 17.45.16.jpg And this is what is left after he left 2012-06-20 17.44.26.jpg
 
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I know it kinda looks like a clam in these pictures but it isn't a clam. I might have to take a trip back down to Toronto where I bought it and find out. Im sure they told me when I bought it, but I forget now.
 
It was an LPS coral of some sort, but I'm afraid I really can't get too much more specific. If it wasn't so... tall, for lack of a better word... I'd say it was a Fungia of some sort.
Anyway, when it "left it's rock" as you say, what actually happened is Polyp bailout. That wasn't a rock, that was it's skeleton, and it detached because something was off, and it was trying to escape to find a better place to live.
So, either your water parameters are off, or something was stinging it. Most likely suspect was the Torch coral featured in the very far right of the first image. Euphyllia corals are notoriously aggressive. Don't rule out a water quality issue, though. Can you post your parameters?
In the meantime, if it's possible to gently set the polyp back on it's skeleton in an area of gentle current, out of reach of any other coral (plus a couple inches for sweeper tentacles), it *might* reattach. I had a bubble coral start to bailout, then change it's mind after several weeks and reattach.
 
It looks to me to be a type of brain coral. I would try was suggested above and if it doesn't reattach just let it be and it will find a suitable place to setup shop and regrow it's skeleton. Polyp bailout is a last ditch effort to move and can also be a form of reproduction although rare it does happen from time to time.
 
The water parameters are good. This happened the last time we did a pwc. We placed him higher up in the tank, and I think he didn't like either the light or the current. I have placed his skeleton back down where he was, and placed him back on top of it. I hope he decides to move back in. The reason I am trying my hardest to identify him is so I can do more research on him and I know just using pictures is kinda hard to get an ID. Thanks everyone.
 
Yes you could be right. Kinda looks like some of the slipper tongue pictures I looked at. Im kind of anxious now to get back down to Scarborough where I bought it and find out. Right now he is still sitting on top of the skeleton moving around a little.
 
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