What did I buy?

[evercl92]

Got these at the store last week. I'm told they are on the easier side of corals. Forgot to have them write the names down. They seem to be doing fine, as the 'feathery' one has grown a bit already. The 'grass' looking one took a day to come out fully, but has since perked up.

1

2

3


TIA

 

[blazeyreef]

1. button polyp
2. glove polyp
3. green star polyp

 

[Devilishturtles]

Agree with blazey

 

[melosu58]

1. FantasyReef Databases-Viewing item "Button Polyp"

2. FantasyReef Databases-Viewing item "Clove Polyp, Glove Polyp"

3. FantasyReef Databases-Viewing item "Green Star Polyp"

 

[Ziggy953]

Yeppers!

 

[pat8you]

I am probably wrong here because i am going up against all the big names : ) but #2 looks a lot like my red sea xenia. Do the ends of it kinda pulse open and close?

 

[Kurt_Nelson]

I am probably wrong here because i am going up against all the big names : ) but #2 looks a lot like my red sea xenia. Do the ends of it kinda pulse open and close?

I think you're wrestling with the xenia/clauvaria/anthelia mislabeling. I *think* if I'm remembering right, xenia will be a trunk/branch formation while clauvaria (glove polyps) will grow one polyp per branch... for lack of a better explanation. The picture shown looks like each polyp has its own "trunk" which would point towards clauvaria. Both corals though looks very similar though if you ignore how the base grows.

But then again, I'm kind of shooting from the hip on this one because I'm at work and out of reach of my coral book!

 

[Ziggy953]

Kurt you are correct. Clove polyps are exatly that polyps extended from single trunk. Xenia has a common turnk with multiple branches with polyps.

I have both xenia and clove polyps and the picture is clove polyps.

 

[Innovator]

2. Personally I think it is Anthelia based on the way the stalks flow down to the base and by the pinnule arrangement. The problem with common names is that Clove refers to any soft, feathery polyp. Pulse is irrelevant because Clavularia, Xeniids, Anthelia's, and others will do so. When touching, do the polyps fully retract or just shrivel and clump together?

 

[evercl92]

When touching, do the polyps fully retract or just shrivel and clump together?

They just shrivel together.

The picture shown looks like each polyp has its own "trunk" which would point towards clauvaria.

Each does have it's own "trunk". Other than the "base" (about 1/16 inch thick), they are separate pieces.

 

[Kurt_Nelson]

They just shrivel together.

Agree with Innovator then... it's probably Anthelia - which is one of many different corals referred to as "glove or clove polyp". Clauvaria can completely retract into its base but Anthelia can't.

Just an added comment - those "button polpys" look like palythoas which can pack a pretty good toxin. Google "palytoxin" and you can read all about it. It's safest to handle those with latex gloves. That's actually true of zoathids also... the other type of button polyps we normally see.

 

[pat8you]

Thanks for the correction all. good stuff to know.

 

[Kurt_Nelson]

Thanks for the correction all. good stuff to know.

It's not really a correction... it's just the problem with the commonly used names for corals - they really don't tell you the whole story. As Innovator mentioned, there are several different corals commonly referred to as "glove polyps" - some are in the same family, some are not. I've seen some of the xenia species labeled as "glove polyps" too.

I really like the scientific names because they give you something concrete to look up and research. The common names can often refer to very different corals with different care requirements. One example I can think of now is "meat coral". I've seen three totally different family of corals sold as a "meat coral". Oh... "closed brain" is another one that can refer to tons of different species - but at least all their care requirements aren't that different.

Too bad more fish stores don't go by the scientific names so folks get more used to them. In my opinion, it was a sad day when LiveAquaria started just listing the "common" names of the corals on their email updates. They used to list the full scientific names, which at least let you know if the coral you were looking for was on it. Sorry... got a little side tracked there!

Anyway... correction wasn't the intent - just trying to undo any confusion that the common names seem to cause.