Polyp ID?

[dakar]

Here's a pic of a polyp of some sort that hitchhiked in on a batch of LR from last may, actually started out looking like a tiny zoa... we've been watching it grow every so slowly ever since... now it's 3/4" across or bigger and a few babies starting. Don't know much more about it other than it loves brine shrimp. The green coloring on the inside got a little washed out in the pic.

[Reptoreef]

looks like a common "button polyp"...

[BUGZME]

yep that's what it is. I have some that have flourescent green centers with a green leg.

[dakar]

That's about what we figgered... nice coloring, wish they would grow a bit faster... a colony of them will look nice in a few years maybe.

[Whoyah]

JerryC and I traded last fall and I one of the things I got was some green button polyps. Mine have really started to multiple in the last month. Started with 3 now there is like 12. Feeding them certainly helps the growth rate.

http://www.captivereefing.com/album_pic.php?pic_id=182

[tileman]

I'll bet they are just like the ones I have palythoa polyps...

[BUGZME]

Brad how do you feed yours?

[tileman]

Jeff they love cyclopeez

[davejnz]

just curious,Did yours hitchike in on Fiji LR?.I've got some that hitchiked in and i'm starting to think that they might not be symbiotic,mine are also solitary and have very long tentacles/skirt around the polyp.It also has a beautiful color(green)and responds well to foods and thrives in dim light.Unfortunately.its not in a spot where i can take a pic.I have watched it quadruple in size but has remained solitary.They are some of the prettiest "button polyps" i've seen.Mine looks similiar to Epizoanthus
but i'm probably wrong

[dakar]

Yup, on a chunk of figi, however if you look real close you can see two little 'babies', but they are over three months old. And the greens are much brighter than pictured (think I forgot to re-adjust the camera).

[Reef_Angel]

I love hand feeding these guys too! It's a little piggy! It gloms down brine shrimp. Do you direct feed the cyclopeez right in and let it close around your syringe...that is if that's the way you feed yours? He's a hardy little bugger!!

[Reptoreef]

Careful... these guys get highly prolific and will get pretty aggressive with other corals for real estate.

[Reptoreef]

Here's an example of what I mean...

[dakar]

Come on little babies grow grow grow! hee hee They've the only thing attached to that chunk of rock, so it they decide theey want to grow ot like that they are more than welcome to! Maybe I'll sneak them some Miracle Grow of something to see if that'd help :lol:

[tileman]

I just stick the frozen bar of cyclopeez in the flow of my return and it goes directly into the colony. I actually have two colonies. here is the other one.

[davejnz]

repto and tileman,Do yours grow from mats/stolons or are they individual polyps that are not connected.Dakar,i dont think yours/ours are the same genus.Let me do a little research,but i'm almost positive they're not Palythoa sp. I also am not positive they are even symbiotic/zooxanthellate,mine grew in complete darkness before i realised it was there.Time will tell,but i think we're dealing with a different genus.
BTW,your a lucky man,I cant even get my wife to stick her hands in the tank,let alone,feed corals for me.

[jerryc]

JerryC and I traded last fall and I one of the things I got was some green button polyps. Mine have really started to multiple in the last month. Started with 3 now there is like 12. Feeding them certainly helps the growth rate.

http://www.captivereefing.com/album_pic.php?pic_id=182

those or Colony plops i have a rock over 8'' coved in them sometimes a polyp will fall
off and start a new Colony Thea or the ones i use to trade. :D

[Reef_Angel]

We have only had that main one since we first started the tank. The two little babies are the latest percs. We would like them to grow a little faster and reproduce more. Even my zoa's...they live well, but they don't seem to multiply. What's the secret to getting these to go crazy?

I have to agree with you Davejnz when you said to Dave,
Dakar,i dont think yours/ours are the same genus The ones that they are showing a much showier polyps than ours as well. I wouldn't mind having a bunch of those in my tank either fellas, so please keep me in mind when we do trading, ok?

[jerryc]

Angel remind me in the spring and you Will be welcome to start of the ones
i have

[Reptoreef]

Mine are connected...

[Reef_Angel]

Thanks JerryC! I hope I remember when the time comes! I haven't made any purchases in so long. I do feel like I need a trip to an LFS fix! :)

[tileman]

In my first post, those aren't connected ,they started off with just one polyp. the second post with the two pictures, I bought that as a colony and they are connected.

[davejnz]

If they grow connected or solitary is just a way to help ID "polyps" I was checking out E.Bornemans book and he lists Epizoanthus as a non-zooxanthellate genus that are solitary and difficult to distinguish from some of the other "polyps".I'm gonna have to try and get a pic of the one in my tank.

[dakar]

Good research Dave, we'll have to see if we can get a better macro shot of the one we have, I took another look at him tonight and notices he does seem to open or close with the lights coming on or off.... your thoughts about not being symbiotic/zooxanthellate may have some merit for these guys...

[dakar]

Well Dave I really have to agree with you now, that one is definately different from the buttons we picked up today. A bunch of examples here to pick from, Angel found this rock today (we got a steal if you ask me), the rock itself is close to 15 lbs, about 14" x 9" and just covered with brown and pink button polyps. Got a halfway decent closeup of their structure as well... VERY different than the other guy.