what is this mystery coral?

maybe a christmas tree rock?

 

haha no :/... it literally feels like bone when you touch it

 

oh okay... then i stick with encrusting monti minus the polyps haha

 

Porites


It does look like some of the porites on this page
but I would not bet against Inwall75 on a coral ID

Steve

 

I was thinking that too.. but didnt want to say it.. are the polyps really little featherdusters/tube worms?

 

It looks like sponge to me

 

Nevermind the sponge comment. Rock hard huh? hmm

 

Polyp-less-Lavender Wart Potato Monti-sponge..yep. That's it

 

Now that is cool. I have the same thing growing in my tank. I thought it was simply another type of coraline. If I can get a picture this evening I will post it. It has been there for months and recently seems to have really grown.

 

BTW, I can see why you say this. Pachyclavularia (Green Star Polpys) from Indonesia is also encrusting. It's also often wrongly called Briareum (which is what I believe you have....same Genus). Briareum asbestinum has two growth forms.....encrusting or the more common growth form for gorgonians. The latter growth form is called Corky Sea Fingers. The encrusting growth form

From personal experience--
Briareum asbestinum spreads VERY quickly like an encrusting sponge, but it's CLEARLY not a sponge.....it's hard. I use the word "softy" because the hobby uses it. However, I don't like the word softy. It makes people think that softy corals don't have skeletons. Many don't. However, many do in various ways. Some make spicules out of Calcium-Carbonate, some make full skeletons just like SPS. Blue Ridge Coral, Pipe Organ corals, and many others are soft corals but most hobbyists think Blue Ridge are SPS and most people think Pipe Organs are LPS. OKAY......this is a very long drawn out way of saying that just because something is hard, it doesn't mean it's not an Octocoral (which is the word the hobby renamed as "softies"). This species is very hard to the touch.

From Julian Sprung--