# what is this?



## sillyzoedog (Jul 6, 2008)

i got a large piece of live rock and this was on it-

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h77/sillyzoedog/100_0369.jpg

i know the picture is fuzzy, but it is hard to get a good clear pic, i am hoping someone can identify it. it is the white thinking with "holes" in it with little spiny or prickly things surrounding the holes-it is in the middle of the pic. 

also, it appears that sponge is on there-is that possible?


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## SKAustin (Aug 1, 2006)

Yes it is possible to find sponge growth on your rock.

As for the ID, It is very difficult to tell. It almost sounds/looks like a small colony of lesser starlet corals, or possibly a species of hitchhiker cup coral. There are a few images of both in my 55g reef thread (linked in my sig). probably within the first few pages. Take a look and see if they look familliar. If not, try to get us a better pic.


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## sillyzoedog (Jul 6, 2008)

yeah-i think it looks like that thing on the 1st and 3rd pics on the 3rd page-looks like it has holes in or something-so difficult to describe. i took a bunch of pics, but cannot get a really clear one close up and the thing is not really that big....

thanks!


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## SKAustin (Aug 1, 2006)

Heres a bunch of photos of the aforementioned


*Lesser Starlet Coral*

































*Carribean Cup Coral*


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## sillyzoedog (Jul 6, 2008)

yeah, it definitely looks like that first pic especially, but it is not even the size of a quarter at this point-will it grow to look like what the bottom pic is? how big does this get?


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## SKAustin (Aug 1, 2006)

The bottom pic in the lesser starlet coral group was when this group was looking its best. It was shortly thereafter that is just died off quite rapidly. There is little information on the web about this coral, probably because it's not an attractive coral, and wouldn't be a desirable purchase. My assumption is that this coral must be kept in a nutrient rich environment, which is not often found in aquarium conditions. Lighting may have also played a factor in the demise of my colony, though it seems odd that it did well for several months, then just faded away as the tank started to mature a bit..

Anyways, My suggestion is to give it good light, and hope for the best, but if you lose it, dont let it get you down. Also, they will accept meaty foods like brine and mysis, so regular spot feedings may help too.


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