How many species of corals have been known in the world?   11/7/06
Hello Bob,
  I'm working for a non-governmental organization in Vietnam. We're producing a magazine for children that is called Green Forest.
<Neat!>
A child sent to us a question that asking the number of corals in the world. I hope that you can help me to answer this question. Moreover, could you tell me how many species of corals there are in Vietnam or South-east Asia?
<Mmm, I don't know exact numbers, but Dr. Veron, Daphne Fautin may be able to help here (via the Net)... Actual Stony Corals (Scleractinians) may be separately searchable vs. all the other myriad Cnidarian groups/classes called "corals"... To me, only the stonies and Soft Corals, Alcyonaceans, are "true" corals...>
  Thank you very much for your help and look forward to hearing from you soon,
  Cheers,
  Thu Hien
  Education for Nature-Vietnam
<Please do search on the Net re numbers (total and Vietnam) for Scleractinia and Alcyonacea. Bob Fenner>

What is on this leather? 9/18/06
We are having a discussion on our local forum. There appears to be a worm or a sweeper tentacle on this yellow Fiji leather (Sarcophyton sp).
<Does appear so to me as well>
Some of us were under the impression that leathers fought for territory via chemical warfare, and didn't have sweeper tentacles similar to LPS.
<This is my impression, recollection as well... And a cursory look/see in my library at hand and the Net shows this as well>
Many of us believe it to be a Digitate Hydroid. Please check out the video and tell us what you think.
VIDEO <http://www.sykesweb.com/210%20Tank/video/yellow%20fiji%20leather.wmv>
Thanks!!
-Chuck Jordan
<Could be this as well... and even another possibility... some form/species of filter-feeding polychaete worm. I would send this video to folks at Colleges that have invertebrate zoology departments for their guesses/input. My first guess would be the hydroid. Bob Fenner>
 

What is this? Bad news... hydroids   8/1/06 My tank has become over-ran with this ( I think ) pest. <Is... serious> The local aquarium dealer has no idea what it is either (see attached images). I have had an Aiptasia problem but I thought I had it under control. I would like your opinion if this really is a pest, or is it something I should not worry about. <You should... I would take "drastic action" here> It seems to have covered the live rock in my tank as well as the fake plants I have put in. The fish in my tank are all fine except for the black cap basslet which now has white scarring along his head (he is the only fish that hides in tight spaces, which is why I think he may have more contact than any of the other fish). Any help would be great. Please email me back at: Thanks, Shamus <I would consider "nuking" this system... biocidally bleaching it... Please read here: http://wetwebmedia.com/hyzoancompfaq.htm and the linked files above. Bob Fenner>

Coral ID   7/8/06 Hi crew hope you are all fine, It's been a few months since I last spoke to you. I have set up a 120G (UK) tank with a 65G sump to have as a reef. Tank has been cycled and has been officially running for 4 months. I added 100lbs of new Fiji live rock and left the tank free of fish for 3 months to build on the pod population and various algae to grow. Of which I have an abundance of scroll algae (beautiful) and a lot of Caulerpa racemosa and a tiny amount of Halimeda. My parameters have never been so steady, sg 1.024, temp 78F, ammonia 0, nitrate  0, nitrite 0, calcium 390, pH 8.2 (reverse photo period with sump), alk 9.6. Anyway to the point, I have attached an image to the email, it was a piece of live rock which I could see was an old coral skeleton, I looked and guessed it may have been a Stylophora but I am no expert yet! The rock has a lot of tiny holes which I guessed would be where the polyps would come out from when it was alive. Since being in the tank now for 4 months it appears that there is some orange growth of I guess flesh although firm to the touch and as you will see from the picture tiny white dots which I know are polyps as they come out during day and night, these are small about an eighth of an inch across. Could you shed some light and tell me what it is? <Mmm, judging from the small corallite size, color, overall shape of this creeping colony, I'd say it's some species of Porites> It's located 12" from the top of the water surface, in medium flow water with 2 x 250W MH. Many thanks Dave G (UK) <Bob Fenner>

Polypoid Hydroid...   7/7/06 Howdy Bob;    <Gerald>   I have a strange critter that has shown up in my tank;   It is a medusae with 10 tentacle branches, I have no clue and everyone tells me hydroid and I keep saying hydroid is way too big an answer, I want it narrowed down.      I do have a gorgonian in the tank. <Mmm... is likely a hydroid of some sort, but I don't know any further/smaller classification for this either. It may well be that this is not a welcome visitor... that it and others that will arise from some part of your hard substrate will mal-affect the health of other life in your system. The tough part is how to find, remove these new strobilized individuals over time. Bob Fenner>

Mystery Softies, Cnid. IDs  6/25/06 - Dear WWM Crew, <Morgan> I am a long time reader/researcher and have enjoyed your site for quite some time.  I am a big fan of researching before I buy, and I do not like to purchase a coral without research and careful consideration.  However,  I have some hitchhiker softies that came out into the light while curing and quarantining.  They are very small still, but are rapidly spreading, and I would like to know the species, or at least the genus, with some certainty so I can care for them and protect my other corals if necessary. This tank is a nano with lots of live rock and very happy symbiotic softies, including anthelia, finger coral, xenia, and leathers, among others, all spreading.  I also have several small zoanthid colonies and lots of strange hitchhikers, like bivalves, tunicates, young serpent stars, and pistol shrimp (I've never seen them, but they keep me awake at night with subsequent pops when something gets too close to their little hideouts).  I have also pulled off several tiny whelk/conch animals and some tiny mysterious crabs for evaluation in isolation.  Everything is great; my peppermint shrimp pair breed and my tiny blenny keeps everything spotless and algae-free.  However, these guys are a mystery, and I would like to know if anyone has any ideas.  They are all on different rocks purchased at different times. The first image contains an animal that came in on what was labeled as Marshall Island live rocks, but I am not sure.  They have eight pinnuled tentacles each, and appear to be encrusting. <Look like clavulariids... perhaps a gorgonian>   When I first saw them they were clearly connected underneath a mass of hard holes (spicules?) that looked to be part of the live rock.  It seemed stony, so I thought perhaps it an encrusting gorgonian. <Could be>   Now I believe it to be Briareum, after reading previous posts.  As it got happier, more and more polyps emerged from the holes, and it began to spread with a pinkish tissue from around the base, spawning tiny new polyps.  It strongly resembles B. asbestinum, but I cannot find a trustworthy image of a retracted colony to compare.  It would make sense geographically, though, if it were Marshall Island rock, right? <Possibly>   (It would also make sense, as something made me sick after cutting my finger on a sharp something in my tank - I blamed palytoxin, but perhaps Briarne?) <Yes...> Obviously, it had suffered severe damage before coming into my possession, and it may be a wild-caught colony.  The top images are with and without flash, and the bottom image is of a dead colony that resembles the retracted live colony. The second image is of a tiny red polyp.  It is VERY tiny, smaller than 1 cm in diameter.  It is a deep, velvet red with white centers.  It is almost certainly encrusting, but there is one polyp not in the image that lives alone (perhaps coralline algae has grown over the base?).  These did not emerge until well after the zoanthid colony it was on finished quarantine.  It seems photoreceptive (it retracts at night), so perhaps an encrusting zooxanthellic gorgonian or an encrusting star polyp? <I'd guess the latter> I have no idea - definitely an octocoral, but flatter than any gorgonian I know if.  Also red tentacles with a white oral disc - what could it be? <Or another Zoanthid species> The third and final image it the most troubling.  The polyps are very beautiful and resemble snowflakes.  They were white but are getting more brown (zooxanthellic change/regrowth?)  It lays flat like the second mystery polyp, but is a tiny bit larger.  The rock it came on was the reason I purchased the Sarcophyton above it, and the whole rock is really held together with sponges and tunicates and coralline algae.  These polyps came into light and began to reproduce, from two to over a dozen, including some young ones.  I believe the choenchyme might show it to be more like Protoalyconaria (Cornularia sp? with small polyps?) than a Scleraxonia, but I cannot be sure because of the nature of the rock it inhabits.  The image is very poor, and I am sorry. I would be really grateful if you help me out! Thank you, Morgan <Can't really make this out of your image. Bob Fenner>

If I stare too long, will I see the devil?

Re: Mystery nocturnal 'polyps'   6/13/06 Managed to get some better pics at light up today, from generally the same area.. One pic is with full lighting, the other actinic only... you can see the tentacles of another polypoid in the upper right corner of the full light picture, but neither captured the vivid colorations they have around the centers. Do these pictures give you a better idea what I'm dealing with? Pest or pleasant gift? Thanks, Justin <Not much better idea... still some sort of polypoid animal... perhaps a small actinarian... I would leave these as they are if they are not excluding other benthic life. Bob Fenner>

Mystery nocturnal 'polyps'   6/12/06 Hey Crew, <Justin> Hate to bother again, but these things have been boggling me for weeks now, and I can't find anything comparable anywhere. There are about 5 of them loosely gathered on a single piece of live rock, and shut themselves during the day, about 5 minutes after the lights come on in the morning. The body of the 'polyp' is about the size of a dime when opened, and have many 'tentacles' which are not visible in the picture that about 1/2 of an inch beyond this diameter. They appear to be largely clear under standard lighting, but very fluorescent under actinic/blue wavelength LED penlight (I used the LED for the pictures). The tentacles are clear with a bluish glowing tip, and the inner body of the 'polyp' has many shades throughout it, ranging from red to blue. When they close up during the day, they appear as a small brown mound with the center mouth of the 'polyp' still visible in the center. My camera's flash is not functioning correctly, and getting a picture of them open is very difficult, <I can or can't see this for sure> at least for the time being. There are 3 'polyps' in the picture, 2 in either upper corner, one near the middle in the lower half. My first thought was pest anemones, but I can't find any that look at all like this. Help! Thanks, Justin <Some sort of polypoid animal, but I can't make out any more from your description, pic. Bob Fenner>