[zhenya]

Thanks,Guys!

Very confusing to say the least. I have a dead colony of the same coral that I left in the tank,I might just bleach the heck out of it and see if there is anything I can use.

George,

I was reading Veron's last night,about the A.cerealis and anything that he mentions that could be close in resemblance. I also agree that colonies grown from fragments in different tanks could render identification pointless. However, I was hoping that it could still have enough genetically predetermined characteristics(like the appressed corallites and perhaps spacing of radial corallites,for example)to help identify some of my corals.The more I read the more I believe that it is pointless though.

[Ninong]

Gene,

The more I read, the more I appreciate the fact that positive identification of Acropora and Montipora genera down to individual species based on photographs alone is virtually impossible.

You need to compare skeletal growth patterns under powerful magnification and compare that to a known reference and if all of the other characteristics match, you might have an identification. Just look at all the new species that Veron has described for the first time in Corals of the World.

[zhenya]

Agreed 100%!
Still, the quest for identification to species level continues on every board
Impossible,pointless or useless,but I was scanning RC's sps forum when RL was offline and 3 out of 5 threads has this very question.I'm guilty myself It is nice to put something other then Acropora sp. to your stock list sometimes.Oh well..

Originally Posted by Ninong

You need to compare skeletal growth patterns under powerful magnification and compare that to a known reference and if all of the other characteristics match, you might have an identification.

Wouldn't those be influenced by aquarium conditions as well,George? I mean like the flow energy and calcification rates could be different from tank to tank but I'm not sure if other skeletal patterns stay the same,like septa protrusion in the corallites and so on.

[Ninong]

I believe the septa cycles would remain the same but don't quote me on that.

You would need highly magnified skeletal cross sections to be able to identify distinctive variations in calcium carbonate deposition and you would have to compare that with reliable references of the same. Sort of like comparing snowflakes.

[zhenya]

Originally Posted by Ninong

I believe the septa cycles would remain the same but don't quote me on that.

You would need highly magnified skeletal cross sections to be able to identify distinctive variations in calcium carbonate deposition and you would have to compare that with reliable references of the same. Sort of like comparing snowflakes.

Yeah, all I need is to invest a few grand in the microscop, break some frags off, bleach them and do a cross sections... to id a few corals that I have

Highly unlikely,even if I did posessed the skills required for this

[fishgeeksrus]

ok guys, we just got a couple more corals. One frag and one colony. What do you guys think? The blue tip actually came with a crab.

[zhenya]

I think they are very nice, enjoy!

[fishgeeksrus]

Thanks, do you want to take a crack at to what this two are?

[Ninong]

Originally Posted by fishgeeksrus

Thanks, do you want to take a crack at to what this two are?

Both of those could be Acropora millepora. Maybe. I really can't make out enough detail on the frag to be sure.

[zhenya]

Yeah. The smaller frag next to your Seriatopora frag looks to be A.millepora but I can't see enough detail on the larger one to say for sure. I don't think it is,personally, but I was never good at id's anyhow
For a reference, I'll attach a close up of A.millepora corallites so perhaps you could id it yourself,if that wat it is.

[fishgeeksrus]

I am trying to get a better picture of the colony. But I may have a problem! As I was taking the new picture, I noticed little red bugs on this acro. HELP!!! What do I do?

actually, i think i will start a new thread!

[fishgeeksrus]

I was doing a search on google, and found this thread. Pretty funny... We thought that we would post a picture of the same coral today...

[fishgeeksrus]

HAHA, here is this coral today...

Sorry about the picture. I could not get it to focus on this coral with just the actinics on <shrug>

Originally Posted by fishgeeksrus

Wow after looking at the picture on the link, I would have to say that you are correct. It looks exactly like the picture. Here is another frag that we bought the same day. It looks yellow under our lights but it was a bright green under the guys lights that we bought it from. He said that he wasn't sure if it was a green slimer but he was hoping that it wasn't. He was hoping that it was of a more rare table form. But he did not say exactly what it was.

[Reefland]

This is the same coral as the pictures in post #32?

[fishgeeksrus]

Post # 1 and # 32 are the same coral....

Post # 9 and # 33 are the same coral...