What do I have, Anthelia or Xenia?

[Chucker]

Actually, I'd beg to differ with everyone so far. I'd say that the first image is actually Clavularia polyps.

 

[O P Ing]

hi.
http://www.calacademy.org/research/izg/Workshop2002.htm

The current state of Xeniidae taxonomy.
Taxonomy of Xeniidae genera has been helped by Phil Alderslade's recent description of six new genera, based mainly on characters of the sclerite microstructure. Phil has an on-going project to investigate sclerite structure in all nominal Xeniidae genera. At the species level, however, revision of the larger (Xenia, Heteroxenia) and less common genera (Cespitularia) is needed. Such an effort would require further re-collections from type locations and SE Asian reefs. Molecular techniques should be applied wherever possible.

Tax. key from:
http://www.calacademy.org/research/izg/OCTOHT.htm
The difference between Clavulariidae and Xeniidae is that the polyps connected to other polyps by basal stolons in the former, while polyps contained in massive bodies to form a coherent colony in the latter.

There is a picture of Clav. at this link:
http://www.calacademy.org/research/izg/ ... polyps.htm
Looks like a Xenia polyp to me... with that feathery "fingers"... nice...

I feel I am a bit more convinced about Chucker's opinion, but the color of the first pic is usually of Xenia... I don't know. :?

 

[Anemone]

I feel I am a bit more convinced about Chucker's opinion, but the color of the first pic is usually of Xenia... I don't know. :?

I've had clavularia polyps that color, but they were closer together, with a more obvious connecting mat (kinda meandering extensions, not a full mat). However, the bottom portion of the polyp (the base into which it retracts), looked very similar to these. As I said earlier, I'm not convinced the first is xenia, but I'm not sure what it is either.

So, no concerns over the mojano anemones in a couple of the pics?

Kevin

 

[wombat1]

Anthelia polyps can and do retract. The first picture sure looks like Anthelia to me, but I never considered Clavularia. Xenia comes from a single stalk. The absence of a connecting mat is good evidence it might be Clavularia. It's kind of a moot point anyway. Their care requirements are all very similar. Med-Hi flow, Hi light, and they'll grow like crazy.

 

[mountainbiker619]

Kevin,

I have no concerns about the mojano anemones, in which there are quite a few of them on both rocks. Should I be concerned?

David

*Please take me by the hand, for this reef wonderland is fairly new to me

 

[Acro-Head]

The first one is definately Anthelia... it doesnt pulse in most aquariums. I have had a ton of it. And if anyone wants any, i wam trying to get rid of it now..... its pretty if you can keep it in one location. Lots of light, mine grows fast strait under a 400watt Halide.
AND to who-ever thinks its Pom Pom xenia. its definately not. Most definately. Sorry for the rudeness, but its hard to mix those two up...
Anyone wanting to sell/trade any of the pink Red Sea Umbellata I am wanting some..
thanks

 

[Anonymous]

One way to tell if it's Anthelia is at night it will close into a maraca type club head. The polyps will draw in and a membrane will enclose them making the end look like a pink Q-Tip.

Most Xenia propogate by basal/longitudinal fission. Anthelia, on the other hand, grow/propogate by stolon spread. The "mat" under them spreads out and encrusts over the surrounding rock. From the stolon, sprouts new smaller polyps.

 

[trigger0214]

Looking again at the first pic I am not sure what to think. I still feel that the last two pics are xenia, specifically elongata and Red Sea, respectively. Simply from observations in my own aquarium, it seems that my all my anthelia are connected by a wide mat at the base of polyp and that fragged individual polyps of xenia seem to grow other polyp heads relatively quickly.

How long have you had the polyps?
Did they come in on live rock or did you purchase them?

 

[mountainbiker619]

Snapper, yes when it closes it looks like a q-tip. I will take a pic in the morning while they are still closed and post it.

Trigger, I purchased this LR about 5 days ago. The LR contained the items in pic 1 and 3, along with numerous majano anemone's and some other items.

 

[Leopardshark]

The first pic is 100% clavularia, you can see that I have the EXACT TYPE in my tank in my web page.

 

[danmhippo]

619, worry about majano now. Either take the rock out and scrub it clean of majanos, or use kalk paste to smother it.

 

[mountainbiker619]

Jimmy,

May I ask as to why I should be worried about them? Just so I wont feel guilty killing them.

 

[mountainbiker619]

Jimmy,

I just did some reading on them. They seem to grow like crazy, about impossible to get ride of, and they will sting other corals. Will they kill my xenia?

 

[mountainbiker619]

Ofcourse, as my luck would have it..the day I put that LR into the tank, my Bennett's Butterfly started pecking at the majano's (ofcourse not knowing what they were at the time). So thinking the Bennett's was doing more harm than good, I placed it into to my 100 gal FOWLR tank. Now I just read that some butterflyfish are known for killing majano's. So off I go fishing for my Bennett's so I can put his butt back to work

 

[mountainbiker619]

here is a pic of the one in question when it is closed

 

[chester]

Looks like I have the same as your first pic and have had them for 4 years, a little tip, mine are on a single large rock which has inward facing sides so sits proud of surrounding rocks, it wont spread probably as this area is shaded? but it means that to produce frags I just have to lean another piece of rock against it!

 

[mountainbiker619]

chester,

Yes, they look very similur. But your stalks look much thinner than mine. Do yours look like my last pic before you turn your lights on?

 

[chester]

As my lights go off mine shrink back so the stems get fatter also the frills can look tatty and what you end up with is something that looks like the eggs out of alien i.e. idividual pods.

 

[mountainbiker619]

then yes, it appears as we have the same. You can see the pods in my last pic posted. Any idea if it is xenia, athelia, or something else?

 

[Leopardshark]

Chester, what you have is Tubipora musica, you can id them by the red base they build, on the contrary anthelia doesn´t builds one.