corals

[SeaHorse_Fanatic]

SPS are mostly "fuzzy sticks" where the polyps retract completely into the hard skeleton at night but under good lighting, the tiny polyps stick out into the current.

LPS have much more fleshy, plump polyps. They usually have a large hard skeleton under the polyp & the polyps usually are still visible even at night, just shrunken.

Softies have no skeleton & are often slimy to the touch. they usually expand several times their shrunken night-time size when the lights go on.

Mushrooms or corallimorphs look like underwater mushrooms with a small central mouth.

Zoanthids are soft corals that have a small stalk & larger "flower-like" head or polyp with a tiny central mouth. These are normal small in size but large in number.

SPS - acropora, montipora, pocillipora, staghorn

LPS - bubble, brain, torch, hammer, frogspawn, elegance, trumpet, fox, pipe organ

Softies - pulsing xenia, anthelia, colt, leathers, toadstools

Mushrooms - frilly, hairy, ricordea, rhodactis, elephant ear

Zoanthids - common ones are combinations of brown, orange & green but may come in almost any colour.

Hope this helps. Google Image some of these terms & you'll have a clear idea.

Anthony