The heck is this?

[Ibn]

Went over to Daniel's place last night and he had an interesting pink something or another on a plug. Looking at it, it looks exactly like something that a buddy of mine shot while at a public aquarium. Anyone know the heck it is? (I thought it was a sponge of some kind or another, but it's hard like an SPS...)

Width of the branch was around 1/8".

 

[capescuba]

Finger Coral? Madracis??

 

[bookfish]

I would second madracis. Mingwei has a similar deeper water madracis in a different color.

 

[CitS]

I have another question, what is that slug/snail on the left branch?

 

[tuberider]

Looks like a Stomatella (sp)

 

[kurplunk]

I looked up a bunch of stuff on the madracis but they all seem to have very short thick branches compared to this piece which seems to have skinny elongated branches.

 

[kurplunk]

If it is a Madracis that would make it more of a cryptic organism right?

 

[GreshamH]

With the tips looking so porous I highly doubt this is a madracis. Sure looks like a sponge to me. FWIW sponges can be very hard (silica based ones come right to mind). What coral would have such a porous growth tip and uniform coral on all polyps and flesh?

 

[kurplunk]

From time to time it extends fine clear tentacles. It is very porous looking like a sponge. The color continues through coral right to its core. I know this is very indicative of some sort of piece of plastic, but trust me it's not. And believe me the color is so bright it looks fake.