what kind of coral is this and why is it turning brown

it was so pretty in my lfs and now it is turning brown. it is actually my moms aquarium (its at her house) but she has no idea what she is doing so i like to do all the work for it and she just buys the stuff but she insists on feeding and feeding and turning the snails over when they are upside down "because he needed help" OMG she's insane ...please help im worried about my coral and ps my lfs said this was a mushroom coral???
i think it is like a polyps something or another, are they usually all different colors? the part that worries me are they dark orange/brown ones they are now getting black lines in the middle...

its a type of zoa. but it looks like its dying and needs a stronger light.

do you think i can move it up more towards the light in my tank? and what do you suggest feeding it?

that may help it if you can get it higher...i dont really know what you feed corals im a freshy person but do you have any pictures of the entire tank

i can take one! its so new, i just never thought about taking a big picture i should take one every so often so i can watch it change... i will post it when i take it

here it is!

yeah i would get it higher and i would think about getting another filter or a lot stronger of one

cool, thank you so much

In a freshwater aquarium one of the worst things you can do is over feed. It messes up the water chemistry and causes all sorts of bad bizarre things to happen. The same is, no doubt, true of saltwater aquariums. Tell your mom somebody older than her said that.

, that'll work!! Thanks!

The Zoanthus Colony Polyp Corals are also referred to as Sea Mats, or Button Polyps. Their most common color is green, but are also found in other bright colors, such as orange. They are colonial animals with multiple individual polyps attached to a piece of live rock. Pictured above are the two common forms of the super colored colony polyps and the coloration that you will receive will depend on availability.
These polyps have the ability to sting other polyps or corals. While the sting is not strong, they are semi-aggressive and need to have space between their colony and any neighbors since they tend to crowd them out. They are easy to maintain, making them a good choice for beginner reef aquarists. They require a high light level combined with a medium water movement within the aquarium. For continued good health, they will also require the addition of iodine and other trace elements to the water.

They will reproduce easily in the reef aquarium by budding (splitting off a portion of their base or mouth), which will increase the size of their colony.

They contain the symbiotic algae zooxanthellae which provide almost all of their nutritional requirements. Especially if the lighting is not optimal, they should be fed micro-plankton or baby brine shrimp.

It is common to receive a rock that is not completely covered in polyps. However, under the right conditions, they will quickly spread across this and surrounding rocks in the aquarium.


I cheated copy and paste gotta love it!!! you absolutly have a polyp and this article above should have mostly what you need to know to care for them. they do have several differant color schemes including orange, blue, red...... you need to also make sure you use the proper supliments (iodine, and trace element) and feed them micro-plankton or baby brine shrimp. Also make sure you use atleast 3 watts per gallon on your lighting system you should probally do more like 4 watts thou!!!

littleman you are da man ! thank you for the awesome and very helpful info!

It's really nice to have someone that understands more about saltwater.

When I start my saltwater adventure... I'm hoping you'll hold my hand... LOL!