Should i be Scared?

[sauceman]

Today i went down to Ron's Saltwater Heaven in Willimsport PA. While i was there i picked up a large rock covered in Green Star Polyps. I aclimated it for a long time to my tank, and then placed it into the tank. Its been about three hours now, and i have a couple questions.
1. The polyps havent come out of thier spongy little home, when can i expect to see them out and happy.

2. There are lots of little "bugs" scooting around on the surface of the spongy material that the polyps are in. Should i be worried about these? they are about a quater inch long, brow/grey, and have lots of little legs.

3. My emerald crabs seem to be picking at the areas where the polyps have retracted into. I was told these are reef safe crabs...should i take them out?

Thanks for the help everyone. This is my first coral additon to my tank, so pardon all the questions:) and thanks for the help! :)
Sauce

[Alastair]

At this point, I don't think you've anything to worry about.

1) When starbursts get stressed, it's not unusual for them to close up for an extended period of time. Being moved between tanks counts as a pretty stressful experience. When I cut mine to propgate them, it's not unusual for them to be closed for several days afterwards, and I've heard people say theirs have shut for as long as a week. They invariably open again. Starburst polyps are pretty robust.

2) Emerald crabs generally are reef safe and are primarily vegetarian. It's possible they are picking algae out from around the fleshy stems (called "the stolon") or even eating the mucous that the polyps can secrete when stressed. Certain other crabs will eat starbursts, but I've never seen an emerald do it.

3) While it's kinda hard to say without seeing them, the critters you are seeing are most likely copepods or amphipods, which are tiny, crustacean-like creatures which are pretty commonly seen hiding amongst starburst polyps. Both are harmless and even considered highly desirable, as they are an essential food source for many marine fish, especially small planktivors like mandarins.

-- Alastair

[sauceman]

Thanks for the great information! Another round of questions...
From what ive been reading about Green Star Polyps, they are supposed to have a pruple fleshy base that they retract into...and it branches out to form a mat. The coral that i have doesnt have a purple mat-like base, it is more of a spongy covering over the surface of the rock. I saw the coral in the store, and the extended polyps looked just like the GSPs, did they give me something that looks the same but is actually different? or am i just wrong on my assumptions about the coral? Thanks again everyone...i dont think youve heard the last of me yet:)
Sauce

[Pisces]

What color is the spongy surface? If you've got green star polyps all you would see when they are retracted is a purple, bumpy surface, it's kind of rubbery. You won't see any part of the polyps sticking out or even a visible hole that they are in. Is it possible you have a sea mat instead of star polyps? The sea mat has a fibrous, encrusting mat that binds the polyps together.

[sauceman]

The coral i have is not purple, which was the first thing that made me think that it wasnt green stay polyps. It is a soft, bumpy sponge like surface. Im going to borrow my friend's digital camera today...and ill get a good picture to send to you all. Thanks for your help:)
Sauce

[Kara]

don't worry about your emerald crab. I have one (in my 46 gallon reef tank) and anytime I put a new piece of coral in the tank, the emerald and the hermit crabs will be there within the hour to check it out for any eddible tidbits. None of the hermits nor the emerald have hurt any of my corals.

The only bad thing I have to say about the Emerald Crab is that it likes to scrape coraline algae off my rocks from time to time which leaves a white gash in my beautiful pink and purple encrustation.

The little bugs on the coral are just that.. sea bugs (Copeopods sp?). ;) My fish love to eat them.

[Jacob Abshire]

My star poylops have a thick white base, but are still star poylops. Probly just a diffrent species. Also, I had an emearld crab for a while and feed him gold fish, shrimp and so on. Never saw him eat plants or the algee.

[Boogiechillin]

Anytime I move my star polyps, it takes a good week before they will fully extend again. Give them time...and do get a picture. I'm curious now. ;)