Gorgonian Bubbling

[Matt3586]

Hey All, I've got a Gorgonian that's showing some strange behavior. There appears to be a bubble growing on the tip of the stem. Picture attached shows one from this morning, but a second one popped up after work. I recently move them from one tank to another (same water) and didn't show these in the prior.

Does anybody know what this is? Advise? Attached is a pic under white light. Thanks in advance.

 

[cdemoss01]

Hey All, I've got a Gorgonian that's showing some strange behavior. There appears to be a bubble growing on the tip of the stem. Picture attached shows one from this morning, but a second one popped up after work. I recently move them from one tank to another (same water) and didn't show these in the prior.

Does anybody know what this is? Advise? Attached is a pic under white light. Thanks in advance.

@vetteguy53081

 

[jkcoral]

I’m viewing the photo on my phone, so I don’t have the best view, but it might be mucus. Gorgs have a waxy mucus coat that they shed every few days. High/decent flow helps them shed it.

You could use a turkey baster or pipette to blow directly on it and see if it comes off.

 

[ISpeakForTheSeas]

Hey All, I've got a Gorgonian that's showing some strange behavior. There appears to be a bubble growing on the tip of the stem. Picture attached shows one from this morning, but a second one popped up after work. I recently move them from one tank to another (same water) and didn't show these in the prior.

Does anybody know what this is? Advise? Attached is a pic under white light. Thanks in advance.

I've seen a bunch of other corals do this (see below), but I think this is my first time seeing it on a gorgonian; no one seems to know what causes it - it doesn't seem to be particularly harmful (though it can be problematic if the bubble pops), and sometimes it goes away on its own (though it may take months).

They're basically joking that you've either got two corals or a "bounce" acan that would be potentially be valuable.

The only thing I can find on this condition is that it may potentially be caused either by some kind of high lighting (some people say LED's, others UV; it's basically thought to be similar to sunburn reaction in people) or by elevated potassium levels, and it doesn't seem to negatively impact the corals in any way (but the bubbles if popped are prone to infection):
https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/bubbling-acanthophyllia-and-acan.570958/https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/flesh-bubbles-on-acan.184931/https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/odd-bubble-in-acan-bower-tissue.224346/https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/bounce-acans-micros.913841/https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/bounce-acan.488798/https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/bouncing-acan.707112/https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/bounce-acan-what-could-be-causing-this-phenomena.538851/

I don't know if this is related or not, but it reminds me of when corals "bounce" unexpectedly (such as the acans discussed below):

So, it may be high lighting/UV or it may be elevated potassium; I've also heard of this happening to a number of other LPS corals (including different hammers), with suspected potential causes such as: coral starvation/lack of nutrients in tank, coral overfeeding, lack of flow, and toxins and/or activated carbon. No one seems to know for certain what causes it, though, and it doesn't seem to be harmful.
https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/sick-hammer-coral-help.276558/https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/swollen-torch-hammers-frogspawn.622793/https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/why-is-my-hammer-all-puffy.709222/https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/swollen-hammer.367813/

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/why-my-arco-skin-bubble-bounce.986654/https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/acropora-starting-to-develop-fleshy-bubbles-help.992783/https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/bubbling-sps-disease.405851/In addition to the speculated causes above, there's also speculation it may be bacterial or related to excess metals (a more specific toxins guess, essentially).

 

[Matt3586]

Thanks everyone, it's certainly unique... i attempted the pipette and it clung on. Based on its movement I'm think it's filled with a gas of somesort. Maybe trapped air from the move? Regardless, sounds like leaving it be maybe best. I'll keep an eye on it.

 

[Tub Life]

Interesting you mentioned trapped air from a move, I recall way back in the day being told to keep gargs submerged at all times. Maybe this is why.

But I don't think it will cause any harm. If you are worried about it, just snip that little branch off.