Hammer Coral weird growth

[DSmithZ28]

I have had this hammer coral for a few months now and when I bought it I don’t recall seeing this huge growth or what ever it is at the base. Can anyone id what this might be? Should I remove it? Ordered a new frag plug and Lugols iodine to treat it.

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

I can’t make out enough detail, but my gut says sponge.

 

[DSmithZ28]

I can’t make out enough detail, but my gut says sponge.

I will try to get a picture tomorrow before work with out the Actinics on.

 

[DSmithZ28]

I was able to get this picture this morning. If you look at the frogspawn at the top right has developed this mass at the bottom left. The Hammer has a lot larger one that was not there when I bought them 4 months ago. Neither are doing very well. I was planning on taking them out and cutting off that mass and glueing them done to a new frag plug and then observing them. I ordered some Lugols iodine dip and was planning to dona coral revive dip and a lugols iodine dip after cutting off that mass. Is this a good idea? The Frogspawn is not opening at all now.

 

[nfrench2100]

Still a little hard to make out. Can you get a more close up pic of the mass’? I’m with saltyfilmfolks tho on the sponge. From the last pic, they look like pineapple sponges. And if so, they are harmless filter feeders. I’d still remove them from the corals tho

 

[DSmithZ28]

Still a little hard to make out. Can you get a more close up pic of the mass’? I’m with saltyfilmfolks tho on the sponge. From the last pic, they look like pineapple sponges. And if so, they are harmless filter feeders. I’d still remove them from the corals tho

I'll try to get the wife to use her camera to take one. My iphone is just a fail. The Hammer has a dark spot on the mass. It looks like a blackhead honestly. Anyway I think I will cut it off and I will be able to get better pictures also.

 

[nfrench2100]

Are you sure the dark spot “blackhead” isn’t a hole? Sounds indicative of sponge

I'll try to get the wife to use her camera to take one. My iphone is just a fail. The Hammer has a dark spot on the mass. It looks like a blackhead honestly. Anyway I think I will cut it off and I will be able to get better pictures also.

 

[nfrench2100]

Does it look like this?

 

[DSmithZ28]

Are you sure the dark spot “blackhead” isn’t a hole? Sounds indicative of sponge

Very hard to tell. The FRogspawn had a hole but it closed up. The Hammer does not look like a hole but some sort of...something black in it.

 

[DSmithZ28]

Does it look like this?

Ya the FS looked similar to that.

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

If it’s a sponge you can scrape it off with a finger. My guess is it’s not the issue with the coral however.