Hammer coral with breathing leg?!

[dhavalsp]

I got this hammer coral 4 weeks ago. It is doing great so far. I had noticed this unusual crack on the foot from day one but did not think too much of it. I recently saw some poop like stuff getting. Prayed from it and then the slit continued to move as seen in the video. Just curious if this is normal.

 

[twentyleagues]

Thats some kind of bivalve that is attached to the hammer.

 

[dhavalsp]

That sounds cool and scary at the same time. How should I proceed. Let it be or try to remove it. I am new to this and any thing that requires remote reefing skill is out of bounds for me!

I was planning on dipping this coral in coral rx along with some new ones I am getting later this week. Will dipping this coral result in killing the bivalve?

 

[Uncle99]

Never seen that before.
Very neat.

 

[twentyleagues]

That sounds cool and scary at the same time. How should I proceed. Let it be or try to remove it. I am new to this and any thing that requires remote reefing skill is out of bounds for me!

I was planning on dipping this coral in coral rx along with some new ones I am getting later this week. Will dipping this coral result in killing the bivalve?

Most likely. I would just leave it be. It shouldn't harm anything.

 

[BristleWormHater]

That sounds cool and scary at the same time. How should I proceed. Let it be or try to remove it. I am new to this and any thing that requires remote reefing skill is out of bounds for me!

I was planning on dipping this coral in coral rx along with some new ones I am getting later this week. Will dipping this coral result in killing the bivalve?

Don't dip it, there's no point, you already put it in the tank, also the bivalve is very cool don't kill it.

 

[twentyleagues]

@ISpeakForTheSeas Would you happen to have an I.D.?

 

[ISpeakForTheSeas]

@ISpeakForTheSeas Would you happen to have an I.D.?

My best guess - given the lack of uniformity around the edges, the unequal valves, and the fact that the larger valve is attached to the skeleton of the coral - would be an oyster of some kind.

OP, bivalves (including oysters, clams, scallops, mussels, etc.) are harmless filter-feeders; they shouldn't hurt anything in your system, including the hammer coral it's on. I would keep it and enjoy it while it lasts - some bivalves do well in our systems while others don't. To try and help it do well, I would suggest feeding some phytoplankton:

Bivalves are harmless filter feeders; some do well in our tanks, but others tend to starve. If you want to try and help yours do well, you can feed phytoplankton like Isochrysis (Isochrysis galbana [T-Iso]), Chaetoceros (Chaetoceros sp./spp.), and Thalassiosira (Thalassiosira sp./spp.) or a blend containing one or more of those.

diatoms like Chaetoceros, Skeletonema, and Thalassiosira are good options, and a lot of bivalves appreciate things like Isochrysis galbana/T-Iso and Tetraselmis as well.

 

[dhavalsp]

Thank you all! This is reassuring. I will stay put and continue to enjoy it.

 

[Peanut]

I have a NY Knicks Torch that has a similar hitchhiker