Hitchhiker living in my torch. Help!

[phillyb614]

Hi guys,

I’m in need of some help identifying a hitchhiker I recently discovered on my purple torch coral. I’ve had the coral for a few months and it had been doing great. The last week or so, it hasn’t been doing great. Every other coral is doing great in the tank (including my green torch). Yesterday, I decided to dip it to see if that would help. After I glued it back in place, I saw a tiny critter (probably 1/8 or 3/16 of an inch long) climb into a small hole, that I also never noticed ‍. I have not been able to get a video of it’s entire body out of the hole, but you can definitely see it poking it’s head out. Then, I noticed what almost look like eggs hanging out on the skeleton.

I find it hard to believe that this critter living in the torch and the torch not doing well, not being related. Debating putting some glue over the hole, and scraping off the egg looking things.

PLEASE! Any advice or knowledge on this would be very much appreciated! This is my prize coral in my tank, and I do not want to lose it.

 

[fishguy242]

@MERKEY @Lost in the Sauce @F i s h y

 

[Lost in the Sauce]

Can't see much under Windex.

 

[F i s h y]

The torch def looks unhappy. I would not super glue over the hole. You risk whatever it is coming out a new hole or dieing and rotting inside your torch.

 

[F i s h y]

I've not known this to happen to torches but Google gall crabs. Could be your culprit or a similar species.