What is this…

[MikeyZo]

What is this on the skeleton of my candy cane? Is it a tunicate? And why is the coral changing color with its touch?

 

[KrisReef]

That appears to be Brown Jelly Disease consuming the lower head.

 

[MikeyZo]

I don’t think it’s BJD… it’s a bad picture let me try to get a better one… I’ve seen that opening move open and closed.

That appears to be Brown Jelly Disease consuming the lower head

 

[thamnasteroid]

tunicate maybe?

 

[MikeyZo]

I think so…
Do they make colonies?

Here’s the best pics I can get with a macro lens on my iPhone. Of course it’s in the back of the DT…

 

[thamnasteroid]

I think so…
Do they make colonies?

Here’s the best pics I can get with a macro lens on my iPhone. Of course it’s in the back of the DT…

some do, others don't. Colonial tunicates can overgrow and smother corals in the wild, but often don't do well in aquaria. This one seems to be colonial.

 

[MikeyZo]

And doing Well…

 

[ISpeakForTheSeas]

Yeah, colonial tunicates - as mentioned, some species when under the right conditions can smother corals; I usually recommend isolating them to their own, easily contained rock in case they turn out to be invasive in one's tank. If you want to try and help them do better:

If you want to try and help the tunicates do well, offering some phytoplankton would probably be wise. Isochrysis and Rhodomonas or a blend containing at least one of these would be my first choice. For a more intensive diet that would likely show better results, see "Table 3" in the link below:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7347631/