Chicken pox!

[KSUChemist]

Is what it looks like anyway... Red spots all over the base of my branching hammer. I've only had it for ~2 weeks and this wasn't present when I picked it up. None of my other euphyllia have it either. There's one larger one that's maybe close to pea sized. (The coral is still in the water in both pictures - my female clown is going rogue and knocking everything off the rocks into the sand, even the super glued stuff - that's a whole other issue if anyone has ideas there). The only medicine I have on hand is some melafix for fin rot. I've been meaning to get some Reef dip iodine to hopefully help out my torch. I'm willing to pick up/order stuff to help.

 

[flsalty]

Looks like sponge. Is it hard? Soft? Jelly like? Spongy? I would scrape some off and look at it under a microscope.

 

[KSUChemist]

Looks like sponge. Is it hard? Soft? Jelly like? Spongy? I would scrape some off and look at it under a microscope.

It appears to be soft, but I didn't want to touch it and risk knocking it loose in the tank. I will take a better look at it this weekend. I don't have a microscope.

 

[flsalty]

It appears to be soft, but I didn't want to touch it and risk knocking it loose in the tank. I will take a better look at it this weekend. I don't have a microscope.

Well I meant pull the frag out of the tank first. I know most people don't have a microscope but they are really handy in this hobby. Even a magnifying glass or jeweler's loupe would probably be good enough to help ID. With some luck maybe someone will come along that recognizes it from those pics.

 

[samnaz]

Maybe the start of foraminiferans growing. They are fairly common on Euphyllia bases.

 

[Tahoe61]

Maybe the start of foraminiferans growing. They are fairly common on Euphyllia bases.

Yup

 

[KSUChemist]

Maybe the start of foraminiferans growing. They are fairly common on Euphyllia bases.

I take it those are nothing to worry about then?

 

[samnaz]

I take it those are nothing to worry about then?

nope, super cool interesting hitchhikers if you ask me! nice find.

 

[samnaz]

they'll start to branch off as they grow like tiny mini corals.

 

[KSUChemist]

nope, super cool interesting hitchhikers if you ask me! nice find.

There were a lot of white ones on the base when I purchased it, I was mostly just worried about the red. Good to know!