Help, Brain coral turning black?

[Jjd531]

Hello, on the bottom of one of my brain coral I've noticed its starting to turn bubbly and black, what is this and how do I treat it. Pictures not the best but its bubbly, almost like bubble algae and very dark brown/black. ALSO IS IT INFECTIOUS? I'm running a 20tall reef with over 80 corals in it, cannot risk this causing a huge problem, I have another brain near it which is healing from a really nasty hammer sting. All my corals have had good growth and great polyp extension as well as colors, and I frequently (still) see a lot of sweeper tentacle action coming from this brain coral, so I dont think its necessarily water quality.

 

[Jjd531]

I've also noticed algae on my sand getting a little bad this week because my conches have decided to go on strike, they're not dead as I dug them up. But maybe this algae or even sand is irritating it, I have really fine sand, flys everywhere lol.

 

[Ding2daDong]

Looks like bubble algae.

 

[ahiggins]

Looks like bubble algae.

Looks like it

 

[Ding2daDong]

Likely that little area around the base of the coral died, or it's just the rock it's on, and that now exposed skeleton is a great place for stuff to grow. With bubble algae growing in your tank it has taken hold of that area quiet nicely.

 

[KrisReef]

Looks like bubble algae.

Yup ^
Got room for a Foxface? Some people use emerald crab but I don't trust those.

 

[Jjd531]

Hmm, I've actually found my conches will eat bubble algae, I've watched them slurp it off the rocks no joke. Maybe I'll slap a conch down next to it and see what happens. Assuming it's just algae I may try to scrape it, if the magic conch doesn't do the job, that brain has been doing good as far as I can tell at least compared to the stung one.. anything I should look out for given it were to be bacterial or a disease?

 

[KrisReef]

Disease would probably cause the nice fluffy polyps on the edges closest to the dead skeleton to get flabby or sucked in tight agains the skeleton.

The other black looking organisms that might be expected to grow there are sponge or bacteria, especially if there is a dead zone (low O2) under the coral in the sand. I don't see evidence of either issue in your picture, I think its just algae. As long as the coral is expanded and happy I wouldn't worry too much about the algae.

 

[Jjd531]

Disease would probably cause the nice fluffy polyps on the edges closest to the dead skeleton to get flabby or sucked in tight agains the skeleton.

The other black looking organisms that might be expected to grow there are sponge or bacteria, especially if there is a dead zone (low O2) under the coral in the sand. I don't see evidence of either issue in your picture, I think its just algae. As long as the coral is expanded and happy I wouldn't worry too much about the algae.

Okay, update today, I lifted the brain out of the sand and I was touching the black bubbles and seeing if they were algae and they were hard squishy and fleshy and did not pop like bubble algae I didnt want to mess with it much as I think it is possible attached or part of the coral and would like some input, It really resembled bubble algae but was definitely like black or extremely dark brown, I've tackled bubble algae and It really did not seem like that usually if I get bubble on my skeletons it'll rub/scrape/scrape right off.

 

[Ding2daDong]

Okay, update today, I lifted the brain out of the sand and I was touching the black bubbles and seeing if they were algae and they were hard squishy and fleshy and did not pop like bubble algae I didnt want to mess with it much as I think it is possible attached or part of the coral and would like some input, It really resembled bubble algae but was definitely like black or extremely dark brown, I've tackled bubble algae and It really did not seem like that usually if I get bubble on my skeletons it'll rub/scrape/scrape right off.

There are different forms of bubble algae and stages of its life cycle. Sometimes it's mat like and almost rubbery. You almost ponder if you could puncture it with a sharp tool. Then there are types or stages of its cycle where it becomes fluctuant and squishy. Usually at this phase of the cycle it's getting ready to burst and release spores all over your tank. I still think it's bubble algae but maybe in a life cycle or different species.

-Matthew