Something strange growing on my hammer.

[Old Reefer]

This little bubble has shown up inside my hammer. It's about a half inch in diameter. It looks like its getting bigger. I don't have a clue what it might be. Any thoughts would be welcome.

 

[FlexingFishSticks]

Looks like it is about to split heads

 

[Old Reefer]

Thanks for the reply, I sure hope that's what it is. The hammer was very little on a frag , one year ago. It has about four heads now. I never noticed this in the past as it grew.

 

[samnaz]

pyrgomatid barnacle

 

[malacoda]

I think the OP is referring to the tissue bubble on the topmost head(s). That's not a barnacle. And I've never seen my hammer do that when it split heads...

While I haven't seen anything like that happen to my hammer, I have seen it happen with two different brain-worm corals (platygyras) in spots where thin skeletal growth beneath allowed small areas of flesh to detach and form bubbles. They never spread and would inflate/deflate regularly depending on the strength of the current. Eventually one of the two 'popped' and then the tissue reattached itself to the underlying skeleton.

I don't know what it is - maybe someone else will chime in with some other ideas...

For now though, if it were me, I'd just leave it be.

 

[Old Reefer]

I've been watching it for two weeks, seems about the same. Yes, its the bubble in top of picture.