What is this????

[jsker]

Flubber

Sea slug link the type??

 

[sfin52]

Ya I have not seen anything quite like that before but the bulb tips and multiple heads leads me to think it’s a cnidarian of some sort. With a clearer picture of some structural features including the tentacles and possibly the oral disc I can try and figure out what it is.

So your thinking its a jelly of some sort

 

[Lovemyreef2015]

It looks like part of the coral to me.

 

[rushbattle]

I think it is a blasto polyp with some deformity. Maybe what others are calling "bounce" characteristics. I bet it looks more like a blasto polyp in a few months, if you don't kill it first! This is my guess, I reserve the right to be totally incorrect and hope I don't get mocked if/when I am wrong.

 

[Brew12]

I will say you are braver then I am. It may end up being harmless but I’m paranoid and would have injected it with lemon juice about 10 seconds after I spotted it [emoji23]

It doesn't seem to be hurting anything so I'm content to let it do its thing. It must have been growing for months, if not a year, so I don't expect it to be a major threat to invading my tank.... of course I could be wrong.

I'm less inclined to think it is a tunicate, although at first I thought it was the most likely answer. I didn't have a great view of it tonight but it didn't look like there was an opening in "mouth". If anything, it looked smooth in the center. But, it was very tough to see with the lights going down.

 

[Lasse]

I will say you are braver then I am. It may end up being harmless but I’m paranoid and would have injected it with lemon juice about 10 seconds after I spotted it [emoji23]

The normal sledge hammer approach

Sincerely Lasse

 

[Ron Reefman]

Brew, I've seen and even collected some pretty strange things from the Gulf of Mexico and the Florida Keys, but that one is strange! After reading all the suggestions, I'm inclined to think it may be something to do with the coral itself. Especially given there are 2 on this one colony and that they haven't moved in all the time you've been aware of them. To me, that rules out any kind of slug, nudibranch or cucumber, but a tunicate still isn't out of the picture. They do come in a huge array of shapes, sizes and colors and they don't tend to move.

Have you tried lifting it to see just how well it's attached to the coral, if at all?

 

[Sallstrom]

Could it be reproducing by budding? Polyp bailout is more a panic thing I think, when the colony doesn't do well.

 

[Brew12]

Brew, I've seen and even collected some pretty strange things from the Gulf of Mexico and the Florida Keys, but that one is strange! After reading all the suggestions, I'm inclined to think it may be something to do with the coral itself. Especially given there are 2 on this one colony and that they haven't moved in all the time you've been aware of them. To me, that rules out any kind of slug, nudibranch or cucumber, but a tunicate still isn't out of the picture. They do come in a huge array of shapes, sizes and colors and they don't tend to move.

Have you tried lifting it to see just how well it's attached to the coral, if at all?

I have not tried to move it. I first noticed it over a month ago but thought it was a piece of the skeleton growing out. It wasn't until yesterday morning I realized I had something unique going on. I'll do my best to get new pictures today after work.

Could it be reproducing by budding? Polyp bailout is more a panic thing I think, when the colony doesn't do well.

I have no idea. I would have to ask a marine biologist who works with corals if it's even possible with this type of coral.

 

[Brew12]

So I was looking at the pictures from last night on a larger monitor and I saw something.... I believe this is another polyp which would rule out any type of tunicate.

 

[Sallstrom]

I have not tried to move it. I first noticed it over a month ago but thought it was a piece of the skeleton growing out. It wasn't until yesterday morning I realized I had something unique going on. I'll do my best to get new pictures today after work.


I have no idea. I would have to ask a marine biologist who works with corals if it's even possible with this type of coral.

I'm only guessing But if it doesn't do any harm to the coral around it, I would let it be(please don't nuke it ). If you're lucky and it's budding, you'll get a new cloned colony!

 

[Brew12]

I'm only guessing But if it doesn't do any harm to the coral around it, I would let it be(please don't nuke it ). If you're lucky and it's budding, you'll get a new cloned colony!

No plans on nuking it. It's pretty cool and doesn't seem to be harming the rest of the coral it is on. Very curious to see how it develops.

 

[Brew12]

Ok, I got more pictures. A little disappointed in the way they turned out, but it's the best I could get.

First, just so people don't feel like I ignore my tank, this is all I see when I normally look at the tank. Hopefully it explains why it could get so big without me noticing it.

And now.... for the big one.... again, I apologize for the poor quality. I used my acrylic rod (everyone with an aquarium should have one) to push back the main coral polyps and got this. It's more clear in person looking through the lens but I am now confident that this is some mutation of the coral. The polyps have a very similar structure and are taking on the same pink coloring around them as on the mother coral it is growing on. Very curious to see how it continues to grow.

 

[MTBake]

Following this one.

That thing scares and intrigues me at the same time

 

[Orcus Varuna]

Ok, I got more pictures. A little disappointed in the way they turned out, but it's the best I could get.

First, just so people don't feel like I ignore my tank, this is all I see when I normally look at the tank. Hopefully it explains why it could get so big without me noticing it.

And now.... for the big one.... again, I apologize for the poor quality. I used my acrylic rod (everyone with an aquarium should have one) to push back the main coral polyps and got this. It's more clear in person looking through the lens but I am now confident that this is some mutation of the coral. The polyps have a very similar structure and are taking on the same pink coloring around them as on the mother coral it is growing on. Very curious to see how it continues to grow.

Definitely has the structure of a cnidarian so I am inclined to agree with you. Could be some from of benign growth. Cell replication and division can go awry in cnidarians just as it does in humans.

 

[Scotty Buttons]

Like you said it doesn't seem to be affecting anything so I'd let it grow and see what comes of it.

 

[rkpetersen]

I am now confident that this is some mutation of the coral.

Yes, most likely some sort of metaplastic, dysplastic, maybe even neoplastic deformity of the coral itself.
That's all that bounce mushroom variants are, and this looks very much like that.

 

[rushbattle]

Ok, I got more pictures. A little disappointed in the way they turned out, but it's the best I could get.

First, just so people don't feel like I ignore my tank, this is all I see when I normally look at the tank. Hopefully it explains why it could get so big without me noticing it.

And now.... for the big one.... again, I apologize for the poor quality. I used my acrylic rod (everyone with an aquarium should have one) to push back the main coral polyps and got this. It's more clear in person looking through the lens but I am now confident that this is some mutation of the coral. The polyps have a very similar structure and are taking on the same pink coloring around them as on the mother coral it is growing on. Very curious to see how it continues to grow.

Did I get it first? ;Bookworm

 

[Brew12]

Did I get it first?

Sorry, I think @rkpetersen gets credit for the first identification as to it being a coral deformity. You were definitely on the right track though.

 

[rushbattle]

Sorry, I think @rkpetersen gets credit for the first identification as to it being a coral deformity. You were definitely on the right track though.

I hereby refuse to cede the election....