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Cultivated Reef

Unidentified Parasite on Stoney Coral


yvg240

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I am new to this hobby and have a hammer coral. I've noticed something on the soft tissue that keeps the coral from opening. It moves and will pull itself into a tube or part of the coral when spooked. My first guess is a worm but I really don't know. There are also some pink things on to the left of it that also seem to be affecting the coral.

 

Can someone help me?

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this is call vermetid snail. they are reef safe but the web they produce to catch food are irritating to many corals. that's why your hammer isn't expanding in that direction. you can remove the snail and within minutes, your hammer should be back to normal.

 

i normally remove those that get in the way of my corals, otherwise, i let them alone.

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circusordie16

i think its a feather duster front and center but vermetids off to the left and kind of in the back. vermetids can irritate corals so i usually crush any that i see in my tank.

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it shouldnt cause any problems with the coral and i doubt it would refrain a candy cane from opening.

 

you are right that feather duster will not cause hammer to mess up. look closely on the top left spot just right below the`damage', you will see the vermetid snail. if you don't see it, nothing i can help :)

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I see two things I think, one just below and center to the damage looks like a vermetid sticking out horizontally from the base of the damage. The other thing I see is left side center of the damage with three prongs on it. Is that some type of vermetid also?

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Thanks for all your help. You guys were right on the money. It was the vermetid snail on the left that was causing the problem. I removed it and two days later the hammer coral was open all the way again. I guess the feather duster isn't a bother.

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