Can an animal live inside of a coral?

[BlackTip]

I bought a Favia frag 10 months ago. It barely grow, but it looked healthy. I used to see a sieve like arm extend from the mouth to the water column to capture food.

The past two weeks, the color looked very dull, so I relocated the frag. Last night, I was observing closely, and I saw what looks like two very tiny claws- like extended from the mouth. It seems like it was trying to capture food from the water column. It doesn't look like the sieve I use to see.

Is is possible that an animal or a bug lives inside? If saw, what could it be? Obviously, it is killing the animal.

 

[m0nkie]

Bayer dip it and find out

 

[LJLKRL]

I bought an elegance coral that I later found out had a "gall crab" in it. It had bored a hole in the side just under the top of the skeleton. Yes, crabs will live inside of corals.
I got this one out and the coral has done much better since then.
That crab was about the size of a black eyed pea.

 

[Sugar Magnolia]

I was thinking gall crab too.

 

[jmike0311]

I would say dip it and see what comes out. Please post pics if you do!

 

[JZinCO]

Bayer dip kills right? How about a hypersaline dip to force it out of hiding first.

 

[ssick92]

If it is killing the animal I say you just dip it to kill it. No sense in keeping it alive unless you want to study it further...

 

[D-Nak]

If it is killing the animal I say you just dip it to kill it. No sense in keeping it alive unless you want to study it further...

I think all want to see what comes out!

 

[ssick92]

I think all want to see what comes out!

So kill it and then use tweezers to remove it :spin2:

 

[D-Nak]

So kill it and then use tweezers to remove it :spin2:

It may wedge itself in while dying. I like the hypo idea so we can see what comes out, then nuke it.

 

[JZinCO]

unless you want to study it further...

That's just where my mind always goes..

 

[jmm]

Maybe it's a harmless barnacle.

Most filter feeders won't live very long in our tanks.