Anyone know what this bubble is?

[ReefGrrl]

Hi all, I'm a newbie here although I've lurked for some time. This is my first post so if I breach any sort of etiquette please be gentle with me.

I've had these strange bubbles coming from the mouth of my small hammer coral. They kind of look like dinoflagellate algae coated with cyano. They are opaque and dark maroon/purple. Only this one head gets them, the other one on the piece does not.

They stretch up and up and then let go. I've never seen one let go, just noticed it was gone and then a day or so later, a new one forms. When I first noticed them I thought maybe some type of bubble algae was getting eaten by the hammer, but I haven't seen any of this type anywhere else in my tank. I was at first removing them with a baster but then I wondered if I was sucking food out of the mouth, if you know what I mean.

I've done all kinds of reading and have not been able to learn anything. I don't think it's spawning.

Any thoughts out there on what this is?

Thanks!

Attachment 14616

[ReefGrrl]

Here is a better photo of the bubble:

[Piscez]

What ever you do don't stick your bare hand in there!!! I believe it's a purple people eater

Obviously I have no idea, I've never seen anything like it before, but there's some sharp people on here so I'm sure you'll get an answer... free bump

[Myka]

Poop.

[ReefGrrl]

See - I KNEW you'd be helpful!

[mike31154]

Nice looking hammer. I've had bubble(s) in mine as well, but not quite like in your photo. They persisted for some time, didn't 'eject' in a few days as seems to be your experience. Hasn't happened in some time now, but I don't think there's any reason to be concerned. In my case, it seems the head was 'splitting', since once the bubble did go away, the single head appeared to become 2? The mysteries of marine critters.

[ReefGrrl]

Yeah, it's a weird one. That hammer is quite small compared to the other one I have and it looks quite robust but hasn't split yet. So perhaps that's what is about to happen.

That's a great photo you included. I got myself a nanoscope, which I love, but I haven't learned to take photos with it yet.