Bubble Coral Shrank

[windyridge]

My bubble coral looks exactly like it did the day I got it all of a sudden. It's been bubbled up and looking great for weeks. Then all of a sudden it collapsed but I noticed a small head that likes look a miniature of the original, right beside it except that it is brown. Is this how they reproduce? Sorry I couldn't get a cleaner shot of it.
I did notice a peppermint shrimp all over it after it deflated like this but I think the shrimp took an interest after it shrank.
Anyone know for sure what's going on with it?

Look to the left of the main green colony
http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6078/6032461560_6d88bac290.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/windyridge2007/6032461560/)


http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6184/6032461548_d763b71532.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/windyridge2007/6032461548/)

[Lynnmw1208]

that little purple bubble next to the coral might be the starting of a pest anemone. can you get a closer pic? that could be the reason the coral is closing up. i would watch your peppermints though; mine started eating a head off my hammer coral. took the shrimp out to the sump and the hammer recovered.

[windyridge]

I can't get the camera to focus any better but it's not just a miniature bubble, it's lots of bubbles with all the lobes and even tentacles, so it doesn't look like a pest anemone fortunately.

[SecretiveFish]

I am not sure what that thing is in the picture, but I would guess it is something else. Can you move it? It is awfully close to you bubble coral.

My best guess is something in your tank is stressing out your bubble coral. Ours closed up like that a few days in a row, and we determined that he was being buzzed too much by the fish. We moved him and after a few days he was open and happy again. I have only had peppermint shrimp once, but they disappeared over time.... However many people report having problems with them so be wary!!

[windyridge]

The thing looks like a miniature of the coral that shrank only darker. The stringy thing sticking up out of it on the left is just some algae which confuses the pic. If you look closely you can see several bubbles, and it's proximity leads me to believe it may be a "baby" but who knows. Let me try and see if i can get a better photo but because of the angle and the water my camera is balking. It's a good camera (Nikon D40) and should do better though.

[windyridge]

I am pretty sure now that it has grown that I have a baby head and another is starting below it in front which can be seen in this pic, below the shrunken green bubble on the right, 4 bubbles are evident. This is a slightly better pic so in a few days if it keeps growing at this rate I will have a very good pic. So above left you can see a brownish head with 9 or 10 bubbles.

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6067/6035834864_629f1d5f3e.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/windyridge2007/6035834864/)