What is it?

[Petie]

I have searched the Sun Coral threads and have seen no mention of this. I have had a sun coral for a month maybe a little more, but I just noticed something odd. One of the polyps has a bulge on the side of it where it looks like it is going to grow a new polyp maybe. On this bulge is a small brownish orange spot, the odd thing is whats coming out of this spot. Take your hand palm down and open and close your fist, okay this is the shape and movement of the small thin white hair like (think small feather duster thin) thing coming out of the spot. Any ideas? It's waaay to small to get a picture of.

[dwculp]

Hmmmmmm..............I am not sure, but it could very well be a small feather duster. I have had recent explosion of tiny feather dusters in my tank and have them groing in odd spots, I even have a few groing on my clams.

[Petie]

I have tons of feather dusters, it doesn't look like any of them. It extends and retracts about once every second or so.

[aquamanathome]

I've seen that before, very small, looked like the shape of a long thin hand, like a skeliton hand. It must be used to catch small particals. It has been a while as I lost most of that tank in the hurricane, and I can't remember what coral I was looking at. Pretty cool to watch it open and close. Does yours dissapear into the hole completely?

[Petie]

exactly! Yes it does disssapear into the hole completely.

[ManEatingGuppy]

barnicle maybe? they do often grow on coral skeleton esspecially galaxias

[The0wn4g3]

First off, this is what i consider a sun coral
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y117/The0wnage/3e11ce7d.jpg
Mine will get HUGE orange bubbles between the tentacles and base when they are consuming something. As for the thing opening and closing I have no idea... does it open and close like xenia ? The only thing i can think of that extends and retracts is a feather duster.
It could possibly be a type of tube worm also, I have a few that have a hair-thin white thread that moes around and catches debris

[aquamanathome]

I would think it is a sign that it is healthy and feeding. Someone has probably taken a picture of one even though it is so small, if I find one I'll let you know.

[graveyardworm]

Does it look like this?

http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/562/44187100_0900.jpg

Sorry its a little blurry but it's the best my camera will do.

[Petie]

Okay it comes out of the little circled spot, It's super thin and totally white, it goes in and out of the hole within a second or two , fairly constant, in and out. Curls like your fingers when your making a fist.
http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b384/CherishCochran/SunCoralCritter005.jpg

[colettem]

I observed something similar in my tank last night. I have a few polyp-type things on a rock right a the fron. One of them was protruding a tentacle-like thing that looked more like a fan worm - slightly stripey. It was sweeping it in all directions and the "petals" around the outside of the polyp were all retracted. You can just about make it out in the photo - although it's a bit difficult as the tentacle is transparent.

http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f163/colettem/croppedpolyp.jpg

[ManEatingGuppy]

im 100% sure its a barnicle, barnacle, how ever u spell it.

[Petie]

I read up on barnacles and i also belive that is what it is. Most likely a rosette barnacle, from what I read they seem to like the same shade and conditions as sun coral. I guess the "what is it" hunt is over, thanks to all who helped. :)

[dwculp]

After seeing the pics I am going to have to throw my vote in for barnacle also. I had a bunch come in on my TBS rock. Although mine were much bigger the fan shaped thing looked exactly the same.