What is this in my Hammer Coral

[Danielbdn]

I recently started adding coral to my tank and I just bought this Hammer Coral and the guy told me there was something in the center of it but he wasn't sure what it was. It extends a real fine fanlike thing out and pulls it back to its mouth. This is the best picture I could get.

 

[kdpuffer]

A barnacle, I had some in my torch when I got it. It is best to remove it as it will irritate the coral and can often result in the corals death. If you use needle nose pliers you can grab it and break it off the coral. Be careful as you don't want to injure the coral. This is how I removed mine and it worked well as the coral healed up quickly and covered the hole from the barnacle.