Torch Coral Reproducing???

Ok..so my tank has been up and running for almost 2 years now. A few months ago, I added a torch coral that did really well for awhile. About a week ago, I noticed that a couple of my heads weren't opening. Last night while added more rock, I moved the torch and discovered that its hard shell had split and looked like someone had tried to pull it away. There were several pink fleshy looking fingers next to the torch, behind it, and on the rock they rest on. The largest fingers are about an inch and a half tall with the smallest ones looking like pink spots.
Is it possible it was spawning and the fingers are baby coral?
Has anyone seen this before...I'm either really excited or really upset...any help on this would be really appriciated.

 

Welcome to 3 reef

If you can provide a macro image of your coral and possible off spring that would really help to nail it down.

In my experience torch corals do not typically stay closed when budding.

 

Do a google search or "polyp bailout" - this is more common than actual hard coral reproduction.

If this is PB - unfortunately it's not a good prognosis. Generally this condition is brought on by stress.

It may be just the way I am reading your post - but it sounds like there are fleshy polyps which are in the tank that have come off of your main colony. If this is the case - its likely stress induced polyp bailout.

 

Hopefully this picture will show up on the post. Sorry, I'm struggling with the images.

 

my torches heads just split in half..

the pics arent showing up for me..

 

No picture yet . . . .

Go to "manage attachments" in "go advanced" - post the pics that way.

Or links to photobucket also work . . .

 

Thank you so much...the pictures are there.
All of the pink finger looking things are attached and there are tiny pink spots on and around my torch and the rock. One of these tiny pink spots can be seen on the right hand side of the rock. It looks like a little pink dot on the picture with my fingers in it. There are none that I could see on the sand bottom and all I have found are attached.

 

Thank you for the images. Looks like sponge growing among the branches. I can see what your pointing but can not ID it. This is a good link on reproduction of stoney corals and shows images of a torch coral budding.

FAQs about Propagation/Reproduction of Caryophyllid Corals

 

I agree with Corailline that it looks like a sponge growing - and come to think of it - when I got my torch coral back in December it had a blue sponge looking similar to yours growing in a similar spot.

 

My boyfriend and I did a really good inspection on them last night while I was attempting to get pictures. They are fully attached, round in shape, transparent pink and fleshy looking, appear to have an opening in the top that could possibly be a mouth, and there is some sort of dark shadow on the inside which makes us believe that something is inside it.
I am stumped. Should I leave them there or wait to see what they become? I've only been doing this for 2 years and do not want to kill the other inhabitants of my tank.
And...are they going to get into some sort of a chemical warfare with the torch when they get bigger.
Thanks in advance.