Coral Canundrum

[dankolle]

About two days ago my star polyps (healthy and growing like wild fire) didn't some out in the morning. Now today, it didn't come out again. Plus, my other coral (don't know name, see photos below) decided after being out beautifully yesterday to not wake up.

To make matters stranger, it seems that my mushrooms and kenyan tree are out in full force! I checked my water peramaters and they seem fine. The anemone is not affected nor is the stingray or any other fish. I'm hoping this is just a normal cycle for corals?

Branchy coral: (3-4 Months Old)
http://img171.imageshack.us/img171/1601/1111090834.jpg

Star Polyps: (5 - 6 Months Old)
http://img171.imageshack.us/img171/2493/1111090835.jpg

My Chem test I did just a few minutes ago:

pH: 8.4
Ammonia: 0ppm
Nitrite: 0ppm
Nitrate: 20ppm
Calcium: 450ppm - 500ppm

 

[Hiker4twenty]

Could be your nitrates, which are a bit high. Did you do anything recently to change things in the tank?

 

[dankolle]

no new fish or anything in the past 3 weeks. I know ideal nitrates are 0, but I have had them up to 80ppm (break down and removal of crushed coral substrate and added live sand 5 weeks ago) and they did fine.

 

[dcantucson]

Could be your tank has or is going through a cycle of some sort from changing the substrate.

 

[dankolle]

Well it's isolated to that one coral now...the branchy coral I had a picture of all sad this morning opened up and is alive and well! There are about 4 tiny baby star polyps that opened up, but thats about it....Should I increase my water change volume for a few weeks?

 

[Hiker4twenty]

How often do you do water changes and how much? Also, what type of water are you using?

 

[dankolle]

I change 10% a week, and have to suppliment 2 gallons fresh per week for evaporation, etc. I am using city tap water of which I have seen water quality reports and it is really really clean. Our city is right on lake michigan. My LFS uses the same city water as well and he has never had an issue.

 

[steelcity]

The may use the same water but most likely run it through a RO/DI filter to remove all of the extras.

 

[dankolle]

I thought so too, and he doesn't...just straight out of the tap.

 

[Hiker4twenty]

Did you move the location of the corals? Sometimes if you put them in a area with changed flow or lighting they can get shocked a bit.

 

[dankolle]

No, it's been there for 5 weeks now in the same place w/o issue...unless he takes forever to adjust

 

[Melosu58]

Chemistry and the Aquarium

 

[sen5241b]

Whoa! I do not see any parm for phosphates! Some corals die with even small amounts of phosphates.

 

[winyfrog]

Be careful with tap water...

Star polyps love lots of flow, to help break up algae that grows on them as well as helps them to feed. Be sure that its in a high flow area, other then that sometimes corals will take a bit longer to adjust, thats not normal for star polyps. Could a fish or other coral be picking on it/touching it.

 

[Bifferwine]

The branchy coral is xenia, and they can be very hard to keep. In some people's tanks, they just seem to melt away. For some reason, I was never able to keep xenia in my old 55 gallon tank.

 

[dankolle]

They are in an indirect medium flow I would say, I could re-locate a power head to blow more over them...Some of the baby polyps on it are coming out just fine tho...the main ones aren;t out at all tho.

 

[dankolle]

So I have a picture update! The xena is doing fine, fully opened and ready for action.

9am a few polyps coming out:


1pm more polyps out:

October 17th, just a week or so after the substrate move (anemone isn't as close as it looks in this picture...its 6" - 8"

 

[Bifferwine]

Well, it looks like they are doing better. Have you seen any weird "bugs" hanging out on the star polyps?

 

[winyfrog]

look around the base as well maybe some sort of nudi branch eating them. I recently discovered one on my star polyps.

 

[dankolle]

What does it look like? They are almost fully out today...my LFS told me to blow them off with a power head and some live sand and things came out of them...probably 65% open today...