torch coral not opening up

[rbl1979]

Hey everyone, I have a couple quick questions with a torch coral. I just bought a new one about a week maybe 2 weeks ago and it isn't opening up for me. Does it normally take a long time for it to get used to new tanks and placements and maybe I am just too impatient. I have tried it in numerous locations 1 was kinda a medium flow area and it would come out 1/4 inch or so and that was it. I left it there for a few days and no change. So I moved him to a higher flow area and it really didn't like that and closed up more. 3rd time to a lower then first placement flow and he stayed closed so 2 nights ago I put him back to were he was first but closer to the lights. ( I have 4-96W lights for my 75G tank) This was over about 10 day period. Now he is back to around 1/4" out. I am at work now so I can't put on any pictures.

How long does it normally take for them to come out fully? When I bought it, it was probably out around 3-4" or so.

The water tests last looked good but I need to test again probably tonight but the numbers I had was:
8.5pH
0 NH3
0 NO2 (trace amounts)
5-10 NO3
Ca 420pppm
Temp 82F
SG 1.023-1.024

Maybe some of you experts can suggest something?

 

[rbl1979]

I got my wife to send me the pictures, it is zoomed in but the part that is out is only about 1/4" long

 

[Melosu58]

To be honest it looks pretty bleached. It should have a tan to brown color like this

 

[rbl1979]

yeah Melosu58 it does look like that the front part anyhow it was really hard to get a picture right now. A lot of that is reflection from the camera. So the 1 head with the "tenticles/feelers" looks like the picture you posted except much shorter. and the back 2 that are all curled up and looks like crap is a brownish fleshy color.

 

[winyfrog]

That slime on it looks like an infection, I would give it an iodine dip then place it in a med indirect flow area, mid tank.

 

[SeaBee]

Temperature is a little high, I think. And add some calcium. As far as the slime, I would listen to the othe treatment...

 

[AdeptMrSniffles]

Not trying to be pessimistic, but the last time I saw slime like that on a torch head.... it died :grumble:

On the other hand I was not part of this helpful community, at the time, of fellow reefers and was unaware of Iodine dips, so give it a shot! :mrgreen:

 

[yote]

I gotta ask.
How did you acclimate it?

 

[Bifferwine]

Does it kinda look like brown snot on the sick area? It looks like brown jelly disease. Brown jelly disease affects LPS corals and is almost always fatal. Once you notice it on the coral, it is usually too late. No one really knows what causes it, and there is no good cure or treatment. Plus, it is contagious to other LPS corals. Usually, the best course of action is to break off and throw away any areas of the coral that show signs of infection and dip the rest in iodine. Even this won't always prevent it from spreading to healthy parts though...

 

[rbl1979]

well I am sad to report I threw this torch away :cry: I got home from work and the last good looking head was sunken in and that brown slime stuff was covering so it is gone. At least I didn't pay for it myself.

Anyways:

Bifferwine --- Yes it did look like what you described, A brown snot like slime and the slime was starting to float away from the coral also which is why I tossed it, didn't want that to come off.

Yote --- I was following what the fish store told me to do was put it in a bucket and slowly add tank water over a hour or so. I think it was closer to 2 by the time I finished.


Is there a better way to acclimatize or introduce this too my tank so I can possibly reduce the risk of this happening again? I read through some of the other posts and read about "doing a dip" with it. What is that and what does it do, I can't find anything what it is.

 

[AdeptMrSniffles]

With my corals I just place the bag in my tank, clip it to the side, wait 5min and then start filing the bag with water from my tank every 3min or so. I do that until 20min., total elapsed time, has gone by then place the coral in my tank. I think 1hr+ is too long.

 

[bjohanson1234]

I do a drip acclimation. I put the new coral in a small bucket and take an airline hose wit ha knot loosley tied in one end. Then syphon the tank water into the bucket for an hour for fish and almost 4 hours for inverts and corals(they can be more sensitive to water changes than fish). The I place them in a bag and float them for 10-20 minutes to get the temps right. You want a good steady stream of drops coming from the hose. Just adjust the tightness of the knot until you get 2-3 drips per second.

 

[dcantucson]

Sorry about your Torch :(

 

[Melosu58]

Sorry about the coral. You did right by getting rid of it or it would have spread.

 

[yote]

Hate to hear that you lost the torch.Their one of my favorite LPS corals.
All the above methods including the way you did it,will work fine.So your good there.

The dips your refering to,is Lugols Iodine dips.The iodine is an antiseptic which helps to fight possible infections and in some cases will help with any coral predators that might happen to hitch hike their way in on a new addition.

 

[Epos]

It's always good to acclimate in the way you described, but really once a coral has a disease like that there's not much you can do but cut off what's good and hope for the best. As mentioned above, iodine dips help if you catch it early enough but, in my experience, once you can see that it is absolutely certainly a disease and not just water parameters/flow/light, it's too late. Lost my whole tank that way about a month ago.

 

[rbl1979]

Thanks for the tips everyone, I have a colt coral but that was the first coral I really liked haha oh well that is the fun of the hobby eh, Thanks again.