Aust Catalaphyllia Melting ???

[Lion_posion]

Hey all,

Not sure what has happened but while I was at the MASOV (Aust)meet yesterday my Catalaphyllia seems to have begun to melt, a 1/4 of him looks like melted plastic. Why?

I did a water change before I left around 15lt into an 80 lt tank. I ran some tests when I returned.

Ph - 7.8
Amm - 0.25 (AP test kit has always given this result)
Calc - 390 ppm
Alk - 1.6 meq/l
Salin - 1.026
Nitrate - 20 ppm
Temp - 27 c

No idea how the nitrates got so high, unless I mixed up a water drum.
All other corals appear normal, including the frags from our meeting.

Lighting consists of a 24w actintic and a 24w 10k T5, as my Halide blew last Friday. The tank went two days with natural through my study window.
Pumps - 1100 lph and a 950 lph PH.

Tank mates -

Bi Colour Blennie
Fairy Wrasse
2 x Lobephillia
1 x Sarco
multiple colonies of Zoes
2 x Mushies
2x Trochus Snails
5 x Turbo Snails
2 x Cerith Snails
multiple Bristle worms
and maybe a mantis

Oh plus the frags.

Pls help me...

 

[elegance coral]

Dip the coral in an iodine based coral dip. If the rest of the coral looks healthy this may stop the infection. If the infection persists after the dip you will need to frag the coral. Cut into the healthy tissue just beyond the infection, and dip the coral again. This should save the remaining coral if it is healthy. I'm not sure what caused the infection. How long have you had the coral? The infection could have started from physical damage, or the natural light could have just been to bright for it. If it was the light this could be a bad sign. If the tissue that is not infected still looks healthy, the damage was most likely physical. If the remaining polyp is withdrawn, especially the tentacles, the damage was most likely caused by the light. If this is the case the remaining tissue is most likely damaged and may not survive. I hope this helps, and good luck.

 

[RandyO]

Maybe you knocked a piece of salt creep loose while doing the water change and it landed on the Elegance.

 

[Lion_posion]

I think your right that it maybe a case of damaged during frieght. As the prior owner had it under 400w 14k MH for 12 months. I fragged off the melted area last night, and the remaining looks better the oral disc still appears alittle bloated, but the tenticles are out, not full extenstion and a little colour is returning.