Calling all elegance coral experts!

[carriej]

Hi Folks,

Thought I would make a new thread and it would haul in more responses than if I posted in my other elegance coral thread.

We have spoken on the topic of the dreaded elegance coral disease. I have had my elegance for approximately 1 month.

About a week ago I noticed on one side that the tentacles are a bit stubby. Was just a couple; I figured whatever. Anyway, now it's more than a couple.

Coral still eats, opens and closes everynight, etc.

Here is a picture of it maybe a week and a half ago with my nice camera.

Here is a picture of it tonight. Now I do admit; it seems like it acts more irritated some days than others. However; this is a $125 dollar coral and I don't want to kill it or have it die. It was my own mistake of buying an indo elegance; but I had never heard of the problems with them and assumed they were all the same. See how the tentacles on the right side are stumpy? Some are very stumpy and short.. maybe a few cms... The polyp is also lifted a bit off the sandbed and not resting their like the other polyps.

So am I doomed? Is it just being cranky? Advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

[NeilFox]

It looks fine. They really don't need to be fed much if ever.

 

[carriej]

So you think that side is alright? I don't feed it too often... I just see that a sign of this elegance coral disease is that it's inability to feed.. So I thought I'd test it.

 

[thanatos05]

I lost mine after a month and that is exactly how it started. good luck.

 

[carriej]

Damn. How quickly did it happen? Mines been doing this for a week or so

 

[SantaMonica]

Mine lasted years; looked just like yours.

 

[NeilFox]

I had one before that lived fear years too. I gave him to a friend who never had a problem with it. I have a couple now that I have had going on six months. They were bleached out and in bad shape when I got them. They are recovering fine but have always had stubbly tentacles.

 

[carriej]

Seems quite a bit worse today. That entire polyp on that side is shrivelled and stumpy polyps.

I'm wondering if I should take it out and dip it in iodine. I really don't want to lose it.

It used to all be entirely flowy which is what concerns me (as you can see in first pic) The stubby tentacles are spreading.

 

[agruetz]

Verify you calcium, alk and mag level's. Mine goes thru days like that. Let me know what levels those are at, mine tends to suck up a lot of calcium and if the levels get out of whack it gets angry.

 

[carriej]

Calcium is about 400, alk is about 3.5 meq/l, mag is a little low around 1100....

Womp. It's looking way worse today... I'm losing hope for it. Damn. Such a pretty coral; it's hard to find nice things out here on the east coast

 

[agruetz]

Pictures?

1) Do you have any revive coral dip?
2) Your mag is low get it to about 1350
3) Alk is good
4) Do you see any separation at the skeleton?
5) Salinity?

Also I target to keep my parameters @
SG: 1.026
alk: 12.6
ca: 450
mg: 1350

However from all my research ratio seems to be more key than anything.

Hopefully I can help. Mine went thru a similar time when I got it, I did have to dip it about 2 maybe 3 times. Over the course of that first 2 - 3 months. Now it has almost doubled in size and seems to be growing back in to the skeletal parts that were damaged from fragging it.

 

[mike nickerson]

I 2nd that. Revive is a miracle worker, one of my fav. Acans skeleton was poking through the flesh really bad and thought it was a goner. Dipped it in Revive for 10minutes, within a week and half it was fully healed, fat and happy.

 

[mike nickerson]

I hope it makes it. They are so pretty, and as the name says Elegant.

 

[carriej]

I do have revive actually; it's my coral dip of preference....

There is absolutely no separation from the skeleton, it closes up really tight at night and I can see the flesh is firmly attached.

Should I try dipping it in revive? That stuff always wigs me out to use it other than getting new corals because it smells so much like floor cleaner, lol.

 

[agruetz]

I would go a head and do a 10 min dip in it. It is normal for it to close up tightly at night mine does it every night. Anyway a picture of the current state would help. Best of luck.

 

[carriej]

Here are pictures. Forgive the quality - cell phone pics.

It almost looks like it's splitting or something... Or just revolting against living. As you can see, one side is worse. The coral looks irritated as hell.

 

[agruetz]

I think it is ok. Mine goes thru days of the entire thing looking mad. If you are worried a 10 min dip in revive will not hurt it. It however may make it look unhappy for a few days. I usually try to do mine hour or two before lights out so it has all night to get happy again.

Whats the flow like slow and wavy? med etc..? I keep mine gentle swaging all the time. I will try to post a video for you tonight or tomorrow.

 

[mike nickerson]

By the way Revive is basically all plant based ingredients. It smells like pine sole possibly from having pine extract. Don't quote me on that lol

 

[carriej]

It's in about the lowest flow area of the tank.. Just a bit of a sway to the tentacles.

 

[agruetz]

I would revive dip it for about 10 min. And then I would possibly give it maybe a +1 to current flow if that makes sense. I have noticed mine tends to have longer thinner wavy tentacles when the flow is higher and shorter stubby ones when it is lower.

Thats is my 2 cents I hope it helps.