Candy Cane shipping problems

[Chelsey]

I received a candy cane frag today (shipped USPS priority, got here in 3 days) and I am very concerned about it. When I opened the bag the water was "stained" a neon yellow (the candy cane is neon green). When I put it in the tank it immediately started shedding bright yellow stuff the consistency of snot. I can see the mouths but it really doesn't look good. Is this normal or is there something I can do to coax it into surviving? It's in a low area of my tank and if needbe I can feed it brine shrimp or something. Help is appreciated!
EDIT:
Here are some pics:

 

[reef 'n ale]

Wow Chelsey, that does look bad.

I'd probably look like that too after three days in a box...

The best thing you can do is put it in a low to medium flow(which it looks like you did) and maybe back off your lighting schedule for a couple of days. Bring the lighting schedule back up to normal over the next 3 days or so.

I wouldn't try any feeding just yet-just leaving it alone right now is probably the best you can do.

Candy Canes are pretty tough, so don't give up hope yet.

Rob

 

[The steven liu]

If a candy cane arrives like that at the store we would mark it dead at arrival and return to sender for credit. I suggest you do the same. Hopefully whomever you purchased that from has warranty.

 

[iCam]

It sounds like it could have been dyed since it turned the water in the bag the yellow color.

If not, it could have expelled its zooxanthellae.

 

[FEEDERFISH]

Make sure your water parmaters are good and put in medium flow maybe 1/2 way under an overhang and keep an eye on it, it should come back around, as long as there is some skin left it will regrow, depending on the damage done depends on the recovery, i have never heard of a dyed candy coral, but that color in the bag, was a disingrating candy coral. Maybe take a pic and send it in to the company where you bought it maybe they will give you credit, i have been looking for a neon yellow candy where did you buy it?

 

[gfk]

some of my candy cane heads got totally murdered by my hammer, and they grew back fine within a week.. id venture to say those will be ok in a week or 2

 

[XeniaMania]

3 days?! I think any coral should be shipped Next Day air. The heat packs don't even last that long. I'm sorry to say, but it's most likely a dead coral despite the optimism everyone else here shows on this thread.

 

[Chelsey]

I was the one that chose Priority instead of next day. On USPS's website it stated that my coral would get to me in 2 days, so I figured it would be alright. This is my first candy cane that I've had shipped...I've gotten zoos and mushrooms and stuff several times this way and they've always been fine. Also, I got 3 zoo frags in addition to this candy cane, and they're all fine. Everything was packaged well...it is in no way the seller's fault this coral isn't doing well. If it doesn't survive then so be it, but I would like to do everything in my power to nurse it back to health.

 

[XeniaMania]

Zoos and Candy's are different corals. Zoos can survive extended periods out of water while Candy's can not. The coral structures are different. Well, either way, best of luck. Zoos and shrooms are the hardiest of corals, please do not expect all corals to have the same tolerance levels. I think if you had the Candy floated during shipment, it might...might have improved its chances of survival, but rule of thumb for me is to always go Next Day Air.

 

[TheMcs]

I've yet to see an LPS recover that arrived looking like that. Hope your luck is different, but I agree with Steven Lui.

 

[acroporas]

Looks to me like it what is called brown jelly disease. It is a infection of some sort (protozoan I believe)

I have never seen a coral recover from it - even with agressive fraging away of the infected part of the colony. I have read in books that it can be contagous, but I have never experienced this either.

And as everyone else has said. After 3 days in a box it will happen most of the time. Corals must be shipped over-night.

 

[XeniaMania]

BTW...there's no Candy's at your LFS? They're pretty common.

 

[Chelsey]

not this color!

 

[tapper of spines]

Well? How's it doing?

TOS

 

[Chelsey]

Sorry for the lack of update.

Well, the morning after those pictures were taken (pics taken the night I got it) I woke to find that almost all of the remaining tissue was gone...sucked into my skimmer, and I was left with a skeleton and one tiny bit of flesh. It is in a moderate/low flow area and isn't getting blasted by light (not that there's much to blast...it's in a stock lighting 24 gallon NC DX). My mom is feeding it phytoplex 3 days a week and on the weekends I'm giving it some brine shrimp. I'm really hoping that this tiny bit of flesh will survive and end up as a head. At least it hasn't disappeared too

 

[Chelsey]

pic!

pic!

I've got a pic of my precious candycane. The circled area is the remaining flesh...let me know what you guys think

 

[XeniaMania]

I had a cynaria look like that which did come back to life for me.

 

[Chelsey]

Ok, so maybe I'm being overly optimistic, but somehow I think that my little candy cane has grown back over night! I always stare intently at my tank, but tonight I noticed some flesh on one of the candy heads that I'm sure wasn't there last night! I messed around with my camera and was able to get this picture:

Other than the nastiness of the shot (I used the flash and maybe go a little too up close and personal) you can see more flesh on the right head! I'm thrilled! Tonight I thawed out a brine shrimp cube in a tiny cup and I'm about to feed it to my precious little baby. I will be THRILLED if this thing survives and goes back to normal!


Chelsey

 

[acroporas]

If the infection is gone, it could recover from that size. But I would stop trying to feed it. It is not capible of eating as all of the mouth parts are gone. All you are doing by trying to feed it is degrading the water quality.

 

[LegoZ81]

any updates?