Cespistularia melting

[Maivortex]

I recently got a vargus cespistularia from LA. It arrived OK and I dipped in iodine has a prophylactic dip. 3 days after arrival it opened up extremely large an inflated with full polyp extension. The following morning the had began to shrink. Earlier today I observed areas of white rotting tissue with vascular tissue exposed.
I dipped in iodine and separated the 3 colonies on the rock so i can put them in differrent locations of light and flow. I will raise the salinity from 1.022 to 1.024 Is there anything else I can do? Water chem is fine, perhaps too fine if cespistulria likes dirty water like xenia.

 

[fragbox]

Mine did the same without any explanation after being healthy in my tank for years. I really wish I had some advice. 1.022 seems kind of low no?
your right about it liking dirty water it would open wider in my tank the longer I put off a water change

 

[Psionicdragon]

Could be a few things to cause it to melt. The salinity is too low. How did you acclimate?

What are your parameters

 

[Maivortex]

Drip acclimated for about 25 minutes. Just recalibrated the refractrometer and the salinity was initially 1.023. The rock had 3 separate colonies on it. I cut the rock up and have each colony exposed to differerent flow and light regiment . Hope at least one of them does well.

 

[NanoReefWanabe]

did you expose it to air at all...in any of the moves from acclimation bag to bucket etc...like xenia...it should not be exposed to air...other then that i dont know...i had a big 10" colony melt away on me in a matter of a couple months...

 

[Psionicdragon]

did you expose it to air at all...in any of the moves from acclimation bag to bucket etc...like xenia...it should not be exposed to air...other then that i dont know...i had a big 10" colony melt away on me in a matter of a couple months...

never heard of that

 

[Maivortex]

I have heard of not exposing sponges to air, but xenia, never heard of that. I did exposed it to air during the transfer. I also have some large gorgonia about the size of dinner plate. It has about 10 branches that are 1/2" thick. I also have a scleronepthea that is about the size of a softball. Perhaps some alleopathy is occuring? There are also some toadstools and sinulraria. I moved whats left of the melting cepistularia up stream from all the soft corals, I also cut off the decaying tissue and dipped in coral revive. Clipped some un affected branches and place them in shallow bowl with wedding mesh over it. I hope something lives.

 

[criticalencore]

I wish it was as easy to kill of Xenia as just exposing it to air.... Xenia seems to be worse then aiptasia in my tank