Coral rot?

[J2FcM]

Hello, I woke up to find this!

http://picasaweb.google.com/Menz.Jeff/ThanksForSwimmingBy/photo#5239950623113131266
I'm quite new to SW, and coral keeping, and this is all being kept in here... 8 gal Mantis tank.

Also worrisome;

Did basic water strip test (yeah I know), and Nitrates looked to be between 20 & 40 ppm... would that contribute to the unhealthy looking corals?
Would lighting have anything to do with it? (My room day light + the fact I have the tank lights on from 5:15pm - 11:30 pm?)

 

[BurntOutReefer]

whats wrong with it? Looks healthy....just doing its thing (they shrink and slough off top layer of "skin" in order to clean itself).
You nitrate albeit too high (do several small water changes plzzzz) has nothing to do with your toadstool shrinking.

 

[AngeloM3]

1- You said you "woke up to this". If that means the lights on your tank recently came on when you took the picture... the corals could be "waking" up too.

2- Leathers and Xenia are known to "wilt" up like that for a day or two and then "unwilt"

3- In that small of a tank 20-40ppm COULD have some negative effect to livestock.


IME... I use to have a leather coral. It would go through phases of wilting up and actually slumping over for a day or two... then the next day it would look super healthy and stay that way for a month or so... then another day or two of wilting and slumping. It's perfectly normal.

 

[J2FcM]

well then, thank you for the advice! I'll put an update on them, and get the water changes rolling.

PS - and what I thought was wrong in the first picture is the white center... stalk? and on the other side the pulsating parts are shriveled and white as well.

 

[Rae C.]

Often, my xenias shed a branch and it leaves a white spot where it broke off. Not to worry, you'll soon have a tank full of them!

My leathers also shrink nightly and come out in full glory after the lights come on. IMO, your light schedule should be 10-12 hours. These corals need the light to photosynthesize.

 

[J2FcM]

10-12 hours, yeesh, can sunlight supplement that? hehe. I need like a spreadsheet of corals and requirements if such a thing existed...and was correct.





ANYWAYS -- onto the continued decay of the coral in question; also caught the blue damsel pickin at it.

 

[Rae C.]

It does look kinda sad, but it doesn't look rotted..hmm.

THe sunlight you are talking about, is that direct sunlight into the tank? Or is it sunlight diffused from a window in the room? That will make a huge difference.