Dying coral?

[xenia2]

I accidently damaged the coral while cleaning some rocks. Started out a small tearing flesh, but now the area is darken and look like it spreading. Anything I can do?

 

[Lanceafer]

That looks like Nephthea am I correct? If so I have had this happen two times. Once the coral died over the course of about a week. It sped up at the end, looking like what you had for a few days before melting. The other time it created what looked like a necrotic lesion that rotted away for a few days but then suddenly vanished and the coral recovered fast with not sign of damage in a week or two.

I'm not sure what caused it, but both cases were from the same day that I fragged a few pieces. I was guessing at the time that it might be some kind of bacterial infection but that is really just a very rough guess.

 

[xenia2]

It is nephthea, I forgot the name. I was scrubbing the rock with a brush, and I might cut it. I have a small tank, will it affect the corals once it melt?

 

[drbronx]

I would cut the coral off the rock with a clean sharp blade above the necrosing area and then remount the remaining coral. This most likely is a bacterial infection caused by tearing the outer flesh. This necrosis may well consume the entire coral. It can arrest itself as in Lanceafer's case but in these cases it is usually better to "cut off the limb to save the body".