Elegance Coral - PLEASE HELP ME

[Meaty24]

I recently bought a very large elegance coral. At the time I bought it, one of my metal halide bulbs was out and it sat a shady area of the tank for about 2 week. Then, I get a new bulb and put it right under the light. After 2 days, the coral didn't open and looked all puffy and leaked the white stuff.

So, a read a websites which said exposure to too much light after it was in darker water could kill it.

So, I moved the coral to the bottom of the tank, away from the strong light, and it doesn't look much better.

Can anyone help me? I paid A LOT for this piece. Thoughts/suggestions?

 

[JRaquatics]

I sounds like it could have been a goner before the light troubles. The signs you describe sounds like the elegance epidemic. What waters did the Elegance come out of?

 

[Meaty24]

I am not sure what waters it came from, but it opened very nicely when it was in the water away from the light?

Is there anything that can be done? It is definitely not dead, but barely opens.

 

[JRaquatics]

If it didn't come out of australia it will most likely die. There is usually no hope for the coral once it displays the symptoms. IMO only propagated and ausie ellegance corals should be attemted.

Here is an article about what is happening.
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2008-01/eb/index.php

 

[snorvich]

Yes, JRaquatics is right. Once it contracts that particular problem, it is a goner irrespective of anything you can do for. If you really want an Elegance (they are pretty), you must get them out of Australia not Indonesia.

 

[Meaty24]

Wow, so I read the article and it seems like I am screwed. Looks like the coral will die.

If I leave it in the tank as it is dying, can it endanger anything? Bad idea?

I hate to toss a piece of coral when maayybbbee it will come back?

 

[Wind Seeker]

Mine closed up tight, as you discribed, after I moved it from a postion about half of my depth to the bottom of the tank out of the flow. It took 10 days or so, but slowly opened up. Now I am feeding it mysis and it is doing very well with good expansion and much improved colors. I do not know it's origin.

 

[JRaquatics]

Closing of an elegance is normal. However, when the elegance excretes white mucus and shows an unatural apearance it is lkely a loss. What size is your tank Meaty24? If it is a large system I would keep it in until it is certainly gone. Do you have any pics of the elegance?

 

[Meaty24]

It is in a 185 and now is sitting on the bottom in sand out of the strong halides and water flow.

I will post a pix.

 

[Meaty24]

How do you attach a pix to the thread?

 

[Jutta]

even the australian ones get the disease... once it starts, there is nothing you can do.
I had 2, they were happy until i had to move them. It went downhill from then onwards and no matter what i tried, they just got worse. It wasnt pretty to watch do eventually i threw them out
Good Luck with yours!

Re photo - upload to photobucket, copy the IMG tag into your post