Emergency!!!!! Need advice!!!

[CuttleKid]

MY gorgonian hasn't been doing great for the past two days and now i came home from school today and the polyps are closed when they are typically out 24/7 and the base is shedding and its slowly creeping upwards and turning the bottom branches black. There is an opaque film covering part of the lower branches and im afraid its going to die.

All the parameters are in check. i cant figure out whats wrong with it when my dendro and tubastrea are doing great. It was doing great for about a 2 weeks with its polyps out and feeding all day long. WHAT IS GOING ON.

 

[slapshot]

Try cleaning it off with your fingers a toothbrush. Some of them will wax over and then shed it.

 

[CuttleKid]

If this is normal is its color going to come back or will it stay black?

 

[happysak]

Check your nitrite, nitrate and PO4

 

[Elysia]

What kind of gorgorian is this? Has anything changed at all in the tank (anything new put into it or the location/output of powerheads changed?)

Usually my gorgs cease to put out their polyps when they are unhappy about the amount of flow they are getting or when they are ready to shed. Either one of these things can cause the gorg to begin to lose its flesh -- which is likely the black that you are seeing, as some gorgs have a black internal structure.

This can be turned around. First, give the gorg a bit more flow. My largest gorg had been flagging and moving it less than two inches got it to a place where the flow in the tank must be much more to its liking, as it is recovering nicely. It also may need some assistance sheding. A soft toothbrush or never-used paint brush (if it doesn't have metal on it), or even your finger or a power head can be used to safely help a gorg that is in the process of sheding.

If the exposed core of the gorg is at the bottom, you can decide if you want to trim it and start over again with a base. If it is at the end of the branches, you can (and probably should) trim it off. I have had gorgs regrow flesh to cover areas that had lost tissue due to regression because of algae growth or poor water flow; one even regrew about 2 linear inches of tissue, but usually the tissue growth is much smaller. I have had gorgs retissue areas both towards their tips and towards their base, so either is possible.

Good luck!