Help with Torch

[galbavi]

Hi All,

I've had this torch for just over a year. It was the first coral that got. (Yeah, still a noob.) It has more than quadrupled in size over the last year and the vast majority of the it is doing really well.

However, couple months ago, one of the heads started staying retracted and it eventually died.

A month ago, another one started. So, I spun it around to change the flow, fed it... and since the rest of the coral is doing so well, didn't think much of it.

Now, a third head appears to be doing the same thing.

Here are a couple pics. Is this normal? Is there anything from the pics that stands out? Or are there any signs in particular that I should be looking for?

Any thoughts, ideas, or suggestions are greatly appreciated. Thanks.

 

[theatrus]

Normal? Not really.

Water parameters? (Alk, no3)

Is there anything like "brown jelly" on the receding heads?

 

[Docdiggy]

Is your temp fluctuating? I lost a head a month ago and after searching through a ton of threads, that is what I blame. Same thing happened to me last summer too. No bjd, it just started to dissapear. Assuming your water quality is in range it's something to consider.

 

[galbavi]

Yeah, should have said the water params are all spot on. I guess I assumed everyone checks that first.
No brown jelly, but now I'm going to google that to see what to look for.

As a matter of fact, my temps have been fluctuating more than what is normal for my tank. And now that you mention it, the first issue occured around when those fluctuations would have started. I think you just pointed me in the right direction.
Do you think it was the higher temp or the fluctuations? Stopping it from going as high will be easy enough with a fan. Keeping it from moving up and down will be harder since our house temp is fluctuating a bit.

 

[Tweaked]

happens every summer around here. Higher heat = euphyllia losses.

 

[theatrus]

Fluctuations can totally do it - do you have an idea of the range you are seeing, and what is normal for you? I tend to swing between 78-82, though the excursions above 81 are brief while the chiller kicks in (which is far cheaper than running AC for the downstairs).

It may be easier to run your tank warmer as a whole (within reason) during the summer if the other choice is wider swings.

 

[galbavi]

My norm has been 81 over the last year with some dips into the upper 70's without any intervention on my part. The lights on my biocube 29 seem to keep the water pretty stable and warm in the winter compared to the room temp. However, this summer it's been relatively cool here in MI, so we've had a number of days without the air on. I'm guessing that there have been some spikes into the mid 80's and I've seen it sitting at 83.

I'm running a fan on the back/sump now. It's currently sitting at 79. My hope would be that the fan will keep it more stable during the day. i.e. closer to room temp. I'll have to keep an eye on the weather and watch for those fall days that still hit the 80's even though it's 59 degrees when I leave for work. Without a chiller, I guess I need to keep the whole house more stable.

I didn't suspect the temp earlier in the season because the rest of this guy is doing fabulously. Seems like temp would affect the whole coral. What a weird reaction to lose one head at a time and have the other 12 be so healthy.

 

[theatrus]

83 is somewhat pushing it, but not terrible.

Branching euphyllia are very independent, so it's possible to have one polyp decide it's had it (and common when they have issues)

Keeping it at 79 with a fan if you can keep on top of the topoffs is awesome. Feed the torch well and it should split in no time.