Nepthea - losing it's footing, and not opening up anymore

[JohnnyAirtime]

Hey folks....

I've been looking, researching, and trying to find a reason for my Large Green Nepthea and why it's not doing so well. I've come up with just about nothing... as all else in the tank is doing great (and my parameters are in order).

NOW, the Nepthea's foot is separating from the rock and looking like it's in serious trouble.

I'm saddened, as I know this is not found in the wild anymore (from what I read) and it was one of the largest, most beautiful corals in the tank.

First; Is there anything I can do to revive it?

Second; If the main coral is dying, would it be a no-no to frag some pieces from it to see if I can get them to grow? (being it's not doing well, I don't see a problem with this. But if there's a chance of survival, I don't want to shock it anymore than I have to)

Third; is it completely out of the question to remove the foot... and cut clean back to where it's healthy?! (never heard of this, just a thought - or wild *** guess on my part).

HELP!!!!



MORE INFO TO HELP THE PROBLEM;

Parameters; Good
(I'll do another test of all parameters today or tomorrow)
... everything else is doing well, and seemingly not effected.

Flow; mild-strong
(coral is at the top right of my tank and has a Koralia nearby flowing across the area, but not directly ON the coral)

Lighting; Good
(125gal tank is supplied with (6)36" T5HOs, 2-10K and 4-Actinic)
...everything else in the tank is thriving under this lighting.

Age in my tank;
I've had it for about 2 to 3 months. Bought it from another reefer, and it did GREAT since purchase up until about 2 weeks ago. I did a major water change (my every 3 week routine) last week, and no change in coral health and not too much change in water parameters.

I dose with;
Iodine, Strontium, Molybdenum, B-Ionic, Kalk... etc. to keep my levels in check. However, I noticed that my weekly Iodine dose is a bit on the 'heavy' side, and I need to cut back.


A picture of it doing well (end of July);

As of today, feeling sick and separating from rock;

Here it is, far right in pic... in relation to powerhead and other tank inhabitants;

 

[Jeff]

The one thing I have learned about leather coral is that they have a tendency to close up and look sick for anywhere between a day to a week for no reason whatsoever. If everything else looks ok and your water parameters are good I would wait it out. I have a green nepthea and a tyree green toadstool and they do this all the time.

 

[JohnnyAirtime]

The one thing I have learned about leather coral is that they have a tendency to close up and look sick for anywhere between a day to a week for no reason whatsoever. If everything else looks ok and your water parameters are good I would wait it out. I have a green nepthea and a tyree green toadstool and they do this all the time.

I hear ya there...
However, ONE of this coral's feet are pulling off the rock and looks a bit rotten. A sure sign of death, or dying (as I've seen in a toadstool). It's slowly withered away the last couple of weeks (closing up), and I'd like to do all I can to bring it back to health. Anymore "watching" and doing nothing is sure to end in total death of the entire coral.

 

[Jeff]

I didn't realize this had been going on for a couple weeks. I would think that fragging off the dying part would be the best thing to do.

 

[jwoyshnar]

I've been reading alot about iodine and potentially poisoning the tank. I would stop dozing everything and do alot of water changes.

 

[JohnnyAirtime]

Here's my parameters (just tested today);

High PH: 8.2
Nitrite: 0
Nitrate: 15-20
Ammonia: ≤.25
Phosphate: 1.0
Calcium: 600+
KH: 89.5
Magnesium: 1410

And I came home from dinner tonight....
It's looking even worse, and now it looks like I'm going to have to pull it out and put it in a bucket (I don't have a sick tank setup right now), as it might even fall apart in my hands.

I recently (a month or so ago) had a toadstool that I bought, not open up and ended up doing the same... wilted away from the base up. I'm wondering *** is going on... as everything else is doing well and my parameters don't change too much.

 

[JohnnyAirtime]

I've been reading alot about iodine and potentially poisoning the tank. I would stop dozing everything and do alot of water changes.

I might have to agree.... (read on and you'll see why)

I re-read the instructions on the bottle.
It says, 5ml per 50gal of water...(a common measure for "a cap full").... and I'm pumping about 125-140gals overall. Hence just about 3 capfulls (not completely full) once a week, usually on Sunday night.

NOW.... I just AGAIN re-read the instructions... 5ml per cap full, and that's a cap, on a 16oz bottle. HOWEVER... I have the 64oz bottle (10ml per cap). :crazy1: Which means my tank on a weekly basis has gotten DOUBLE the recommended Iodine dosage for the past month or two. :hammer: Thank goodness, I sometimes am out of town or forget to "dose" the tank as if this (Iodine) is my problem, I'd have poisoned much more than a couple corals.

I do have this uneasy feeling, that I may have poisoned my own corals with my own stupidity for not reading or taking the time to be more cautious. This might be more of a tell-tale sign to my other couple of mysterious deaths.

With that.... Tomorrow, I'm going to do a 40gal water change. And won't be dosing with Iodine again, or until I can confirm my losses have been due to Iodine overdose. If it is/was....another HARD lesson learned once again in the world of reef keeping and adding supplements. No wonder I used to never dose with anything but Kalkwasser (this was long ago, before internet and anything more than a good Martin Moe book for "reef" information).

Only time will tell on this. Wish me luck!

I found this interesting, and "on par" for what I've witnessed;

Brightwell Aquatics Erase-Cl immediately binds iodine in the event of an overdose (typified by “drooping” and rapidly decaying tissue of corals, clams, their allies, and other sessile invertebrates, as well as erratic behavior and/or death of fishes and motile invertebrates), decreasing the potential for damage to livestock and the beneficial microbes that constitute the biological filter. [Note: It is strongly recommended that hobbyists administering Lugol’s-type iodine supplements (which are typically extremely strong) to reef aquaria have a bottle of Erase-Cl on hand at all times, in case of accidental overdose.]

 

[JohnnyAirtime]

Okay... it's done.

Pealed and cut the little tiny bit of remaining foot of the Nepthea off the rock.... and put it in a bucket of fresh (scripps) saltwater, while I went to Scripps and got 45 gallons and did a water change tonight.

After the water change, I put the Nepthea on a frag rack (now it's two Nepthea's as there were two stalks pretty much joined at the base, and I disjoined them with a new razor blade when I removed them off the rock and cut away any "not regular" looking stalk) in my fuge...

So we'll see, with a 40% water change and new carbon in the reactor... and maybe another 40% in a few days... if we are rid of the Iodine, or have minimized it somewhat and how the corals do this next week and week after.

.... thought I'd post up as an FYI to anyone reading.

 

[Nanook]

Dosing iodine is controversial, probably unnecessary and I would check out some of Randy's articles about it before continuing that practice. Hope your nepthea comes back.

 

[slapshot]

As the rule says, (now if only I followed it) only dose what you test for. I hope this solves your problem. Seems like it could be it.

 

[jwoyshnar]

I would also have you salinity checked. calcium up over 600 would lead me to believe that your salt level is pretty high. Dont trust what you have. Use someone elses.

 

[JohnnyAirtime]

Well... I'm pretty excited....
My now 3 pieces of Nep are telling me who will and who won't make it. I had 2pcs to start with, and one of the smaller of the two's base was still eroding away. I had to separate them, so now I have 3pcs.

Looks like the largest of the 3pcs, will make it as it has been puffing back up each day. Not a whole lot just yet, nor are the polyps extending... but the color is slowly coming back, and it's been getting twice it's size during my "on" light period.

Still not sure of the two other smaller pcs. But I have hopes.

 

[jwoyshnar]

Hope it pulls through for you. I have one and its one of my favorites.

 

[gkb]

I have about 15-20 leathers...and wish I had more. I am glad to hear that at least part of yours is doing well. Someone will ask the same question as your original one again. In my experience, if one starts to go like yours did, cutting it may be a suitable solution. It's often a last-ditch effort, but is often successful.

 

[pompeyjohn]

I found this thread looking for green nepthea advice. I have one that just does not want to grow.

I saw the OP lists his calcium at 600+ and nobody commented on that. Isn't that a bit high? I thought 450 was the target amount. I am new to this and keen to learn. Thanks in advance.

 

[singold]

I could be incorrect about this, but will throw it out there. Given the location of where your coral was in the upright position associated with the location of the powerhead placement, I am curious if it was getting too much direct flow. Of course, softies like good flow, but maybe as it grew the flow became too direct so the coral started regressing downward & its mass caused it to then slump too far downward. Just a thought. Since the coral appears healthy otherwise & exhibits good polyp extension, I was thinking something other than a chemistry issue. Not to mention the collective view of the other sofities appears healthy; therefore why would this one regress on an individual basis.

 

[JohnnyAirtime]

I should post an update....

It's been almost a month, and the largest of the "cut" pieces has started to allow polyp extension and it's puffin' back up. It's adhering to the rock I also rubber-banded it to. However the other two smaller pieces ended up separating at the rubber bands (even though not tight), and now I've got lots of little frags in the tank. Some doing better than others.

Main point is, even though the calc is a bit high... no other corals had adverse effects to it. And through water changes and stopping all iodine dosing, I'd say most everything in the tank is back to 100%.

In fact, here's a shot when the lights had just been on an hour and stuff was just starting to open up (the larger green nep is on lower right, with a piece on the upper right)

I have since then also put in a 36W UV Sterilizer and started using Microbacter7 and biofuel, which has also gotten rid of my cyano on the sand substrate, and cleared up my green algae as well as brown on the rock and back wall. Tank looks better than ever lately.

Water flow definitely wasn't a problem, due to too much or not enough (in fact, since the above picture I've removed the two powerheads and noticed more coral expansion... so I'm leaving it with only my two return pumps providing circulation - from three points in the tank; 1-back wall spray bar, 2-top right octo-line, 3-top left octo-line with 1 and 3 being on a SCWD). I'm thoroughly convinced it was due to the Iodine overdose and me catching it before I continued to do more damage. I also think that being aggressive and cutting away the bad portion of the nepthea base, was a risky maneuver but worth it in the long run. Acting fast, and getting the bad portion removed as well as bring the water quality (removing as much trace of the iodine) up to par was beneficial.

I'll snap some pictures of it when I clean up the face of my acrylic (I've been gone for a week, and let the tank thrive for itself while I was out of town).