New torch looking decidedly untorchlike

[Terefel]

Hey folks, I'm oping you could help me with a little "first coral jitters." I had a torch before in a prior system and was unable to keep it healthy so I'm a little overcautious perhaps this time around. It seems to be retracting into his skeleton (especially at night) and on one of the heads some of the outer polyps have gone from green tipped to brown (do not see any jelly). It is not in direct flow but does have a powerhead above so some water around it is being drawn by.





Torch: 3 heads (one in process of splitting)
System: 40B DT; 20L sump
sg: 1.024 (stablized through ATO)
temp: 76-77
lights: Maxspect razor 16K
Ammonia: 0
Nitrites: 0
Nitrates: 2.5
Phosphates: 0
Calc/alk/mag: Test en route, but these are the first corals I have added (2 days ago) so I am hoping there isn't much of a deficit.

If I had to guess, (1) I am worried over nothing or (2) it does not like its present location, either due to the flow, lower lighting than center of the tank, or the angle in which it's sitting. Does anyone have any other ideas or suggestions on where to move it (FTS below)? Thanks RC!! :love2:

 

[Reeffwkeeper]

Which salt mix do you use? Calcium, dKH, and Magnesium may be low if you're not using a reef ready salt like Tropic Marin (Reef or Bio. Actif) or Red. Sea. It also looks like the torch is in a relatively shaded area of the tank. It may also help to move it further into a well lit area.

I keep my torch coral toward the top of the tank. It seems to enjoy the high light and good water movement. It has tripled in size in about one year. The parameters that have worked for me are calcium is 420, magnesium 1320, and dKH 7.5.

 

[Terefel]

Which salt mix do you use? Calcium, dKH, and Magnesium may be low if you're not using a reef ready salt like Tropic Marin (Reef or Bio. Actif) or Red. Sea. It also looks like the torch is in a relatively shaded area of the tank. It may also help to move it further into a well lit area.

I keep my torch coral toward the top of the tank. It seems to enjoy the high light and good water movement. It has tripled in size in about one year. The parameters that have worked for me are calcium is 420, magnesium 1320, and dKH 7.5.

Thanks very much for the response! I am using Red Sea Coral Pro Salt. My tests should be here in another two days so I can address a shortfall via two part or kalk then. In the interim I've moved the torch to sit directly above the Favia; it will get more light there (you are correct, the sides ARE shaded) and increased the output on my LEDs a little. The concern I have here is that now it's in direct flow and I hear they hate that. Is that accurate?

Edit: I moved him above the cup coral to be safe and redirected my return to be out of the way. Now we can try lots of light with low flow. Thank you again!

 

[Alwaysinshorts]

You need more live rock.

 

[Terefel]

You need more live rock.

I have 45 lbs of cycled rock in a 40 gallon display... Should be sufficient right?

 

[Reeffwkeeper]

You should have to make only minor modifications with that salt. Give it a couple of days to see how the new placement works for you. My torch coral gets medium to high flow, and it doesn't seem to be bothered by it. Its polyps are well extended, but they only recede at night, for about 15 minutes. There is no polyp bailout, and it is growing nicely. I attached a picture, but I could only upload it uploaded upside down - sorry.

 

[Reeffwkeeper]

I forgot to mention - I don't think the amount of live rock is affecting the torch. You could improve your filtration by adding another 20 pounds of it, but you'd reduce your fee space. If you have mechanical filtration as well, and your nitrates are low, tI think he amount of live rock that you use is matter of personal preference.

 

[cheezybuda]

i forgot to mention - i don't think the amount of live rock is affecting the torch. You could improve your filtration by adding another 20 pounds of it, but you'd reduce your fee space. If you have mechanical filtration as well, and your nitrates are low, ti think he amount of live rock that you use is matter of personal preference.

+1

 

[Terefel]

You should have to make only minor modifications with that salt. Give it a couple of days to see how the new placement works for you. My torch coral gets medium to high flow, and it doesn't seem to be bothered by it. Its polyps are well extended, but they only recede at night, for about 15 minutes. There is no polyp bailout, and it is growing nicely. I attached a picture, but I could only upload it uploaded upside down - sorry.

Thank you all for your help. I will give it some time and see what happens. This is the retraction that happens at night (I turned the lights back on only momentarily for this picture)

Those two bumps on the right felt like some loose skin or something, which I lightly brushed away from the skeleton. I will report back with an update; thanks again for the help!

 

[scrambler1880]

I have four perfectly center (though at the bottom) under my lights they get fairly high flow and don't seem to mind at all ... Your Tank looks pretty young so may just need some time to get established I would leave it alone for a while see how it does...

Euphyllia are fairly hardy in my experience don't seem to like high Mg though did you check that?

 

[Terefel]

I have four perfectly center (though at the bottom) under my lights they get fairly high flow and don't seem to mind at all ... Your Tank looks pretty young so may just need some time to get established I would leave it alone for a while see how it does...

Euphyllia are fairly hardy in my experience don't seem to like high Mg though did you check that?

Thanks! My tests got delivered today and I will check the mg as soon as I get home. Thank you for the feedback.

 

[scrambler1880]

Thanks! My tests got delivered today and I will check the mg as soon as I get home. Thank you for the feedback.

Sure thing. Also could be that shrimp (though that is highly debatable) I had a pair of cleaner shrimp for a while that seemed to develop a taste for my hammers most would call that observation into question but all I know is that myself and my hammers are much happier after my wrasse took out the shrimp one day. Needless to say I didn't add any new shrimp.

 

[Terefel]

Which salt mix do you use? Calcium, dKH, and Magnesium may be low if you're not using a reef ready salt like Tropic Marin (Reef or Bio. Actif) or Red. Sea. It also looks like the torch is in a relatively shaded area of the tank. It may also help to move it further into a well lit area.

I keep my torch coral toward the top of the tank. It seems to enjoy the high light and good water movement. It has tripled in size in about one year. The parameters that have worked for me are calcium is 420, magnesium 1320, and dKH 7.5.

So I got my red sea kit... Whoever designed this thing... So anyway this my my first attempt at using a titilator or whatever so the results may not be exactly perfect but I came up with the following :
Calcium: 400
Magnesium: 1280-1320
DKH: 8.4

Does this give us any ideas? I think I'm relatively close to being in the range in terms of levels.

Is it somewhat normal for them to completely retract into the skeleton? A different head is doing that tonight once the lights went out. I feel some reef roids for the first time tonight but it didn't seem to have any impact.

Thanks again for the help everyone!

 

[Art13]

I have two torches in the bottom right of my tank, in a low-medium wave motion, and i use the coral pro salt at about 1.025. They do retract from time to time but have always come back out for me, doing just fine. params at at calc 430, mag 1360, dkh 10.4, i do dose about twice a week, but only because my tank has a decent load of stony coral. if you do regular weekly water changes that should be plenty to keep your parameters fine for them.

 

[Terefel]

Well, as an update it looks like I'm definitely losing one head (see picture on the right) . It looks like the skin is pulling away from the skeleton and disintegrating.

I'm heading out of town in an hour until Sunday and I'm hoping for the best with respect to the other two. Beginning to think Torch corals are not for me. :/

 

[maroonman]

I would cut that head off ASAP.toss it. . It is going to infect the other heads. See the brown slime? That will spread & kill whatever it lands on. Search Brown jelly disease

 

[Terefel]

How do you cut it off?

 

[maroonman]

A dremel with a cutting wheel is Ideal.

 

[Terefel]

Thanks! I have 15 minutes. Might be able to get it done. Btw, I don't see any brown jelly per se, just looks like the skin is peeling away.

 

[maroonman]

Its tuff to tell . but it looks like it is. Once they slime over , it is only a matter of a few hrs it will cover the entire head.