pink birds nest problems

[NuccaTree]

Greetings, I bought a pink birds nest at the frag auction. It has been doing great for the past two weeks even created a new branch already. However, yesterday I noticed it was starting to bleach out at the base. It is still furry up towards the tips but not now at the base. any additives of things i need to be checking. my monti and torch as well as all my other softsies are still doing good.
the lighting is underneath a 175w and the coral was placed about 4" below the surface with a good current. tank is kept at 80 degrees

 

[tibbs2]

Perhaps insufficient light is reaching the base of the coral. Did you say you have MH lighting?

 

[NuccaTree]

yes, it is in a 75g. I have dual 175w MH with dual 96W PC. The coral is amost underneath the MH on one side. The frag is only about 2" tall so if it is reaching the tips, it surely is reaching the base. But then again, that is why i am asking

 

[phishcrazee]

I noticed that happening to one of my sps corals and discovered it was a mushroom that would extend close enough to sting the sps. Once I moved the rock with the shrooms over farther, the sps bounced back just fine.

 

[NuccaTree]

My torch is just a few inches away. I haven't seen it be able to touch, but could it illumintate toxins? I got the torch at the same time.

 

[phishcrazee]

Yes, like frogspawn, they have sweeper tentacles that come out, I mainly see mine out at night, that can sting

Here is an excerpt from Dr Fosters talking about a torch coral:

".........Provide plenty of room between the Euphyllia Torch Coral and other sessile animals, since at night, its sweeper tentacles can extend up to several inches from its base and sting other coral species........."

 

[NuccaTree]

Ahhh...so I thik we might be on to something here. Thanks for the great ideas

 

[tibbs2]

Oh did you buy that torch coral that I brought to the auction?

I don't know if the torch emits toxins but I do know that it directly stings other corals. I've seen it's tentacles directly attached to other corals stinging them.

It has killed one hard coral, several mushrooms and stung a frogspawn and some zoanthids. It can double the length of its tentacles. I'd give it a 6" clearance around other corals except other euphyllia.

I was surprised it stung the frogspawn because Euphyllia corals are supposed to not sting each other. This torch must be one of the more "potent" corals I've come across.

Chris

 

[NuccaTree]

geee...thanks for selling it to me then....lol

 

[phishcrazee]

Heh, heh, maybe that's why it was for sale so cheap............

 

[leeweber85]

I'll take it if you don't want it

 

[mwood]

euphillia (the torch) is a great coral. I love them. Just need to give them space.

I got a large birdsnest when I had my 75. Did great for a while, and then one day started to bleach. Fragged it and it lived. Never knew why.

SPS is hard to keep. I could keep monti's and brown acros in the 75 and not birdsnest. I upgraded to a 300 and now am doing better with monti's, birdsnest, and some acros. Still have some trouble. Takes time. Don't sweet it if you loose the birdsnest.

Good luck.

 

[tibbs2]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7723537#post7723537 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by NuccaTree
geee...thanks for selling it to me then....lol

You're welcome! I liked the coral but when it started warring with the frogspawn I had to sell it.

 

[NuccaTree]

trust me, I hate to lose something, but it won't be the end of the world. just another experiment gone bad. I have lost stuff before and I am sure to lose stuff in the future. even between my home and office tank, things are different, better in some corals and worse in others. strange, but that is life!