I have a formerly thriving specimen that, thanks to my taking a trip and encountering a job emergency afterward---died.
HOW DEAD WAS IT?
It was about 10 branches.
The alkalinity in my tank dropped: it was unapparent re all other specimens, including a torch and hammer---but the frogspawn bit the big one. The alk was about 4.5 DKH for weeks.
It popped two heads.
Peppermint shrimp moved in and wouldnt let it alone. I gave up. There are 4 big shrimp, the piece was a mess, I was in crisis-mode, and I just threw up my hands and let it go.
Algae grew on it.
mini brittlestars moved into it. No tissue at all. The old heads split and cracked open.
Job satisfied, I moved onto my tank and after initial OMG when I realized the readings, I started correcting it. Slowly, so as not to shock things.
THE REBIRTH...
And tiny heads started coming out all over it, pushing aside the algae, dislodging the starfish, and beginning to feed. They're small, only about 7-8 buds apiece, but they're coming out at every angle.
Having been stressed, the piece probably has more quasi-heads than ever.
THE PROGRESS...
I'm continuing the slow water correction and it continues to feed and comes out every day. The peppermint shrimp have no further interest. A snail cleaned up one old head. The new heads still come out, nothing lost. The brittle stars have apparently moved out: I don't see them now.
The piece is glued to base rock about halfway in the rockwork, about 10" from the surface under 250w MH.
We've now made it to 250 calcium, nearly have the mg (the source of my problem) back to normal, and have about 7 dkh.
If you have a piece die, don't be in too great a rush to remove and toss it. LPS stony plate is known to do this. Apparently euphyllia also can.
HOW DEAD WAS IT?
It was about 10 branches.
The alkalinity in my tank dropped: it was unapparent re all other specimens, including a torch and hammer---but the frogspawn bit the big one. The alk was about 4.5 DKH for weeks.
It popped two heads.
Peppermint shrimp moved in and wouldnt let it alone. I gave up. There are 4 big shrimp, the piece was a mess, I was in crisis-mode, and I just threw up my hands and let it go.
Algae grew on it.
mini brittlestars moved into it. No tissue at all. The old heads split and cracked open.
Job satisfied, I moved onto my tank and after initial OMG when I realized the readings, I started correcting it. Slowly, so as not to shock things.
THE REBIRTH...
And tiny heads started coming out all over it, pushing aside the algae, dislodging the starfish, and beginning to feed. They're small, only about 7-8 buds apiece, but they're coming out at every angle.
Having been stressed, the piece probably has more quasi-heads than ever.
THE PROGRESS...
I'm continuing the slow water correction and it continues to feed and comes out every day. The peppermint shrimp have no further interest. A snail cleaned up one old head. The new heads still come out, nothing lost. The brittle stars have apparently moved out: I don't see them now.
The piece is glued to base rock about halfway in the rockwork, about 10" from the surface under 250w MH.
We've now made it to 250 calcium, nearly have the mg (the source of my problem) back to normal, and have about 7 dkh.
If you have a piece die, don't be in too great a rush to remove and toss it. LPS stony plate is known to do this. Apparently euphyllia also can.
