Sick Elegance Coral?

[Mark SF]

Purchased this coral a week ago and it was quickly turning into one of my favorites. The LFS had it for three months and it looked great in their tank, BUT, there was an elegance coral next to it that didn't look good at all.

I brought it home, did not treat with a dip, and it looked great. This is under metal halides, bottom right corner of the tank and low to medium flow.

I have been reading about ECS but I haven't seen any photos that show this filamentous material coming from the coral. Picture shows the damage. At first I thought it was expelling waste, but it has been two days in this condition.

I have several euphyllia in the aquarium, are they or any other corals at risk? Should I toss it?

Tank Parameters:

ALK 8.5
CAL 455
MAG 1200 (working to bring up)
NO4 1-3ppm
PO4 .06
SG 1.026
Temp: 78-79

Thanks,
Mark

 

[Mark SF]

Here's another photo....

 

[dsilvery]

Small elegance corals

Small elegance corals

The two I picked up from my local fish store are about 2.5 inches wide and they look the same. My local guy stated when they are small the tentacles will be short. Mine are starting to look a lot better than they looked in the store.

I have them in the bottom of my tank on the sandbed about 26" from the ecotech radion pro light which is hanging about 8" off my 18" deep tank. I am running at 25% maximum intensity which changes to a 20K 14K then 12K look through the day then back down to 20K.


The picture in my avatar is of an elegance coral that I picked up for $200 and later sold. It was large taking up almost 8" and it's tentacle were out pretty long.

 

[Daniel62]

I would give it a little time. I am sure your tank parm are much different than the LFS

 

[Mark SF]

Thanks for the input.

If you look closely in the photos, it looks like some gooey stuff coming from the tentacles. Anyway, I placed the coral under some overhangs with minimal light, and that really has seemed to help. So far, it looks like it may be recovering.

Dsilvery, that elegance is amazing. I wouldn't have minded a huge one like that!

-Mark

 

[hypostatic]

can you take a pic without the blues on? the first pic it kinda looks infected

 

[Scubareefman]

Imo it looks to have the common illness that elegance corals are known to get. The tell tale signs are the fingers become short and no longer wave in open water for food. The flesh of the coral disk becomes swollen and a bit transparent. There has not been any success at curing this only slowing it's decline and death. I had a great e-coral that did well for years then one day it looked like yours and within 6 month was dead.
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2008-01/eb/index.php
And
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1842368
Hope I am wrong. Cheers

 

[Mark SF]

It was swollen like crazy today and I pulled it. Too bad...

Is this disease contagious to other elegance corals? I just picked up one at a LFS that was too good to pass up, apparently has been in captivity for years.

-Mark

 

[hypostatic]

Yes, it is contagious and healthy corals get get it from sick corals -- this might be what happened to yours. It was probably asymptomatic at the store, and the stress of moving might have caused it to get sick. From what I've read it can be successfully treated with Rx antibiotics

 

[Scubareefman]

From what I've read it can be successfully treated with Rx antibiotics

I have not read this, I'm going to have to hit the books again.

 

[Scubareefman]

Here is the e-coral I lost, I'll post 2 pictures. When it was heathy it was amazing.

 

[Scubareefman]

2nd picture of the coral.

 

[hypostatic]

I think what I've read is used the most is chloramphenicol

http://www.reefs.org/library/aquarium_net/996/996_1.html

 

[Scubareefman]

I think what I've read is used the most is chloramphenicol

http://www.reefs.org/library/aquarium_net/996/996_1.html

I read through this, it's detailed and lists e-coral as a coral that can withstand a fresh water dip. I'm going to have to research the meds in the article, some seem like they would be difficult to come-by and possibly to use in home. Good read though.

 

[Mark SF]

Here is the e-coral I lost, I'll post 2 pictures. When it was heathy it was amazing.

Scuba,

Is this what it looked like before you lost it?

-Mark

 

[Scubareefman]

Mark, this is pictures of it on the decline. Over an extended time frame it slowly refused food and lost 90% of its mass. The pink picture is of it bout half its normal size, the whiter shot is of it about 1/3 it's normal size. At its healthiest the colony was about 7 or 8 inches wide by 18ish inches long. The fingers were about three inches long, with a intense green pattern on the flesh. As it became sick its color became almost clear and the fingers shrank to less then and inch. It also stopped its feeding sweeping action which was a shame because this coral colony was one of my all time favorites to watch feed.

Cheers Tom.

 

[Mark SF]

Sick Elegance Coral?

Mark, this is pictures of it on the decline. Over an extended time frame it slowly refused food and lost 90% of its mass. The pink picture is of it bout half its normal size, the whiter shot is of it about 1/3 it's normal size. At its healthiest the colony was about 7 or 8 inches wide by 18ish inches long. The fingers were about three inches long, with a intense green pattern on the flesh. As it became sick its color became almost clear and the fingers shrank to less then and inch. It also stopped its feeding sweeping action which was a shame because this coral colony was one of my all time favorites to watch feed.



Cheers Tom.

Tom,

That's a bummer, she was a beauty.

I picked up a new elegance, I will post pictures when my lights come on tomorrow and let me know if it still looks healthy. It seems it is hard to find what healthy elegance corals actually look like!

Mark

 

[Scubareefman]

Mark I agree 100% about how difficult it is figuring out healthy e-coral picks from sick ones. the one I had looked cool even when it was fading away. I would have scooped it up from my lfs in a heartbeat. I found a few pictures that look very close to what my e-coral looked like when in its prime.

 

[Scubareefman]

Much more vibrant and flowing longer fingers.

 

[Scubareefman]

A bit more plumpness in the fingers and much more stick when grasping food.