Sorry to hear the bad news. There is never a need to dip a colony with shrinking skirt length unless you can see a predator or think you have them. Dipping is a proactive measure used to prevent predators from entering the system, medicinal purposes with iodine for healing and to combat predators that are already present, or treatments for BI or fugus. The dips I think are also being misused, please take no offense to this. If you didn't have skirt retraction, noticed any predators after the first dip, saw no possible infections or bacteria, I wouldn't have performed a second dip. The first 3 pics are almost always a lack of current, vitamins and amino acids, ( which everyone says they get enough of from their additives and salt ) , or very poor water quality via a parameters that is way way off. Lighting alone will maintain coloration, but it won't have any impact on expansion, this is a proven fact. Please, don't think I'm beating you up my friend.
Pic 4 and 5 are very full and healthy polyps and you can get them back there in time. You have nothing to lose here and you may or may not get them back to what they once were, but you can try this and continue doing it from now on. I firmly believe that when we take these corals out of the ocean and try our best to duplicate/replicate their natural environment, we can come very close, but it will never be the same. Though these polyps are hardy, in the ocean they don't experience Ph swings, shifts in salinity i.e. a water change, temp swings etc etc. All of which can be stressful, though mildly. That said, I believe we need to stay on top of things before they become problematic. I'm rambling, so do this, place this colony in direct line, I mean directly in line of a current source, not too close, just enough to constantly wiggle, not violently blow the polyps everywhere. Buy some vitamins and amino acids, I use Reef Plus, many will disagree, it won't harm your corals at all. Make sure they are directly under a light source, doesn't have to be just below the water surface, maybe mid way. External feeding should never be a primary source of nutrition for corals that are photosynthetic, lighting and current alone will sustain them. Corals also greatly benefit with the addition of proteins and Omega 3 & 6 fatty acids. So I would find some coral food which encompasses the above additives in a dried powder form and add it twice a week. Turn off all of your return pumps and just allow it to circulate internally for 30 minutes. I won't tell you which ones to use, but I use Coral Frenzy twice a week in very small amounts, that's all that is need.
http://www.premiumaquatics.com/Merc...&Product_Code=CW-CF&Category_Code=Coralfrenzy
I'm talking enough to cover half a pinky finger nail. I add it to an 8 oz glass of tank water and shake it for 30 seconds and pour it into my tank from left to right. Knock on wood, and I'm not bragging, but my corals never get sick, retract or just decline. I just never have those problems. I just try to stay proactive and prevent things from cropping up instead of trying to remedy the problem after it has happened.
I say give it a try my friend and just wait and see. It's going to take a few months, but you have nothing to lose.
I hope this helps, good luck my friend.
Mucho Reef
PS. . I think Reef Plus has some iodine in it so make sure you don't have any corals that are overly sensitive to it.
