Torch coral dying?

[WhiteTang]

Hi everybody!

I have had this Euphyllia glabrescens a couple months. It was doing great until maybe a week ago. It usually would puff up and extend its tentacles looking quite big. But lately it is mostly shrivelled and something is off with the color as well. It looks as if it is bleaching starting from its mouth. It has become very fluorescent but with that rate it will soon be translucent or white...

I tried reading on the forum and google searching to see what might be wrong but I can find anything that matches really.

So I decided to ask you guys. Has anyone had this happening to him?

I am attaching a before and after pic. The before is not actually my coral but it is a very true representation of how it used to be! The after is of course my coral.

Also I have to say that I have a couple other LP that do fantastic in my tank. These are 1 trachyphyllia, 1 small can lord colony, 1 frogspawn and a couple SPS. All the corals have great coloration and growth. I checked water params but they are in check. Except for this incident that I had with Calcium.

About a week ago I did my routine water testing Ca was off so I dosed. Only to find out that I had used the wrong reagent when I tested! Ca was about 600 after dosing and I did a 40% water change immediately and brought it down to 490 and let the rest come down naturally...

 

[scooter31707]

have you been feeding it? I would recommend try feeding it at least twice a week and see if it improves.

 

[WhiteTang]

have you been feeding it? I would recommend try feeding it at least twice a week and see if it improves.

Yes, I have been feeding it. Maybe even more than twice a week. Mysis, fresh clams (chopped of course) and a couple times fresh salmon.
I was very careful and waited until it had grabbed the food and almost had it in its mouth, because both the cleaner shrimp and the sexy shrimp know that they can steal food from the corals. I always chase away the shrimp when feeding corals or give them a piece and then feed the corals.

Since this has happened (the shrivelling) it does not accept any food. I will stick to its tentacles but after a while it releases the food.

So now I can't even feed it

 

[Lareefguy]

Yes, I have been feeding it. Maybe even more than twice a week. Mysis, fresh clams (chopped of course) and a couple times fresh salmon.

I was very careful and waited until it had grabbed the food and almost had it in its mouth, because both the cleaner shrimp and the sexy shrimp know that they can steal food from the corals. I always chase away the shrimp when feeding corals or give them a piece and then feed the corals.



Since this has happened (the shrivelling) it does not accept any food. I will stick to its tentacles but after a while it releases the food.



So now I can't even feed it

Have you had a alk swing?

 

[Webmanny]

I'm sure some here will say parameters and you should check for any swing on those, but also, have you changed your light source recently? It almost looks like bleaching, but not 100% sure. I would bring it down to the sand so see if it improves.

 

[WhiteTang]

I'm sure some here will say parameters and you should check for any swing on those, but also, have you changed your light source recently? It almost looks like bleaching, but not 100% sure. I would bring it down to the sand so see if it improves.

If you read my original post you will see that I had an Ca swing. But not an Alk swing. It's really weird because the first thing I did was check water. Which I anyways do every week just to be on the safe side.
The weirdest thing is that my frogspawn, which is a coral of the same sort, looks better than ever!

 

[Potsy]

Torch corals can be finicky. They're definitely the most delicate Euphyllia which would explain why your hammer is fine. It took a few months for my gold torch to settle in; first it bleached and stayed that way for a while, then it suddenly regained color and has been fine ever since. It would not take food during that adjustment period but now it feeds on mysis.

A calcium swing shouldn't affect corals... at least mine have never shown signs of stress when I raise calcium.

Check the skeleton. Is the flesh below the head of the coral receding upwards exposing the sharp edges of the coralites where the head is attached? If so, that's a sign of trouble. My torches have a lot of flesh on the branch beneath the head but didn't have as much during their settling in period.

If there's no tissue recession, then let it be and it might adapt and regain its color.