Trachyphillia diseased?

[stoub2008]

Hi,

I've had a trachyphillia for 1 week now, but it's slowly dying. You can see on these pictures that the skeleton now show on several places.

You can see a white "string", that's in fact made of a lot of small white "dots". It seems to be slowly moving too, but i don't know it it is really moving, or if it's the coral's flesh that moves. I'm wondering if they aren't parasites, eating the coral. (up right on the first pictures, down left on the second picture, it's the same string, i moved the coral).

Do you know what is happening, is that coral lost?

Yesterday morning:

This morning, it's worse:

 

[chris wright]

Welcome to Reef Central mate.

Can you post some more info on your tank such as your parameters, fish, lights etc. There may be a problem here.

Chris.

 

[stoub2008]

Tank: 600 liters, setup about 10 month ago. Several other corals doing well (acropora, turbinaria, seriatopora, montipora, fungia, 1 tridacnid clam, etc).

Light: 3x150W HQI + 2x55W T5

Parameters are ok, maybe nitrates a little high, but nothing lethal:
Salinity: 36g/l
Temp: between 25°C and 27°C
NO2: 0
NO3: 25mg/l
PO4: 0
PH: 7.8 - 8.1
KH: 7
Ca: about 360mg/l
Mg: about 1300 mg/l

Fishes: (nothing that should eat corals)
1 hepatus
1 zebrasoma flavescens
1 vulpinus
1 pseudocheilinius hexataenia
2 gobies (valencianna sexgutata)
4 pseudanthias
1 amphiprion ephippium
5 gobiodons okinawae

 

[elegance coral]

WOW! He is in bad shape. It looks like this started because the flesh was pinched between the skeleton and the rocks. I would would use an iodine dip and move it to a better spot where the flesh has room around it. Good luck.

 

[chrisstie]

I agree with elegence coral on this one. The iodine dip (lugols, tropic marin pro coral cure, there are a few others too but if you needed a name of what to look for here they are)

What do you think about lowering it to the sand bed or shady place where the flesh is free to move? I'm unsure of where the coral came from at the LFS - in high light or low light etc but I find LPS do so much better when slowly acclimated up into higher lighting.

Good luck on recovering- if it gets puffy or shows feeder tentacles (probably atnight) see if it'll eat some mysis or cyclopeez to help it recover.

 

[stoub2008]

The flash is free to move, the problem is not there, and at the vendor, it was right under a 250W hqi spot, i only have 150W, so it doesn't suffer from too much light...

For the idione dip, I do have some lugol, how should I do that? (how long to let it there, how much lugol ?)

 

[chrisstie]

I would take a little container with tank water and put a few drops of lugols in - just to where the water gets a very very slight yellow tint.. then let the coral sit for maybe 2 mins?

 

[chris wright]

After the dip, if you chose to put it back on the rocks do try to position it where the flesh doesn't rub. I know you already know this, but sometimes they expand bigger than what you think, speaking from experience.

Good luck and let us know how you go

Cheers

Chris

 

[pezcubano]

I have a similar situation on my hands with my Trachy. I put it in the tank a little over a week ago and it seemed fine, but I can see its hard skeleton in a couple of spots. Its not alarming yet, but I'd like to prevent any more erosion of the mantle. Do I need to direct feed it? If so, does this have to be at night?

 

[chris wright]

I feed when I see the polyps out, generally in the evening when there are no fish around to steal the food. Less stessful for the coral.

 

[pezcubano]

Won't a Trachy pick up on filter feeding foods? Is that enough or do they need meaty treats as well?

 

[Aquarist007]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10872687#post10872687 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by stoub2008
The flash is free to move, the problem is not there, and at the vendor, it was right under a 250W hqi spot, i only have 150W, so it doesn't suffer from too much light...

For the idione dip, I do have some lugol, how should I do that? (how long to let it there, how much lugol ?)

probably the other way around--they do not like that intensity.

I had one that was worse then the picture you posted---I put it in a spare 30 gal with only 90 watts of light. After a few weeks it started showing polyps in the early morning so I was able to spot feed it cycopeeze and mysis. It had now made a 3/4 recovery with the pink and green coloration again.
In hind sight I have had two more of these since--they have all done well on the sand bed

 

[seapug]

yeah, the damage might have started at the store....Also consider current. I keep mine in strong light, but gentle current. I've found they shrivel up like that when they are in too much flow. That spot doesn't look too good either. Try a flat rock or down on the sand.

 

[1QuickSubaru]

that one doesnt look so good.. i dont think its gonna make it...

 

[Aquarist007]

I still would remove it to a qt tank and try to spot feed it mysis.
Mine was in worse shape then that and it came back.
What you also have to watch out for is it been overtaken by green algae and corraline.