Unhappy torch, can't work out why

[Lotus99]

I have a torch I've had for about 6 months. It was fine for quite some time, then some of the heads started bleaching a little. I thought it was perhaps getting too much light and flow, so I moved it to a slightly more shaded place with a gentler current, but now polyp extension is much less. It seems to be slowly becoming less happy. Should I move it to somewhere with more light?

Lighting: 125g tank, 440 watts VHO lighting. Coral was about 12" below lights, moved it to the edge of the tank where light spread is less.

Parameters: Calc. stays 400 or above, Alk. has been dropping, but now stable at above 2.5 m/eq. Salinity stable 1.025. Temps stable 79-80. Nitrates at 2ppm or less, phosphates undetectable.

Feeding: Occasional target feeding (maybe once every couple of weeks).

Any suggestions or questions?

 

[ekovalsky]

Mine seems to like more light than other LPS in my tank (including other euphyllia sp. including frogspawn, hammer, anchor). I keep the torch at mid tank level, above the other LPS and below the SPS, and low to moderate flow. If the polyps are whipping around all over the place move it to a lower flow area. It looks happiest when there is just enough current to make the polyps sway gently.

 

[Sk8r]

Do you have algae? If algae is dying off, it could be annoying corals.
They also like chaotic medium flow. They like to toss but not to be involved in a riot.
Try cyclopeeze as a food.
Also---would it be downwind from a leather or other soft coral?

 

[Lotus99]

I'll try moving it to somewhere with more light and moderate flow, if I can find somewhere in the tank. It gets big when it's happy, so I need to find somewhere with plenty of room for it to spread.

The only algae I have is bubble algae, and it's not dying off, unfortuntately

It's upwind from leathers. It's right next to a hammer and a frogspawn, which are both very happy. Neither is stinging it, though.