Does my torch still have a chance?

[marcingo]

On boxing day I bought two torch frags one had neon green tentacles with bluish tips while the other had reddish tentacles with green tips. The problem I am having is with the neon green tentacles torch. All other corals in my tank are doing fine. All my levels are at zero except nitrates are at 20. Now to the problem. The torch with the neon green tentacles seems to be losing tentacles every night, when I wake up in the morning there are less and less tentacles except the wierd part is I dont think they are falling out since there is none on the sand bed. This morning I woke up to find this torch had lost all its tentacles and all thats left is a skeleton. But again they are nowhere to be found could they have just retracted into the skeleton? Also what could be causing this (just a bad frag?) I dont think it should be water quality since the other torch seems to be doing great both were placed on the sandbed on opposite sides of the tank. Midway through the week when I saw the one torch was having troubles I moved it onto the rock a little closer to my lights to see if that would help. Any ideas anyone? By the way I have a 17 inch tall tank with 2 175 watt MH HQI bulbs one which is a 14k and a 20k. I am now doing a water change to get the nitrates to zero and to see if maybe this may help the one torch- If all the tentacles are gone does that mean the torch is dead and I might as well throw out the frag or does it have a chance for a come back? Again every morning I looked I never found even one tiny tentacle on the sandbed or the rocks (last night it lost quite a few tentacles and again none anywhere to be found) If something is eating it wouldnt it go after the other torch too?

Thanks

[Der_Iron_Chef]

What else are you keeping in the tank?

[marcingo]

all zoos and mushrooms have a green star polyp, and a alveopora(i believe thats what its called- its similar to the goniopora but has 12 tentacles on each polyp) I also have a tube anenome that has rooted itself far away from the torch in question. As for livestock I have a foxface, blue cheek goby, 2 black false percs and 2 regular ones. The torch that is sick was about 4 inches from the alveopora( could this have been stinging the torch?).

[Ruth]

Did you do any kind of acclimatization (sp) when you put the coral in the tank? It could have just been too big of a change in water parameters. Sometimes corals just don't move well no matter what you do. I have never had much luck with torch corals for some reason.

[marcingo]

I did an acclimitization by the drip method. Your probably right some just dont survive.

Question still remains if all the tentacles have dissapeared but I never found any on the sand or anywhere for that matter does that mean they retracted into the skeleton and the coral still has a chance? or should I just throw it out?

Thanks.

[Ruth]

Because the tentacles on LPS are for the most part filled with water when they disintegrate there is really nothing left to find.
I would leave it for a while - wonders never cease. I know that I had a plate coral that I swore was toast and it came back - until the heat wave this summer that took out just about everything except my fish.

[marcingo]

thanks for the help

[Der_Iron_Chef]

To my knowledge, torch coral is much more aggressive than alveopora....so I don't know, I have a hard time believing that the alveopora is responsible.

Could be some form of reproduction? Some infectious agent, perhaps? Tough one.

[marcingo]

I guess it just wasnt meant to live in my tank. Kinda sucks since its not the cheapest coral out there.

[Montana]

did you check your calcium levels? torch corals dont like high levels of calcium, why it would not affect them both is a mystery but i have had one torch on the verge of death and i dropped my cal level and it came back.

[marcingo]

i dont supplement with calcium at all- dont have a calcium test kit. There hadnt been a water change for about a week when the torch went in. So I dont think the calcium would have been so high.