Dying Torch Coral...!

[fishbait]

We just got a torch coral on Saturday (actually we got a green star polyp and a leather coral as well) and it is not doing well at all! (neither are the others, but I'm more concerned about the torch).

The first day or two the polyps tried extending, but only got out about an inch, tops. By Monday they had receeded a great deal, and this morning they were sucked all the way inside, the tips had turned brown, and it looks very unhappy :redface:

As far as we can tell, the fish are not harrassing any of the corals (the fish are all doing fine) and we have repositioned them a couple of times. The torch started out with a medium current and now he is in less current - both places with good lighting. They are not close together.

Our tank/water specs:
72 gallons + sump
pH: 7.9
ammonia: 0
nitrate: 0
spec gravity: 1.021
temp: 80
lighting: 4x28w T5 fluorescents (2blue/2white)
tank depth: 20" - torch was about 12" deep initially, now its on the bottom

Please see attached pic for current condition.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

[Der_Iron_Chef]

Have you tested your water parameters? If so, what are the results? If not, get on it and let us know :smile:

As well, is it in the vicinity of any other corals?

[fishbait]

Which parameters are you interested in specifically? I posted ph/ammonia/nitrate/spec grav & temp in the first posting...

No, all the corals are fairly far apart from each other, ie at least 12 inches or more.

[niloc16]

salinity is low for corals. 1.021 is ok for fish only but i would slowly bring it up to at least 1.023

[Quagmire]

I was thinking osmotic shock,but with that low salinity maybe not.Alot of LFS have low salinity,so maybe not such a shock.How long/how did you acclimate them?Im wondering about possible PH or Alk shock.

[Johnny Reefer]

Isn't your lighting kinda low too? I don't know anything about T5's but 56W doesn't seem like much. (The blues don't count).

Cheers,

[Murminator]

Didn't you just start this tank like a week ago?......If so I think it's still a liitle too soon to be adding corals probably some nasties coming out of the sand or the rocks from the move. The flesh isn't gone on it yet maybe someone with a more established system can nurse it back until your tank is ready. From the pic it looks to be low in the tank did you try higher? and I don't think those lights will cut it, it may substain life but it probably won't grow much.

HTH

[Borderjumper]

I keep my tank at 1.025. When I buy or trade something new for my tank I always test the water it comes in for salinity and then acclimate accordingly.

[BCOrchidGuy]

My torch is doing just fine, actually doing well under a 28w T5 10,000k and actinic so I think you're fine for light. Make sure you have adequate water flow they like water to flow around them but not directly at them and yes if it's a new tank there could be dozens of reasons for it's withdrawl.
If you live close to a fish store take a water sample in, have them verify the tests you've done, depending on the test kits you are using there may be a problem there. I've used the budget/inexpensive kits in the past and seen huge differences in readings from one kit to another, now I'm sold on Salifert and frankly, I'd rather spend my money on them, I feel confident in the quality and if my pH reads 8.3 I'm comfortable with it actually being 8.3

Doug

[Borderjumper]

I looked back over some of your old posts, you just set up your tank 10 days ago.. I realize you bought a used system, but it still has to stabilize after the move.. and depending on how you moved it.. rock, sand bed, etc this could take a while.


02-18-2007, 09:30 PM
fishbait
Help... Skimmer question
Hello, we just picked up a used saltwater system and finally got it all running a few minutes ago

[fishbait]

Yes, we did just pick up the system recently. The tank has remained stable since the move - no spikes in any of the levels that we have been watching (all the ones above). That said, we may have jumped the gun a bit in introducing corals - the LFS didn't seem to think it was a big problem though, so we took the plunge.

As I am typing I am preparing some extra salty water - I will introduce a few gallons tonight and some more tomorrow to try to raise the salinity a notch or two. I am also going to move the torch up higher, get him closer to the lights.

I didn't realize the blue T5's don't really count towards total wattage..? Can someone expand on the reasoning for that a bit further?

We've been using the cheap Hagen kits for Nitrates and Ammonia (came with the tank). The same kit for pH (a new one) didn't even give us a valid reading - it was way off the charts. Instead I borrowed a digital pH meter from my Dad and that's what gave us the 7.9 figure.

[fishbait]

Ok, I've added in the salt (I had some saltwater already made, so an additional half a cup dissolved quite fast) - I think it brought up the whole system about .007 - I'm getting close to 1.022 now. I will do the same tomorrow, then maybe wait a day and do it once more... how long is a good amount of time for these sorts of changes?

[Borderjumper]

What are you using to check your salinity? Swingarms can be totally off. I had 2 and each one gave me a way different reading. Get a refractometer.. one of the best investments you can make!:biggrin:

Be careful putting in "new" saltwater. It really should sit overnight before you use it.

[BCOrchidGuy]

Hagen and Tetra are both bargain test kits, in my opinion I wouldn't use either. I rather liked SeaChem test kits and there are other premium kits out there but Salifert has my vote as I said before. What are you using to test S.G.? Make sure if it's a plastic one with the arm that floats that there are no micro bubbles attatched to the arm, rinse it well in fresh water before you test S.G. (in my opinion) and DO NOT make sudden changes in salinity or pH, even reducing bad stuff to quickly can be bad. The old saying, doing something is better than doing nothing isn't always the best approach, first off you have to know if your test kits are accurate, one way to test for ammonia is to add a drop or two of ammonia to a mixing bowl of water then test and make sure your kit shows the ammonia... just an idea.

Doug

[Raf]

looks like that torch is doomed IMO.

also, test for copper, I could not figure out why all my new corals, snails and shrimp were dying when I added them until I tested the tap water...sure enough, copper.

[Johnny Reefer]

.... I didn't realize the blue T5's don't really count towards total wattage..? Can someone expand on the reasoning for that a bit further? ....
Assuming the blue lights you are refering to are actinics....they are for aesthetic purposes, ie: they allow the more vibrant colours of marine life to be visible. They do not actually provide the correct spectrum for sustainability and growth.

Cheers,

[fishbait]

I don't have a copper test - though we are using an RO filter which I believe is supposed to remove all that good stuff.

Perhaps I should consider swapping out one or both of the actinics for regular T5 bulbs?

[Johnny Reefer]

.... Perhaps I should consider swapping out one or both of the actinics for regular T5 bulbs?
I don't know. I've said enough about the lights. Like I said...I don't know anything about the strength of T5's. BC Orchid Guy says they're okay. Maybe someone else can chime in?

Cheers,

[Scavenger]

All I can say is my torch is very finicky to flow. If it isn't a gentle upward sweeping (bottom to top) current, it won't extend fully. If the flow is far too strong, it looks similar to the posted pic.

I won't speak for water quality, parameters, ect, for I know not!