Corals Deflating

[DougiesREEF]

Hello all. I started my tank a few months ago. It is currently testing at
Ammonia-0
Nitrite- 0
Nitrate-20 ppm
Dkh- 10
pH- 8
Salinity 1.25
Temp- 78
I regularly test all of this and it has stayed pretty constant. My corals were doing great, and my torch and indo hammer both split heads showing some growth. However, recently they look like this. Does anyone have any ideas why. I do weekly 15% water changes with Reef Crystal salt.

 

[Quietman]

Quick double check...did you mean 1.025 sg on salinity?

 

[HD_Reefer]

Any fish? What are you feeding fish? Feeding coral?

 

[DougiesREEF]

Yes sorry 1.025 for the salinity. And yes I have two clowns, a cleanershrimp, a royal gamma, a firefish, 5 snails and a conch. I feed my fish either frozen brine or pellet foods. I dose phyto once a day as well.

 

[DougiesREEF]

For reference this is what the torch looked like a few days ago

 

[DougiesREEF]

@Quietman @HD_Reefer any ideas?

 

[HD_Reefer]

Any change in flow? Lighting? Anything new introduced into the tank?

 

[DougiesREEF]

No change in flow or lighting. I added the firefish about 2 weeks ago.

 

[mdb_talon]

No idea if it helps, but my first step when corals look unhappy but parameters are good is to run carbon. If you are not running it already i would at least temporarily do so. If there is a toxin in the water making them unhappy it may help.

 

[jassermd]

What are the rest of your parameters? Ca, Mg, Phos
I'm thinking either a critter or a swing of one parameter...

 

[jassermd]

No idea if it helps, but my first step when corals look unhappy but parameters are good is to run carbon. If you are not running it already i would at least temporarily do so. If there is a toxin in the water making them unhappy it may help.

Agree. Leathers will release toxins that stunt the growth of other corals...

 

[DougiesREEF]

I unfortunately do not have test to test the Mag, Phos, and calcium. I also do not have a leather coral. I was thinking about ordering carbon does that seem like the best approach for the time being.

 

[jassermd]

Running carbon won't hurt. Just be sure to use the right amount and rinse well before putting into the sump or filter.
There are many types of carbon... I use ROX from BRS.

Without knowing what your Ca and Mg are, it's hard to rule out swings.

For what it's worth, torch corals, and euphyllia in general prefer:
moderate light and water flow
Temp 77-79
ph 8.1-8.3
salinity 1.025
nitrate < 5
phos < .1
mG 1300-1400
Alk 8-9
CA 400-450

Any swings in parameters will cause them to retract. Also, I know you already mentioned you haven't changed placement or flow, but that is usually one of the main culprits... torches/hammers prefer low-moderate flow and nothing direct as that will tear the tissue.

 

[DougiesREEF]

Running carbon won't hurt. Just be sure to use the right amount and rinse well before putting into the sump or filter.
There are many types of carbon... I use ROX from BRS.

Without knowing what your Ca and Mg are, it's hard to rule out swings.

For what it's worth, torch corals, and euphyllia in general prefer:
moderate light and water flow
Temp 77-79
ph 8.1-8.3
salinity 1.025
nitrate < 5
phos < .1
mG 1300-1400
Alk 8-9
CA 400-450

Any swings in parameters will cause them to retract. Also, I know you already mentioned you haven't changed placement or flow, but that is usually one of the main culprits... torches/hammers prefer low-moderate flow and nothing direct as that will tear the tissue.

First off I want to thank everyone for your help as a new reefer I truly appreciate it. Likewise so do you think I should try changing flow and ordering carbon and see how it goes. I’m also gonna stop dosing phyto to lower phosphate

 

[jassermd]

My recommendation is not to move it or change your flow. Too much at once.
Most important thing is to do only one thing at a time and wait several days to see how things change. Doing too much at once will stress the coral and make it difficult to troubleshoot things.
Also, I would recommend testing for phosphate if possible. Given your nitrate is 20, I'm guessing your phosphate is slightly elevated as well. Stopping phyto won't harm things.
I'd run carbon and see how things change and in the meantime, get your water sample to an LFS to test and confirm all your parameters. If you're using API, there's a good chance your results aren't as accurate as they may seem.
Just try not to do too much at once. Nothing happens quickly in reefing, so try your best to be patient.

 

[Zer0]

My suggestions is while you wait for carbon, do a big water change and see what happens. 50% or greater.

 

[Pistondog]

Get a hanna phosphate tester. Depending on rock source, they might be leaching phosphate.
It would have to be > 0.5 to have that effect on torches though.

 

[DougiesREEF]

I have been doing water change daily and just ordered the phosphate tester, and a calc and magnesium test. Do you think the torch will begin to melt or they can survive through this?

 

[jassermd]

Hard to tell. They are finicky at best. If they are retracted without tissue damage, they have a good chance of recovering.
To me, they don't look happy and retracted, but not injured or signs of infection. There's a good chance that they will recover, especially if you take it slow and don't do too much at once.

 

[HD_Reefer]

Agree with @jassermd, don't change too many things at once. Your reef is new, it will take time for things to settle in and swings are easy to happen. I would definitely get your water tested with non API kits and some carbon wouldn't hurt. Torches are rough as a beginner coral in a new tank because they are sensitive to most changes. You're past the ammonia cycle part, so I wouldn't worry with testing ammonia or nitrite. You're doing 15% weekly water changes, so having 20ppm Nitrate leads me to believe that's a false reading on an API test. If you're not feeding the fish a ton and staying on top of filter maintenance, I would guess you're probably really low on nitrates. Its a balancing act, too low is just as difficult as too high. I could go on and on with things to try, but I think the most important thing you can do is be patient. Get yourself some quality testing tools and keep diligent track of the daily readings. It will take time, but you will start to see what the tank tells you it needs.