Cotton Candy Torch retracted help!!

[liamelias]

Help! My Cotton Candy coral started retracting about 2 days ago. Today is even more retracted. I’ve had it for about 2 weeks. It was fully extending before and seemed to be doing fine. All other LPS doing good (torch, hammer, and bubble, as well as zoas)
I did mess up about 3 days ago. I usually keep my alkalinity around 9. That day it had gone down to 8.2 so I dosed Alkalinity at night to 9 and in the morning I couldn't remember if I did so I dosed again and it raised it to 10.5. I’m not sure if this could’ve stressed it out.
My parameters are these:
Calcium 440
Magnesium 1350
Alkalinity 9
Phosphate 0.01
Nitrates 0-1ppm
Salinity 1.06
Temp 78 (monitored with controller)

tank is around 3 months old, currently battling diatoms and brown hair algea.

below are two images from today and one image from Monday when it was doing great (top right)

 

[Doctorgori]

don’t hold your breath….I’ve witnessed this dozens of times on new euphlids (spelling) …I just lost one doing this, I mean just lost…..anyway, it doesn’t bode well IME, but I won’t dispute more positive opinion/sample … keep hope alive

 

[Rugops]

My favorite torch looked like this prior to bailing out. Granted that it literally had its polyps exploding.

 

[mtraylor]

You need to get your nitratas up to about 4-5ppm or no lps corals will be doing well

 

[Rugops]

Did you play with the flow recently?

 

[liamelias]

Did you play with the flow recently?

I actually don’t have a wavemaker yet. All the flow I have is coming from the pump. I heard these don’t like too much flow so just the flow from the pump seemed to sway it slowly back and forth

 

[liamelias]

You need to get your nitratas up to about 4-5ppm or no lps corals will be doing well

Yeah i’m trying to over feed, but they definitely are staying way too low.

 

[liamelias]

My favorite torch looked like this prior to bailing out. Granted that it literally had its polyps exploding.

Oh no… But is there a cause at least. They just bail out just because?

 

[Rugops]

Oh no… But is there a cause at least. They just bail out just because?

I have literally no idea what the cause was to this day. It was magnificent though. It might have been the torch you have but under a different trade name "green lantern". I played with the flow so slightly though.
The left one looks like it could recover but the right one looked so much like mine when it bailed.
I tried dipping mine but it didn't help. I can't offer much insight though. It was my last one.

 

[zoomonster]

I had several hammers, a torch and a frog, from a certain CA online vendor, do the same thing and not survive eventually jellying out and not detaching. IME detaching is usually just from too much flow which can also lead to infections. In some cases, I was able to salvage at least one head. I hope you dipped them well and scrubbed the bases good because I caught some Euphyllia eating flatworms on a torch. Read around... there are a variety of treatments using CoralRx, iodine, peroxide, cipro etc. if you start getting brown jelly infections. In fairness a few of theirs are doing good along with the ones from a TX vendor.

Part of the problem is you are likely getting wild that was chopped up, glued up and sold. Not tank raised or fully acclimated before sale and fresh wild have a poor survival rate IME. A lot of stores just want to turn stuff before it has a chance to die. Unless you reglued it your frag plug looks very fresh.

The following are doing good so not all hope is lost. I completely lost a couple cheapies and a couple $$$
rasta torch
wolverine torch
gold hammer
highlighter yellow hammer
teal hammer
salvaged hellfire torch head
salvaged frogspawn head
small purple tip/orange hammer
small orange tip/purple hammer

 

[Rugops]

I had several hammers, a torch and a frog, from a certain CA online vendor, do the same thing and not survive eventually jellying out and not detaching. IME detaching is usually just from too much flow which can also lead to infections. In some cases, I was able to salvage at least one head. I hope you dipped them well and scrubbed the bases good because I caught some Euphyllia eating flatworms on a torch. Read around... there are a variety of treatments using CoralRx, iodine, peroxide, cipro etc. if you start getting brown jelly infections. In fairness a few of theirs are doing good along with the ones from a TX vendor.

Part of the problem is you are likely getting wild that was chopped up, glued up and sold. Not tank raised or fully acclimated before sale and fresh wild have a poor survival rate IME. A lot of stores just want to turn stuff before it has a chance to die. Unless you reglued it your frag plug looks very fresh.

The following are doing good so not all hope is lost. I completely lost a couple cheapies and a couple $$$
rasta torch
wolverine torch
gold hammer
highlighter yellow hammer
teal hammer
salvaged hellfire torch head
salvaged frogspawn head
small purple tip/orange hammer
small orange tip/purple hammer

I lost all mine in a similar fashion. Did my best but lost all my euphyllia (well at least two hammers are doing okish) from one of my from one of my frogspawn spread BJD to the other ones (cristata torch and a gold hammer).

 

[liamelias]

I had several hammers, a torch and a frog, from a certain CA online vendor, do the same thing and not survive eventually jellying out and not detaching. IME detaching is usually just from too much flow which can also lead to infections. In some cases, I was able to salvage at least one head. I hope you dipped them well and scrubbed the bases good because I caught some Euphyllia eating flatworms on a torch. Read around... there are a variety of treatments using CoralRx, iodine, peroxide, cipro etc. if you start getting brown jelly infections. In fairness a few of theirs are doing good along with the ones from a TX vendor.

Part of the problem is you are likely getting wild that was chopped up, glued up and sold. Not tank raised or fully acclimated before sale and fresh wild have a poor survival rate IME. A lot of stores just want to turn stuff before it has a chance to die. Unless you reglued it your frag plug looks very fresh.

The following are doing good so not all hope is lost. I completely lost a couple cheapies and a couple $$$
rasta torch
wolverine torch
gold hammer
highlighter yellow hammer
teal hammer
salvaged hellfire torch head
salvaged frogspawn head
small purple tip/orange hammer
small orange tip/purple hammer

Thank you for the detailed reply. Lots of really good insight. My LFS definitely has a good reputation and raises all their corals. I actually had been eyeing that torch for about a month before I bought it. I did find it odd the plug was very new but they are always fragging. I’m definitely going to try to dip it. I’m still wondering if my Alkalinity overdose was the downfall tbh.
Sorry to hear about your lossses. That is still a lot of money wasted away. I’m honestly really sad not cause of the money but because I feel like I could’ve done a better job

 

[liamelias]

Help! My Cotton Candy coral started retracting about 2 days ago. Today is even more retracted. I’ve had it for about 2 weeks. It was fully extending before and seemed to be doing fine. All other LPS doing good (torch, hammer, and bubble, as well as zoas)
I did mess up about 3 days ago. I usually keep my alkalinity around 9. That day it had gone down to 8.2 so I dosed Alkalinity at night to 9 and in the morning I couldn't remember if I did so I dosed again and it raised it to 10.5. I’m not sure if this could’ve stressed it out.
My parameters are these:
Calcium 440
Magnesium 1350
Alkalinity 9
Phosphate 0.01
Nitrates 0-1ppm
Salinity 1.06
Temp 78 (monitored with controller)

tank is around 3 months old, currently battling diatoms and brown hair algea.

below are two images from today and one image from Monday when it was doing great (top right)

UPDATE ON THIS. Right head started melting… I made the decision to throw it out

 

[Rugops]

Yeah. It looked bad. I wouldn't have hoped too much for it either.

 

[Salty2021]

Yes they like higher mag levels. Also they don't mind higher nitrats.

 

[Stupidkitty84]

I had several hammers, a torch and a frog, from a certain CA online vendor, do the same thing and not survive eventually jellying out and not detaching.

I know exactly who you are talking about. I've lost a half dozen euphyllia on 2 separate orders from the CA vendor with another word for water and a Cali city in its name due to them arriving with BJD. I'll never buy another euphyllia from them ever again. 3 weeks ago I got torches, hammers and cristatas from Top Shelf and all are doing great.