Dendro a goner...?

[CindyKz]

In partial answer to my own question, the large head sure looks like a goner. There are two babies on the sides (one visible in this picture). Both have been extending their tentacles and eating. Think there's any hope for them? I'm not 100% sure what happened to the large head. I changed lighting systems and had a drop in alk from a stable 8.2 ish to 7...not helped by being out of town for 5 days, during which the coral wasn't fed. When I got back the tentacles were retracted and mouth gaping, now this. I assume those 2 factors combined killed it, although it doesn't seem like they should have.

The babies have eaten twice since I returned Monday night though.

TIA,

Cindy

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

I dunno. Maybe the no spot feeding did it but.....

The alk no. I'm pretty sure.

Maybe it's just angle or the focus. But something looks odd in that hole in the mouth.

That's a bummer Cindy.

 

[jimmyzhou]

I have one in my tank also I never feed them. 5 month. Ready health happed. Place him some where water with low flows and when I feed the fish. Mystic shirmp will. Follow some over but never maint feed them

 

[CindyKz]

Thanks @saltyfilmfolks the tissue totally disintegrated today :( It's still in my tank because I didn't want to give up on the babies but I don't have a lot of hope for them either. I am pretty bummed. I'm not sure what happened either, I feel like it should have been able to go 5 days without spot feeding since the tank was still broadcast fed frozen food every day ( my neighbor came and did that for me). So idk.

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

Hey! Look at this.

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/lets-do-some-coral-rescue-shall-we.322218/page-2

 

[timrocks311]

try squirting a little food on it to see if it responds with feeder tentacles. if it does, feed it some more.

 

[CindyKz]

Hey! Look at this.

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/lets-do-some-coral-rescue-shall-we.322218/page-2

I read that thread thank you! The babies are still extending so I think I will run to the LFS and pick up some oyster feast. I tried nutramar and they seemed to like that a little bit...I would be SO dang EXCITED if I could save this coral!!!!!

 

[CindyKz]

@saltyfilmfolks @timrocks311 well the babies took the oyster feast better than they did the nutramar. Both open as we speak. Keeping fingers crossed.

The large head is rapidly the ing I to a bare skeleton though. What happens to the babies then, I wonder?

 

[timrocks311]

The babies should be independent at this point. Hopefully they hang in there.

 

[CindyKz]

The babies should be independent at this point. Hopefully they hang in there.

Independent in that they are eating and metabolize I get. But physically what happens to them when the skeleton they are attached to crumbles away? Or do thwy stay attached to a dead skeleton forever? ?

 

[Reef Nutrition]

@saltyfilmfolks @timrocks311 well the babies took the oyster feast better than they did the nutramar. Both open as we speak. Keeping fingers crossed.

The large head is rapidly the ing I to a bare skeleton though. What happens to the babies then, I wonder?

Happy to hear you are giving our Oyster-Feast a try. I look forward to following this.

Chad

 

[CindyKz]

Happy to hear you are giving our Oyster-Feast a try. I look forward to following this.

Chad

Hi Chad thanks for following! I started target feeding Oyster Feast on Monday. Here's how it looks now. The babies are definetely larger with better extension, not sure if that's clear from the photos. So I would call this positive results, whether due to the OF or some other factor I can't say for sure. But I'll keep using it :)

 

[Macdaddynick1]

In partial answer to my own question, the large head sure looks like a goner. There are two babies on the sides (one visible in this picture). Both have been extending their tentacles and eating. Think there's any hope for them? I'm not 100% sure what happened to the large head. I changed lighting systems and had a drop in alk from a stable 8.2 ish to 7...not helped by being out of town for 5 days, during which the coral wasn't fed. When I got back the tentacles were retracted and mouth gaping, now this. I assume those 2 factors combined killed it, although it doesn't seem like they should have.

The babies have eaten twice since I returned Monday night though.

TIA,

Cindy

Hey Cindy, it's definitely not a goner yet. What had most likely happened is that you overfed your dendro and it got a gut rot. I know it's easy to get excited and feed them a lot daily, because hey will eat all the food you give them, but then they will close up for days and the food starts rotting inside killing the coral. As a rule you shouldn't feed dendros more than once every 2- 3 days with 1 mysis shrimp. They will almost never die like that from being underfed, they will just slowly whither away by receding and shrinking when the food supply is scarce.

Stop feeding it and let it die out.

For now take a break of 4-5 days before feeding the babies, because feeding it will make things worse.

If it dies completely , just keep it in the tank. It might come back like this.

Good luck [emoji256]

 

[CindyKz]

@saltyfilmfolks

@Macdaddynick1

@reefnutrition

Well, I didn't stop feeding it as Macdaddynick1 suggested, mostly because I never saw the post. I wasn't feeding daily before it went south (I am way too lazy for that lol) but I do wonder if the pieces it was getting were too large. It's been getting primarily oyster feast plus whatever it catches when I feed the tank and here's what it looks like today. There are at least 5 babies on there :)

 

[Johnn]

My experience is that dendros should be spot fed 2-3 times a week at least, otherwise they die off pretty quick

 

[Johnn]

Independent in that they are eating and metabolize I get. But physically what happens to them when the skeleton they are attached to crumbles away? Or do thwy stay attached to a dead skeleton forever? ?

Stay attached and produce more babies