Dying Meat Coral?

Rshahnyc · Jul 16, 2025

I just got this beautiful piece from someone with pretty similar parameters in terms of alk etc

It did just get sent on a hot day off an ups truck around 4pm but didn’t sit outside for more than 5 mins.

This is how it looked at first (first two images)

Vs how it looks tonight (>24H later)

Anything I can do to save it? Is it just getting used to my parameters?

It’s on the sand bed in a 4 foot tank lighted by 2 AI Hydra 64s…but I can put it under the ledge in shade?

Maybe protect from flow? Idk.

Bigfishy1 · Jul 16, 2025

Looks like it’s feeding?

ReefWithMe · Jul 16, 2025

Every time I get corals I always keep it in a low flow and low par for a couple of days them slowly move it over 3 days to where it’s doing to be set.
In your case I would out under a ledge and keep an eye on it. I would try and feed it also, give it boost of confidence.
I think it will survive if you baby it for a week

smacrophylia · Jul 16, 2025

Big fluffy LPS like that usually don’t like a lot of flow. If it is getting too much flow it will “deflate” and then once it is deflated to the point where you see the skeleton trying to come thru that flow will just rip the flesh up against the skeleton and it’s all downhill from there. You could even use a plastic strawberry container to cover it for a day or two to really reduce flow and the clear plastic will still let some light thru. Good luck that’s a cool piece

Rshahnyc · Jul 16, 2025

To be clear there’s a green Goni in the bottom left corner barely moves from my full tank shot pic above.

I don’t know that this meat is getting that much flow but I can move it back behind this rock structure and under this ledge.

smacrophylia · Jul 16, 2025

Worth a shot. Also keep an eye out for hungry tank mates I had a coral beauty that loved to nip on my lobo and emerald crabs get curious about almost anything

DHill6 · Jul 16, 2025

If you have a lid on your tank you can try shading it with a piece of cardboard for a day or two. I do this when I order LPS to let them recover from their trip. They adjust to the water, then the light. Works for me.

BryanM · Jul 17, 2025

Ive had luck protecting them from flow when they look stressed.

Rshahnyc · Jul 17, 2025

Today’s update

bradreef · Jul 17, 2025

It's definitely on its way out. You need to change or treat asap.

Rshahnyc · Jul 17, 2025

I slid it back under the ledge and behind a rock. If it looks worse or not improved by tomorrow I'll do some rockscape adjustments to find it another place maybe in the back corner of the tank...

I dont get it though most people have their meat corals in the front in the middle of the tank and what? the water doesn't move down there? The only flow that probably gets there is from a top corner wavemaker or the return but it can't be much.

Kmst80 · Jul 17, 2025

What fish are in the tank? Make sure no fish/invert is bothering it. I had one very small one that I put in my tank next to a much bigger one, next day the small one looked like yours.
I took it out immediately and put it in my breeding tank, next day she puffed up again. I put it down to my dwarf angels loving to nip on the acantho.

Rshahnyc · Jul 17, 2025

Ah ****, I do have a Flame. Not really hanging around it but still not a choice for me

Kmst80 · Jul 17, 2025

Rshahnyc said:
Ah ****, I do have a Flame. Not really hanging around it but still not a choice for me

Can you put it in a container in the tank just to make sure the flame angel doesn't nip on it? Process of elimination. Something like a jar with mesh as lid?

FishyHotel · Jul 17, 2025

I would add that the only time I have seen an acantho that retracted is when it’s getting nipped. I had a flame back angel that went right for mine and it started to look just like the pictures that you posted. I ended up making a cage around it by drilling holes over a deeper bowl to make sure I could still feed mine. It eventually went into another tank and was making a good recovery ( spot feeding liquid food like RedSea AB+ was working very well for me) until somthing else decided to eat it — a pincushion urchin. I guess acanthos are tasty

. Good luck with the recovery.

Kmst80 · Jul 18, 2025

FishyHotel said:
I would add that the only time I have seen an acantho that retracted is when it’s getting nipped. I had a flame back angel that went right for mine and it started to look just like the pictures that you posted. I ended up making a cage around it by drilling holes over a deeper bowl to make sure I could still feed mine. It eventually went into another tank and was making a good recovery ( spot feeding liquid food like RedSea AB+ was working very well for me) until somthing else decided to eat it — a pincushion urchin. I guess acanthos are tasty . Good luck with the recovery.

Bloody urchins...gotta be a love hate relationship. I got a diadem urchin that loves corals....took me ages to work that out. She's in my banggai breeding tank now, perfect scenario.

FishyHotel · Jul 18, 2025

Kmst80 said:
Bloody urchins...gotta be a love hate relationship. I got a diadem urchin that loves corals....took me ages to work that out. She's in my banggai breeding tank now, perfect scenario.

Yeah, the urchin is now officially lives in the bad boy tank with my clown and blue knuckle hermit crab. I was trying some macro in there too, but the urchin ate all of that too.

I only discovered it was the urchin after it got a trachy and an acantho. I had one more acantho in the tank and after the slow decline of both those other guys my super healthy acantho started getting bite marks on it so it got swapped back to the other tank. Sadly my angel fish had died by getting stuck in a rock, but that did make it safe for the acantho again.

How is the current acantho doing this morning?

Rshahnyc · Jul 18, 2025

This morning I looked without the lights on, it looks fleshier but idk if that's just what it looks like without lights off. I'll get a sense once lights come on. If it still looks like it's getting beat up I'll move it to my work tank. I didn't really want expensive pieces in the work tank because the maintainance situation is different and I don't have an ATO nor as robust of a filtration system, just manual water changes/top off. It was supposed to be just Zoas and an orange setosa + space invader as they are hardy.

I guess we will seeeeeeeee