Euphyllia Questions

[Javierati]

Need some advice on Euphyllia Corals.
Let me start by describing the tank and its water chemistry. The tank is a 450Gal relatively new system at 5 month old.
I have a specific rock scape that I started planting euphyllia (see photo). Each layer has a specific euphyllia species (frogspawn, hammers and torches). They have been looking good, with nice polyp extension overall and good tissue covering the stem.
This week we added a large, two headed torch (Miami Hurricane) and one day after installing one of the heads showed tissue receding and visible calcium skeleton. At first it was like a mm of bone exposed. The day after it was about 1/3 of the circumference exposed. The third day (today) it looks completely dead with a few tiny tentacles remaining. It suffered a bit during installation and our theory is that this caused the initial damage and subsequently got infected and died.

any thoughts on this first issue?

second issue is that I’ve been noticing some frogspawn tentacles are short and darker. And some others are not opening at all. Short polyps throughout.
Pictures :
Euphyllia rock scape

 

[Goaway]

The torch is the 3rd photo is dead due to brown jelly disease. It is extremely contagious and can kill the rest of your corals. I am not sure what to tell you, other than to remove and cut off the infected torches head.

 

[Shirak]

Both torches the Rasta and the Miami Hurricane have Brown Jelly Disease. It could be spreading to the hammers and frogspawn.

Newly imported torches and other Euphyllia for that matter are notorious for looking good for a few days and then they just go all brown mush. Mostly likely from all the stresses of importing and damage they take getting handled and bounced around in a bag in a box. They are on their way out but just don't know it yet and it takes a few days once in your tank to show.

I quarantine newly acquired Euphyllia in my frag tank for a couple weeks to make sure they clean and healthy and don't have BJD lurking. Before going into my frag tank they are dipped in the usual stuff.. Bayer/CoralRx/Flatworm Exit AND a Cipro bath! I watch them very closely for any signs of rapid tissue recession around the outside and rim of the skeleton which is usually a good indication of BJD.

oh.. also.. A 5month old tank and Euphyllia is pushing it imo. These are not easy to care for corals

 

[terraincognita]

Yeah bringing in one with a bacterial infection can rapidly spread it to the rest.

Super healthy ones can normally survive it.

Always best to QT Euphs especially if you have a euph specific tank.

Sorry for the losses so far.

Cut the dying heads off, and hope for the best of the rest.

 

[vetteguy53081]

For frogspawn, these coral are photosynthetic and therefore respond to UV strength and increase/reduction in lighting. One of the more important requirements for frogspawn is Placement. It is an overlooked element that contributes to the overall acclimation and sustainability of your frogspawn. Some hobbyists simply choose to, Put it where is looks best but to reduce the amount of strain on your specimen, you should ideally place it in an area of your tank similar to the area in which you found it when you purchased it or where there is moderate light.
Another consideration to account for during the placement of your coral is the amount of light it will be receiving. This decision should never be random; should never be haphazard. Although capable of doing quite well in a relatively large range of lighting levels, ideally, your Frogspawn Corals do best when provided a moderate amount of lighting, with many hobbyists finding success with an added bit, or partial, shading. Euphyllia (theyre a member of this group) do not enjoy direct high lighting. Keep in mind that the amount of lighting and the degree of water flow work hand-in-hand in sustaining healthy coral life and growth. Although technically capable of survival, Frogspawn DO NOT appreciate high or even moderately high flow. They will open much bigger in gentle flow, and will be able to grow into those beautiful serene tendrils that you see swaying within your habitat. (see my pic below- this was a size of a quarter a year ago and now 6"x4")
I cannot overemphasize the incredible importance of both lighting as well as placement. Never, ever haphazardly place your corals, select your lighting, or randomly pair different specimens or species within a tank, and just hope for the best. Remember, like any coral, Frogspawn Coral requires a very specific amount of lighting, and in this case, it’s not a whole lot. Unlike many other corals, Frogspawn Corals don’t require a whole lot of lighting. They are also 100 PAR, but even levels as low as 50 PAR will work well for this beautiful species.
o ensure successful acclimation, growth, and just overall, general health, your Frogspawn Corals prefer a moderate to strong water flow within your habitat. Interestingly enough, you can control the growth .If you want to look for a more contract compacted look, a higher flow will help you to achieve that. If you want a more extended, sway appearance from your Frogspawn, a low to moderate flow. Aesthetically, what originally drew hobbyists to this coral was its ability to serenely sway in the currents.
Frogspawn are not the most aggressive eaters. Broadcast feeding is typically the easiest, most effective approach. Additionally, if there is too great a flow, or if there are fish in your habitat that are aggressively harassing them, they’re just not going to eat. Even if they are able to successfully get the food into their mouths, they often quickly spit it back out--quick enough where they may not even be digesting any of the food. By trying to directly feed, you are much more likely to develop an algae problem from uneaten food accumulating in your tank than you are to find success in direct feeding.
Follow these simple steps and let it take its' course. Theyre easy enough to meet the care needed and yes, they do shrink in the evening. One test- Increase your lighting a little once they shrink, and within the hour, you will see them puff up again.
With the torch, not sure if you have any but If you have leather corals, this may be part of the issue. Many leather coral species produce and release toxic chemicals, called terpenes, into the water to protect themselves and to stunt the growth of other species. One of the biggest problems I have seen beginner hobbyists have is failing to account for the calcium demand for these corals. If there is insufficient calcium in your aquarium water, these corals will not be able to make their coral skeleton. You should also never lift a torch coral out of the water if you can avoid it. You could tear the polyps, and torn polyps are prone to infection followed by necrosis
Torch require typical parameters including a temperature around 78 degrees, a specific gravity of about 1.025, ph of about 8.2, and a calcium level of about 400 ppm. Like most large polyp stony corals, a torch coral benefits from moderate water flow. The polyps will remain retracted and under-inflated if the water current is too fast because the large flowing polyps are prone to rip and tear in high or ultra-high current environments.
The torch coral is a photosynthetic coral, meaning it has a relationship with symbiotic zooxanthellae (single-cell photosynthetic organisms) that live inside its tissues that converts the light energy into sugar. In exchange for a home inside the coral, the zooxanthellae split their harvest and feed the coral. Therefore, it is possible to keep the Torch coral without any feeding at all. However, all corals are animals, and animals are meant to eat.
The best placement for a torch coral is in a location that gets moderate water flow and moderate-intensity lighting. Torches are aggressive corals that protect themselves by wielding their sweeper tentacles maliciously. Sweeper tentacles are specialized tentacles that extend much larger than the typical tentacles and are equipped with stinging cells. Torches will send out these long tendrils to zap anything nearby within reach.