Galaxea creating mucus strings?

[Barb0713]

This kind of reply is exactly why I don't like trying to help people on the forums some times. A copepod population explosion big enough to visually cloud the water, if that were really a thing, would be the result of something. That something being excess of nutrients in the water. It is not a common thing. A bacterial bloom or an algae bloom are both more common.
You can give that dead skeleton as much time as you need but it is dead as it gets. If you just keep saying your water parameters are "fine" then we can just assume you are not actually testing anything. If you want help, take the advice you are given, quote actual numbers and tell us what kits you are using to test. Galaxea is a very hardy coral. They usually kill other corals and are quite hard to kill themselves. No one is unlucky keeping any coral. There is no such thing as luck in coral reef keeping just knowledge and applying that knowledge consistently paired with proper husbandry practices. The things to always look at when troubleshooting issues are Water, Light, Flow.

 

[Barb0713]

Hi , I also have a galaxia. I just posted about. Mine is not dead. It looked beautiful for 2 days since I got it. Even putting out long sweepers for a tiny frag. I tried to post video on my post :/ no luck I don’t think. Mine is very much alive . But 2 Polyps in the center are mucus looking now with a little stringy stuff not much the rest of it looks great ? Too much flow ? It is in a 20 g tall with only 30 % each on 2 eflex 66 gph powerheads on pulse. I turned it down to 20 % each cuz it looks like it’s tearing it up. Thanks , I will take the advice well lol this pic was the second day. The 2 center ones then put out almost an inch long sweeper. Wish I could post it. It’s on my fb , that is public. Woodham barb…. Anyway hope is not dying gna try to post a pic of how it looks now

 

[Fishology]

The tank started in June. I let it cycle through June and July. I now have a tank full of copepods and amphipods, I have an emerald crab and I have snails as well as other hitchhikers from the live rock. All seem to be fine. Also have a gsp. And a peppermint shrimp. When I say parameters are fine I mean pretty standard stuff SG between 1.24-1.26 ammonia 0 or near 0, nitrite 0 nitrate like .5 or something not 0 but close. Calcium at 420, ph 8.3 etc. As I said I will test again later today. I just got the the coral the other day.

What about alkaline, phosphates,magnisum you need to test all of this if not your tank will die

 

[Fishology]

Hi , I also have a galaxia. I just posted about. Mine is not dead. It looked beautiful for 2 days since I got it. Even putting out long sweepers for a tiny frag. I tried to post video on my post :/ no luck I don’t think. Mine is very much alive . But 2 Polyps in the center are mucus looking now with a little stringy stuff not much the rest of it looks great ? Too much flow ? It is in a 20 g tall with only 30 % each on 2 eflex 66 gph powerheads on pulse. I turned it down to 20 % each cuz it looks like it’s tearing it up. Thanks , I will take the advice well lol this pic was the second day. The 2 center ones then put out almost an inch long sweeper. Wish I could post it. It’s on my fb , that is public. Woodham barb…. Anyway hope is not dying gna try to post a pic of how it looks now

This is not how it should look it should be more open almost twice as open, if not taken care of correctly a corla especially one that relies Heavly on your trace elements like calcium, alkaline, phosphates, nitrite, will start to close up, have white mucus come out and shrivel out and die. Test all your elements, if you don’t have a Element test kit but one. Cuase the way things are looking this coral will also die that the one before

 

[Barb0713]

This is not how it should look it should be more open almost twice as open, if not taken care of correctly a corla especially one that relies Heavly on your trace elements like calcium, alkaline, phosphates, nitrite, will start to close up, have white mucus come out and shrivel out and die. Test all your elements, if you don’t have an Element test kit but one. Cuase the way things are looking this coral will also die that the one before

I test often almost daily. Keeping a stead
Ammonia 0
Nitrate 5 to 10
Phosphates .10
Alk 8
Mag 1410
pH 8.2
Calcium 449

those were my last readings

 

[Fishology]

I test often almost daily. Keeping a stead
Ammonia 0
Nitrate 5 to 10
Phosphates .10
Alk 8
Mag 1410
pH 8.2
Calcium 449

those were my last readings

When did you read this

 

[Barb0713]

AI test often almost daily. Keeping a stead
Ammonia 0
Nitrate 5 to 10
Phosphates .10
Alk 8
Mag 1410
pH 8.2
Calcium 449

those were my last readings

 

[Barb0713]

plus I do weekly water changes. Sooner depending on my tests ?

 

[Fishology]

I test often almost daily. Keeping a stead
Ammonia 0
Nitrate 5 to 10
Phosphates .10
Alk 8
Mag 1410
pH 8.2
Calcium 449

those were my last readings

Alk should be higher around 10-11 this is we’re I have it, do you have a lot of algae in the tank? In the back of the tank on the walls, on the sand. You could be losing some trace elements form algae. How bright is your light and what type it’s it y be dying cuase it’s to low or the coral is to far down.

 

[Barb0713]

When did you read this

The night before last and did a small water change that night. Will test again this morning. I’m using a Hanna for cal. A reg dropper mag tester kit. API for the rest. I know it’s ain’t good but it’s consistent. I use a refractometer for salinity. 0.025

 

[Fishology]

plus I do weekly water changes. Sooner depending on my tests ?

I try not to do weekly water changes I have seen it messes with my elements they start to go up and down when I do every week. Try doing every too weeks for what it seems you may be removing some elements by doing water changes.

 

[Barb0713]

Alk should be higher around 10-11 this is we’re I have it, do you have a lot of algae in the tank? In the back of the tank on the walls, on the sand. You could be losing some trace elements from algae. How bright is your light and what type it’s it y be dying cuase it’s to low or the coral is to far down.

No bad algae. I have coralline I have a current USA orbit IC but it sits right on the tank so my first attempt bleached out. Now I’m running my blue only on 60 % the rest of my frag are good. I could move it up. It’s in the bottom , in the middle of the tank but it liked it for a couple days. Do you think I should turn the lights up more?

 

[Barb0713]

No bad algae. I have coralline I have a current USA orbit IC but it sits right on the tank so my first attempt bleached out. Now I’m running my blue only on 60 % the rest of my frag are good. I could move it up. It’s in the bottom , in the middle of the tank but it liked it for a couple days. Do you think I should turn the lights up more?

How would I raise my alk ? I have seachem reef builder but haven’t used it. I’m scared to should I dose with that ?

 

[Fishology]

No bad algae. I have coralline I have a current USA orbit IC but it sits right on the tank so my first attempt bleached out. Now I’m running my blue only on 60 % the rest of my frag are good. I could move it up. It’s in the bottom , in the middle of the tank but it liked it for a couple days. Do you think I should turn the lights up more?

Try moving it up by like 3inches or so and putting your light to 63 then slowly move it up every 2-3 days till it’s starts to open more. I did this and my zoas opened my forgspawn was tiny and I lowered my
Light and this brot it back up and it’s jw twice the size, than it was before.

 

[Fishology]

How would I raise my alk ? I have seachem reef builder but haven’t used it. I’m scared to should I dose with that ?

First read the instruction it see how many mm per gallon. I also use reef builder supplements this one is amazing it runs out fairly quick but if you use it only when. Needed it should last 3-4 months I can send a link to it.

 

[Fishology]

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[Alexopora]

I keep mine on the sandbed cause thats were the best flow for galaxeas are at. You wanna see the tentacles bounce or sway back and forth. I do notice that my galaxeas detest high flow and high lighting. Honestly, if you have kept torches/hammers/frogspawn you’ll know what a Galaxea likes. They’re similar (since they are related to Torches especially) but personally much easier to keep. They tend to shrivel up due two things besides poor water chemistry

1. Way too much flow, especially if its not chaotic/turbulent and is only hitting them from one side. You really gotta play around with your powerhead, there’s no easy way to get it right. They’ll retract very much like yours.

2. Way too much lighting or too little. Too much, they’ll shrivel and worst case bleach. Too little, they’ll brown out and you can’t see their fluorescences. By right bottom to medium placement in your rockwork should work fine.

Regarding, the mucus. This is news to me as in my experience with galaxeas even growing a colony from a single polyp (first picture) I have never seen my shed mucus.

 

[Fishology]

I keep mine on the sandbed cause thats were the best flow for galaxeas are at. You wanna see the tentacles bounce or sway back and forth. I do notice that my galaxeas detest high flow and high lighting. Honestly, if you have kept torches/hammers/frogspawn you’ll know what a Galaxea likes. They’re similar (since they are related to Torches especially) but personally much easier to keep. They tend to shrivel up due two things besides poor water chemistry

1. Way too much flow, especially if its not chaotic/turbulent and is only hitting them from one side. You really gotta play around with your powerhead, there’s no easy way to get it right. They’ll retract very much like yours.

2. Way too much lighting or too little. Too much, they’ll shrivel and worst case bleach. Too little, they’ll brown out and you can’t see their fluorescences. By right bottom to medium placement in your rockwork should work fine.

Regarding, the mucus. This is news to me as in my experience with galaxeas even growing a colony from a single polyp (first picture) I have never seen my shed mucus.

This is what I mean I believe it’s a sight of stress as my forgspawn has done this. I tend to keep my forgspawn hammers, right before you get to the middle of the tank, my frogspawn like bright light but no flow as it’s shrivels in seconds. That why I told him to move it a little every couple days to a week till the coral finds a spot it likes and really opens up