Help with Torch Coral

[BitFix]

I got this torch coral about a month ago and since them it hasn't looked very good. The tentacles seem very short (although it also looked like that in the store, maybe its a short tentacle variety?). It is growing a new head, so it doesn't seem to be dying and the polyps are out, but I can also see the skeleton. My tank is about 8 months old.

Besides good water quality is there anything else I can do to help it? Maybe lower/higher light or flow? Right now it's in a low light and low-medium flow area.

Parameters:
Alk: 8dkh
Mag: 1350 ppm
Cal: 460 ppm
Nitrates: 0 ppm (Due to hair algae outbreak, I'm dealing with right now)
Phosphates: 0 ppm (Due to hair algae outbreak, I'm dealing with right now)
pH: 8.2
Salinity: 1.025
Ammonia/Nitrites: 0 ppm

Some photos:

 

[AcroNem]

First thing I'd do is get that algae off from around it, it could be irritated constantly by it.

 

[Webslinger]

Get it away from your hair algae. Hair algae will win the battle.

 

[NowGlazeIT]

How are you achieving stability

 

[jeffchapok]

Are you sure that's a torch and not frogspawn? If it's frogspawn, it looks fine.

 

[BitFix]

First thing I'd do is get that algae off from around it, it could be irritated constantly by it.

Even before the algae it didn't look very happy, but I will try to remove as much as I can form the skeleton itself.

 

[BitFix]

Are you sure that's a torch and not frogspawn? If it's frogspawn, it looks fine.

It's definitely a torch, in the photos the tentacles seem to be merging, but they have only a single tip each.

 

[Webslinger]

hammer?

 

[BitFix]

hammer?

Maybe, the tips are rounded, which is pointing toward torch but I've also seen some hamers with roudish tips.

 

[BobbyCline]

That looks like a lot of algae you have there. Lots of algae is often and indicator of high nitrates and/or phosphates. If either of these are high, torches don’t do well in my opinion.

 

[BitFix]

That looks like a lot of algae you have there. Lots of algae is often and indicator of high nitrates and/or phosphates. If either of these are high, torches don’t do well in my opinion.

I'm dealing with the algae at the moment. Most of it came as the result of me travelling. Some of my chaeto died and released nutrientes back into the tank and my cardinal bangai died, which caused a lot of algae. Believe it or not it's much better than it was when I arrived.

I'm using GFO and trying to get the chaeto back to absorb nutrients.

 

[BobbyCline]

I'm dealing with the algae at the moment. Most of it came as the result of me travelling. Some of my chaeto died and released nutrientes back into the tank and my cardinal bangai died, which caused a lot of algae. Believe it or not it's much better than it was when I arrived.

I'm using GFO and trying to get the chaeto back to absorb nutrients.

Sorry...I didn’t see you posted 0 nitrates and 0 phosphates. Torch health may also decline in the complete absence of these as well. So at some point these numbers were probably very high. Now they are 0. You’ve gone from nutrient excess to nothing at all. Both are probably extremes that don’t favor torch coral health. If this change was sudden, that may also create further shock.

Although, I‘d be pretty surprised if your nitrate and phosphate are both absolute 0. This is pretty hard to achieve. It’s also not really desirable unless you have a tank full of SPS. I think even SPS people say they like to see very minimal amounts of nitrates and phosphates.

 

[BitFix]

Sorry...I didn’t see you posted 0 nitrates and 0 phosphates. Torch health may also decline in the complete absence of these as well. So at some point these numbers were probably very high. Now they are 0. You’ve gone from nutrient excess to nothing at all. Both are probably extremes that don’t favor torch coral health. If this change was sudden, that may also create further shock.

Although, I‘d be pretty surprised if your nitrate and phosphate are both absolute 0. This is pretty hard to achieve. It’s also not really desirable unless you have a tank full of SPS. I think even SPS people say they like to see very minimal amounts of nitrates and phosphates.

I want my nitrates to sit around 5-10ppm and my phosphates at 0.03. The algae is absorbing the nutrients right now, giving a false reading. I got the torch after the algae outbreak, the only reason being that's the only frag of euphyllia I ever found around me, so I didn't want to lose the chance to get one.