I’m looking for a trachy coral mentor

[Miami Reef]

If you can keep trachyphyllia corals and are willing to give me advice, can you please post in this thread?

I can keep almost every photosynthetic coral except for trachyphyllia. I always liked trachys, and I used to be able to keep them very well, but in my current tank, I am not having any luck so far.


I need some advice, but I’m looking for people with good experience with trachys.

 

[Miami Reef]

I will post some info about my current setup soon. Give me about an hour or so.

 

[Miami Reef]

Update!!!

The issue was because my “reef safe” fish were picking at them!

I removed the bellus angel, blue tang, and Lamarck angel. The trachys look MUCH better!!

Yes, all those 3 fish were causing issues. I removed one at a time, and the blue tang was the worst offender, but the angels were tied for second place.


I kept lighting and flow the same. The only change were the lack of the fish.

I spaced 2 days apart from removing each of the fish. I caught the bellus first, with a cup, then the blue tang and Lamarck with a fish trap.

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

Update!!!

The issue was because my “reef safe” fish were picking at them!

I removed the bellus angel, blue tang, and Lamarck angel. The trachys look MUCH better!!

Yes, all those 3 fish were causing issues. I removed one at a time, and the blue tang was the worst offender, but the angels were tied for second place.

Are bellus and lamarks normally considered reef safe?

 

[Miami Reef]

Are bellus and lamarks normally considered reef safe?

Yes, but so are blue tangs, but if you google the forums, you will see stories of them ripping zoas and trachyphyllia corals.

Most people surprisingly don’t keep trachyphyllia, and IME, they are the most susceptible to getting eaten.

My bellus, lamarck, and blue tang were reef safe with every other coral/invert.

 

[Miami Reef]

And trachyphyllia is one of my absolute favorite corals ever. I’m not even exaggerating. I think it might even be tied with acropora!

 

[Miami Reef]

Here are a few quick quotes (click on any of the quote’s usernames to get taken to the original thread)

Yep. Hippo tangs will eat fleshy LPS corals. I had one that ripped chunks out of a Trachyphyllia.

Had a purple tang munch on one right when it hit the water and out he went

My trachyphyllia was moved to a frag tank to heal after my clown fish tried to host it. After a few months it look much happier so I reintroduced it to my main tank last night.
It was fine over night looked all puffy and happy this morning then my hippo tang started taking bites out of it!
I grabbed the tracky and moved it back to the frag tank but I'm not sure if it will heal from this, does anyone have any advice?

I'm sure as I watched her do it, there's also several bite holes in the flesh where there is no algae. She went after it like it was seaweed on a clip.

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

And trachyphyllia is one of my absolute favorite corals ever. I’m not even exaggerating. I think it might even be tied with acropora!

Guess you'll be needing a second tank...?

 

[Petcrazyson]

@Lost in the Sauce Brauch needs ya!

 

[Miami Reef]

Guess you'll be needing a second tank...?

Why? I can keep trachyphyllia with acropora.

 

[Miami Reef]

Here are my current trachyphillia.

These used to look like extremely retracted. I tried low lighting, low flow, high feeding etc, but nothing helped them. Removing the fish was a day/night difference.

Here was the before of the coral in the second picture:

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

Why? I can keep trachyphyllia with acropora.

Oh, I thought you'd keep the fish and get a new tank for the coral

 

[Miami Reef]

Oh, I thought you'd keep the fish and get a new tank for the coral

Oh, no.

I already rehomed the bellus. I have a blue tang and the lamarck in a cycled QT tank until I can go to the LFS on the weekend.

 

[Brymac1]

One of the tanks I maintain has a trachy nipping hippo tang. Gonna need to pull him out soon. The one in my personal tank has been completely reef safe (so far). Here are my two trachys.

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

One of the tanks I maintain has a trachy nipping hippo tang. Gonna need to pull him out soon. The one in my personal tank has been completely reef safe (so far). Here are my two trachys.

That first one is amazing!

 

[LPS Bum]

Update!!!

The issue was because my “reef safe” fish were picking at them!

I removed the bellus angel, blue tang, and Lamarck angel. The trachys look MUCH better!!

Yes, all those 3 fish were causing issues. I removed one at a time, and the blue tang was the worst offender, but the angels were tied for second place.


I kept lighting and flow the same. The only change were the lack of the fish.

I spaced 2 days apart from removing each of the fish. I caught the bellus first, with a cup, then the blue tang and Lamarck with a fish trap.

Yep. My large Blue Tang nibbles on my Trachys, Cynarinas and Scolys sometimes. That’ll do it. Glad you figured it out before it was too late.

 

[Lavey29]

Here are my current trachyphillia.

These used to look like extremely retracted. I tried low lighting, low flow, high feeding etc, but nothing helped them. Removing the fish was a day/night difference.

Here was the before of the coral in the second picture:

I have 4 huge trachys in my tank probably 1.5 years now. The one you have scrunched up between the rocks you should move. It's not good for their soft skin to squeeze up against rocks. My biggest one is 9 inches in diameter now and just sits by himself in the back corner of the tank.

 

[Miami Reef]

I have 4 huge trachys in my tank probably 1.5 years now. The one you have scrunched up between the rocks you should move. It's not good for their soft skin to squeeze up against rocks. My biggest one is 9 inches in diameter now and just sits by himself in the back corner of the tank.

Will do! Thank you for the advice!

 

[Tcook]

I have a couple trachys in with my bellus and watanabe for past 2 years and no issues, knock on wood.

 

[Miami Reef]

Here is before getting out the Lamarck angel:

Last Thursday (it looked like this 24/7):

This picture was one day after removing the lamarck (last Friday):

This picture was 2 days after removing the Lamarck angel (Saturday):

@Lavey29

This is the trachyphyllia that I moved away from the rock (per your suggestion):

I thought the reasons my trachyphyllia were dying was because of my parameters and lighting; everything else was doing great, though!

I kept persisting and trying until I got my way! I found the issue and solved it!