Losing 2nd Torch in 3 Months!

[puckstopshere]

I need help. I bought another torch after losing my last one. After seeming doing great it stopped expanding yesterday and today it seems to have completely cratered in the middle. It had a mouth over the weekend and now all I see is inner skeleton surrounded by polyps along the rim. What could cause this? All of my other corals are seemingly doing great. I even had a tech from my LFS over a couple of months ago when I lost another torch and he did tests and checked flow, we raised my lights a bit but he thought the tank is in great shape.

What can I do? I assume it’s not possible to help this poor thing anymore, but I love having a torch front and center and I just don’t understand what is going on. Unlike last time, this time there are clearly damaged polyps, so I wonder if there’s something doing physical damage overnight that I’m not seeing.

Livestock:
2 Clownfish
1 Royal Gramma
1 Skunk cleaner shrimp
1 Emerald Crab
Hermit crabs
Snails

Parameters:
14 Gallon IM Nuvo Peninsula
Salinity: 35ppt (Refractomer)
Alk: 8.6dkh
Nitrate: 5
Phosphate: 0.06
Calcium: 399
Temp: 78

Dosing 2ml of AFR/day to keep parameters stable.

Thanks!

 

[puckstopshere]

This is what I woke up this morning…

 

[Reef Puncher]

This is what I woke up this morning…

Torches are very susceptible to bacterial infection. I find torches to be the hardest to keep coral of all corals.

 

[bubbgee]

I’ve been in your shoes, my anecdotal experience just looking at it is flow in your tank. Too much, it’ll retract and BJD. Too little, same thing. How much flow do you have and in what direction?

 

[scowall]

Mine are doing the same thing. I started on Thursday doing the KFC dip, and it seems they are looking better. Mine was caused by brown jelly disease. Once it starts on one, all become affected. It's a horrible disease.

 

[Joe462]

where did you get the torch and how long ago? and is this a similar senario to your last torch that died?

 

[Lavey29]

Torches can be difficult in a tank less then a year old because it is still developing biodiversity and microfauna and not yet stable. My torches sit in 200 to 250 par with low moderate flow. Have you done an ICP test to check everything?

 

[exnisstech]

I find torches to be the hardest to keep coral of all corals.

Same. After 9 years in the hobby with multiple tanks I've still yet to keep a torch alive.