Plate coral losing tissue

CindyKz · Jun 25, 2017

Hi all,

Recently a had a minor alk swing (8.5 - 10 over the course of several days) then back down. Around that time I noticed this plate coral was losing tissue around some of the edges. Nothing else changed around that time and no other corals were affected. The tissue loss progressed so I moved it out of the flow to a lower flow spot. It continued to deteriorate. Someone suggested to me that less light might help so I moved it to a shaded spot - the spot I put it in when I first bought it. The tissue loss seems to have slowed - maybe stopped, it is hard to tell. It is hard to see in this picture but the tissue loss covers probably nearly 20% of the coral.

I don't know if this is related, but in the week or so prior to this I noticed it inflating hugely, for no reason that I could ascertain. It did that 2-3 times.

In the meantime, it seems to have persistent detritus accumulated in the mouth area that I can't blow away with a turkey baster, nor can I blow away all of the sand stuck on the areas where the tissue is gone. I haven't tried all that hard because I'm not even sure if I should. I tried feeding it 2 nights ago, hard to say if it ate.

Thoughts?

masssnapz · Jun 25, 2017

The problem is the sand. Every plate that I've had that got sand on it has rtn'd so fast I couldn't save it. I now keep all my plates off the sand bed. Don't toss it tho plates are known to grow babies from their dead skeletons in a last ditch effort to survive.

A Toadstool Leather · Jun 25, 2017

I think something was irritating it before. Try to get the detritus off. Buildup tends to be bad for the coral.

CindyKz · Jun 25, 2017

masssnapz said:
The problem is the sand. Every plate that I've had that got sand on it has rtn'd so fast I couldn't save it. I now keep all my plates off the sand bed. Don't toss it tho plates are known to grow babies from their dead skeletons in a last ditch effort to survive.

What do you put them on? Flat rock?

Vincent100 · Jun 25, 2017

Had one die on me before and was told they like a stable alk ....true or not I don't know but that's what I was told

cmcoker · Jun 25, 2017

Inflating could have been it trying to move itself. Definitely don't toss it, and you'd be surprised the shape mine had been in and recovered. Give it some timd

CindyKz · Jun 25, 2017

Blew off as much detritus as I could and got it out of the sand. Boy does it look awful. Fingers crossed.

ETA: sorry for the sideways pic.

AcroNem · Jun 25, 2017

Unfortunately this looks like it will lose all of its tissue. But as has already been said make sure you keep the skeleton, it's hit or miss whether it will or not but it could produce offspring from it.