Receding lobophyllia

[jakeb]

Hi

I would appreciate any help with one of my lobos. It has been receding for a couple of months, and I can't work out how to help it.

At first I thought it might have been one of my emerald crabs, but I've never caught them in the act. I've also dipped it in NT Labs coral dip, and have never seen any pests on it. It never puts in feeder tentacles out, so trying to feed hasn't helped.

My other corals (another lobo, hammer, acans, war coral, favites, zoas) all seem fine. I feed them once a week with Reef Roids. The other lobo is fairly close, so has similar light and flow (I've never seen them trying to attack each other).

My tank has been running for nearly 6 months. It is a Waterbox 90.3 (230 litre/60 gallon display) with two Kessil A160s that run for 6:30 hours a day, going from 15% to 55% intensity.

Here are my last months of tests (I changed salt mixes at this point to increase my calcium and alkalinity):

Here is a close up of the coral (when I was dipping it)



And here is a full tank photo (I can take another when the lights are less blue if that helps).

 

[kilnakorr]

Are you feeding it directly or broadcasting the roids?

 

[jakeb]

Are you feeding it directly or broadcasting the roids?

Directly with a syringe (to their feeder tentacles), and 'around' the receding lobo, hoping it will realise and extend it's feeder tentacles.

 

[kilnakorr]

Directly with a syringe (to their feeder tentacles), and 'around' the receding lobo, hoping it will realise and extend it's feeder tentacles.

I got a lobo in poor condition recently and it took a week or so before I saw any feeding respons. It seemed to eat a small portion of a thick slurry of roids, before I saw any feeder tentacles.

 

[jakeb]

I got a lobo in poor condition recently and it took a week or so before I saw any feeding respons. It seemed to eat a small portion of a thick slurry of roids, before I saw any feeder tentacles.

How many times a week was you feeding it? I am unsure if once per week is enough for it to respond.

 

[kilnakorr]

How many times a week was you feeding it? I am unsure if once per week is enough for it to respond.

Roughly twice a week.

 

[jakeb]

Roughly twice a week.

I'll try to feed it twice a week from now on.

 

[Shirak]

Mine like meatier food like lps pellets, chopped mysis etc. Something that isn't so dust like. I feed several times a week after lights out for an hour or so the feeders are usually out.

 

[NeonRabbit221B]

I find that my CUC and fish will pull the food from it. Try placing a weight cup/cover over the lobo during feeding time.

 

[MySonWantedAHamster]

Mine like meatier food like lps pellets, chopped mysis etc. Something that isn't so dust like. I feed several times a week after lights out for an hour or so the feeders are usually out.

I would agree with Shirak. Mine was looking pretty rough, receding, etc. after having it for a couple months. I started to feed mashed up LRS Reef Frenzy with a syringe directly into it's mouth(s) a couple times a week. It has recovered and plumped up nicely since then.

 

[najer]

I would try a bit more light so up a bit but no more flow if possible, mine loves light.

 

[jakeb]

Mine like meatier food like lps pellets, chopped mysis etc. Something that isn't so dust like. I feed several times a week after lights out for an hour or so the feeders are usually out.

I'll have a look at my LFS next time I'm there, thanks for the tip.

I find that my CUC and fish will pull the food from it. Try placing a weight cup/cover over the lobo during feeding time.

It's a fairly new tank, so the only fish I have is an orange spotted goby. I do have hermits, emerald crabs and (allegedly) peppermint shrimp in my tank and I've never seen any of them touch the lobo. I will try covering it when feeding it.

 

[jakeb]

The lobo looks like it is starting to recover now. I moved to feeding it twice a week, and syringing the food directly in its mouth. Unfortunately feeding reef roids twice a week has pushed my phosphates up (0.18 to 0.41 in a week), so I'm going to look at some other coral foods.

I'd prefer to use the same food for all my corals, does anyone have any suggestions?


(my goby kindly dropped some sand on it, it wasn't on there for long)

 

[kilnakorr]

The lobo looks like it is starting to recover now. I moved to feeding it twice a week, and syringing the food directly in its mouth. Unfortunately feeding reef roids twice a week has pushed my phosphates up (0.18 to 0.41 in a week), so I'm going to look at some other coral foods.

I'd prefer to use the same food for all my corals, does anyone have any suggestions?


(my goby kindly dropped some sand on it, it wasn't on there for long)

Looks ok.
Frozen meaty foods like mysis or maybe some lps pellets?

 

[jakeb]

Looks ok.
Frozen meaty foods like mysis or maybe some lps pellets?

Yeah, it's looking better but still not at its best. I'm guessing that if LPS pellets are good for lobos, they are fine for acans as well?

 

[Shirak]

Yeah, it's looking better but still not at its best. I'm guessing that if LPS pellets are good for lobos, they are fine for acans as well?

Yes. I use several different brands because some are much smaller size. I use Easy Reefs Easy LPS pellets the most. They are a good size for most LPS that have a medium to large mouth. I feed them to hammers, frogspawn, torches, acans, lobos, trachy, scoly, cynarina, blastos etc etc Good for some mushrooms like rhodactis that eat larger particles.

 

[jakeb]

Yes. I use several different brands because some are much smaller size. I use Easy Reefs Easy LPS pellets the most. They are a good size for most LPS that have a medium to large mouth. I feed them to hammers, frogspawn, torches, acans, lobos, trachy, scoly, cynarina, blastos etc etc Good for some mushrooms like rhodactis that eat larger particles.

Great, I'll give those a go. Hopefully my LFS sells it, otherwise I'll order it online.

 

[MaxTremors]

The lobo looks like it is starting to recover now. I moved to feeding it twice a week, and syringing the food directly in its mouth. Unfortunately feeding reef roids twice a week has pushed my phosphates up (0.18 to 0.41 in a week), so I'm going to look at some other coral foods.

I'd prefer to use the same food for all my corals, does anyone have any suggestions?


(my goby kindly dropped some sand on it, it wasn't on there for long)

I only feed my LPS and anemones, they get either frozen plankton (large), mysis, or brine depending on their size, everything else gets fish poop, the liquid from frozen food, bacteria from carbon dosing, etc. I feed my corals/anemones twice a week and feed my fish once or twice a day (flakes and some frozen), and I have a hard time getting my phosphates above 0.02. I’ve actually contemplated using reef roofs to get my phosphates up a little, but if your phosphates are already high or at a good level, I wouldn’t feed reef roids.

 

[jakeb]

I only feed my LPS and anemones, they get either frozen plankton (large), mysis, or brine depending on their size, everything else gets fish poop, the liquid from frozen food, bacteria from carbon dosing, etc. I feed my corals/anemones twice a week and feed my fish once or twice a day (flakes and some frozen), and I have a hard time getting my phosphates above 0.02. I’ve actually contemplated using reef roofs to get my phosphates up a little, but if your phosphates are already high or at a good level, I wouldn’t feed reef roids.

You have reminded me that I have some frozen brine shrimp, so I might give a go before I buy pellets (I occasionally use it for the fresh water fish). I'm away from home for a week, so won't be buying anything online until I get back.

It's a relatively new tank, so I only have a watchman goby and an orange spot goby, so I doubt there is enough fish food/poo for my corals. This seems to be confirmed by how much the lobo has recovered since I started feeding it in the way suggested in this thread.

I'm also holding off from any additional forms of nutrient export whilst my tank matures, so mine are not benefitting from bacteria from carbon dosing.

 

[Ferrell]

Excellent question and answers, my 2 year old lobo started doing same last week (Right side). Haven’t seen feeding tentacles in that long either, day or night. I’ll up the feeding after lights out to twice a week when fish are hiding. My fish eat LRS Fish Frenzy, cube of BRS brine cube, squirt of Selcon and Nyos Artemis plankton mix.

That should do the trick