torch coral dying

[looneywun]

I recently had all my torch coral die off one by one. I heard there was a bacteria that was killing them off and wondering if it was true. I have other euphyllias in the tank like hammers and frog spawns which are doing great. Only ones dying are the torch corals. Just want to get some input. Thanks

 

[R0L0]

I recently had all my torch coral die off one by one. I heard there was a bacteria that was killing them off and wondering if it was true. I have other euphyllias in the tank like hammers and frog spawns which are doing great. Only ones dying are the torch corals. Just want to get some input. Thanks

Torch corals are different euphyllia than hammer and frog spawns. Both hammer and frog spawns are much more hardier and don't need great water perimeters to keep them with success. Torch corals however are much more pickey on water perimeters aswell as have more pests that can kill them off. What are your water parameters as well as how long does it take for the Torchs to die?

 

[ReefEco]

Torch corals are different euphyllia than hammer and frog spawns. Both hammer and frog spawns are much more hardier and don't need great water perimeters to keep them with success. Torch corals however are much more pickey on water perimeters aswell as have more pests that can kill them off. What are your water parameters as well as how long does it take for the Torchs to die?

True, torches tend to be more sensitive. As ROLO said, a little more information would be helpful. If you haven't already, look up brown jelly disease and see if that matches what you had. If it does spread to the other Euphyllia, successive iodine dips can help - sometimes...

 

[MaxTremors]

Torches and Hammers/Frogspawns are no longer in the same genus. Torches are the only one still in Euphyllia, all the other commonly kept former ‘Euphyllias’ are now in Fimbriaphyllia. Torches in general are just finicky and can sometimes degrade/die without any clear cause.

 

[looneywun]

Torch corals are different euphyllia than hammer and frog spawns. Both hammer and frog spawns are much more hardier and don't need great water perimeters to keep them with success. Torch corals however are much more pickey on water perimeters aswell as have more pests that can kill them off. What are your water parameters as well as how long does it take for th

Torch corals are different euphyllia than hammer and frog spawns. Both hammer and frog spawns are much more hardier and don't need great water perimeters to keep them with success. Torch corals however are much more pickey on water perimeters aswell as have more pests that can kill them off. What are your water parameters as well as how long does it take for the Torchs to die?

I had 3 colonies die with in a month. alk is 8 cal is 450 mag is 1350 no3 is 10 po4 is .02

 

[bruno3047]

I recently had all my torch coral die off one by one. I heard there was a bacteria that was killing them off and wondering if it was true. I have other euphyllias in the tank like hammers and frog spawns which are doing great. Only ones dying are the torch corals. Just want to get some input. Thanks

When was the last time you cleaned your substrate?

 

[looneywun7]

Haven’t cleaned it for months

 

[looneywun7]

When was the last time you cleaned your substrate?

Haven’t cleaned it for months

 

[Jekyl]

Haven’t cleaned it for months

Parameters? This is usually the culprit

 

[looneywun]

Parameters? This is usually the culprit

Not cleaning the sand can have torch die off?
Params are
Alk 8
Cal 450
Mag 1400
No3 10
Po4 .05

 

[bruno3047]

Haven’t cleaned it for months

How many months? Is it more like years?

 

[bruno3047]

Not cleaning the sand can have torch die off?
Params are
Alk 8
Cal 450
Mag 1400
No3 10
Po4 .05

That’s right. All your other corals will look OK except for maybe any SPS you have. But the torches will be the first LPS to go when the water quality starts deteriorating. And it won’t show up in your nitrates or any other levels you can test for. Torches are the first to go. If you want my story, just ask and I’ll post it here.

 

[looneywun7]

How many months? Is it more like years?

It was in October so about 3 to 4 months

 

[looneywun7]

That’s right. All your other corals will look OK except for maybe any SPS you have. But the torches will be the first LPS to go when the water quality starts deteriorating. And it won’t show up in your nitrates or any other levels you can test for. Torches are the first to go. If you want my story, just ask and I’ll post it here.

I would like your story please thanks

 

[looneywun7]

How many months? Is it more like years?

Tank is only a year a half old

 

[EakTheFreak]

I like to clean substrate with each water change but normally only hit the front of my tank

 

[bruno3047]

I would like your story please thanks

This is just a copy and paste of a something I posted here for someone else recently. Just disregard anything that doesn’t pertain to you as far as starting a new tank. But pay close attention to the gravel washing tube. If you have any further questions, I’d be more than happy to answer them and help you out. Good luck.

My tank is up now for about four years. It’s a 125. I was adding corals one or two at a time. I have hammers, torches, acans, gonis, and zoos, And a few fish including a pair of ocellaris, a chalk basslet, a copperband butterfly and a purple firefish. At about the two-year mark, my prize three-headed toxic green torch started to look limp. Then started to lose heads. Over about three months, I lost all three heads, one at a time. Then my two- headed gold torch started to show stress. It also started to look limp. Then one head just dissolved overnight. I had no idea what was going on. All my other corals looked OK. Not great, but not stressed. All my numbers looked perfect. Same as they had always been. I use a doser for my two-part and magnesium and I check my levels every Sunday religiously. Then, almost by accident, I happen to see a video by BRS that was instructing how to keep your gravel clean of algae. One of the methods they indicated was to use a gravel washing tube. So I figured, what the heck, I might as well. I spent 23 bucks on a 36 inch long gravel washing tube from Petco and went to work on my gravel after I put all my corals safely on the side of the tank I wasn’t working on. Best 23 bucks I ever spent. Well my corals, within the following week or so all started to look amazing. That one gold head remaining on my gold torch is still alive and splitting. So that’s my story. The detritus decaying in your gravel will never show up in your nitrate readings or any other test readings. But it’s there. And if you don’t do something about it, it’ll destroy your tank. Google “old tank syndrome“. Rotting detritus in the sand is the cause. Good luck with your new tank. PS. it’s important not to wash the gravel with anything other than tank water, because if you do that, you kill all of the beneficial bacteria. That’s why the gravel washing tube is the ideal accessory to keep your tank alive. Make sure the gravel churns inside the tube as you’re siphoning water and before you release the gravel/sand back into the tank. Guaranteed the water you remove from the tank will stink to high heaven. Again. Good luck.

 

[bruno3047]

I like to clean substrate with each water change but normally only hit the front of my tank

Cleaning just the front of the tank is better than not cleaning at all. I would try to at least hit as much of the back of the tank as you can maybe once a year. I never remove water from the top of the tank during a water change. Seems like a waste. I want to remove the dirtiest water and replace it with new water. The dirtiest water, obviously, is in the sand bed. I do less water changes with better results.

 

[looneywun]

This is just a copy and paste of a something I posted here for someone else recently. Just disregard anything that doesn’t pertain to you as far as starting a new tank. But pay close attention to the gravel washing tube. If you have any further questions, I’d be more than happy to answer them and help you out. Good luck.

My tank is up now for about four years. It’s a 125. I was adding corals one or two at a time. I have hammers, torches, acans, gonis, and zoos, And a few fish including a pair of ocellaris, a chalk basslet, a copperband butterfly and a purple firefish. At about the two-year mark, my prize three-headed toxic green torch started to look limp. Then started to lose heads. Over about three months, I lost all three heads, one at a time. Then my two- headed gold torch started to show stress. It also started to look limp. Then one head just dissolved overnight. I had no idea what was going on. All my other corals looked OK. Not great, but not stressed. All my numbers looked perfect. Same as they had always been. I use a doser for my two-part and magnesium and I check my levels every Sunday religiously. Then, almost by accident, I happen to see a video by BRS that was instructing how to keep your gravel clean of algae. One of the methods they indicated was to use a gravel washing tube. So I figured, what the heck, I might as well. I spent 23 bucks on a 36 inch long gravel washing tube from Petco and went to work on my gravel after I put all my corals safely on the side of the tank I wasn’t working on. Best 23 bucks I ever spent. Well my corals, within the following week or so all started to look amazing. That one gold head remaining on my gold torch is still alive and splitting. So that’s my story. The detritus decaying in your gravel will never show up in your nitrate readings or any other test readings. But it’s there. And if you don’t do something about it, it’ll destroy your tank. Google “old tank syndrome“. Rotting detritus in the sand is the cause. Good luck with your new tank. PS. it’s important not to wash the gravel with anything other than tank water, because if you do that, you kill all of the beneficial bacteria. That’s why the gravel washing tube is the ideal accessory to keep your tank alive. Make sure the gravel churns inside the tube as you’re siphoning water and before you release the gravel/sand back into the tank. Guaranteed the water you remove from the tank will stink to high heaven. Again. Good luck.

I appreciate this I will try it out!