Torch not fully extending - help please

[Clarinuto]

Hey all. A month and a half or so ago I lost one of my hammers due to temperature fluctuation. (Heater died and temp became very low). Over the next few weeks I lost 2 additional euphyllia, both frogspawn. I attributed both to temp fluctuation and me trying to move them too often in an effort to help. After the temp issue was fixed, I added a torch coral. It was doing great until the last 5 days where it has begun to shrink. This is similar to the behavior I saw in the frogspawns before they died. I did make lighting changes (increased photo period), but that is all I can think of. Other euphyllia in the tank looks great but I am afraid that something is happening and they will soon be suffering as well. I also really do not want to lose this torch. What should I do?

75 g, tank set up in March.
1.025 salinity
Ph 8.3
Nitrate 25 (it is high and has been high for a while... I’ve been working on this issue through by doing water changes... it may be lower today. I haven’t tested since early this week)
Phosphate .05
Alk 11.3
Calc 450
Magnesium I’m not sure - salifert test NEVER registers an actual result. According to the test I am 1500 plus because the test sample never changes color

Thanks for your help. Really don’t want to lose this one as well.

 

[DeniseAndy]

Did you notice any brown jelly on any of the corals? This is bacterial in nature and will require some treatment. Torches I have found to be more sensitive than hammers or frogspawn. Best thing for them is proper parameters that are very stable, good flow (not direct) and decent lighting. What other Euphyllia do you have? Pictures would help also. Could be settling in, but pics help a lot. Not just of torch, but whole tank or area it is in at least. Some of the strangest things can effect these.

What fish do you have? What other critters?

 

[Clarinuto]

Did you notice any brown jelly on any of the corals? This is bacterial in nature and will require some treatment. Torches I have found to be more sensitive than hammers or frogspawn. Best thing for them is proper parameters that are very stable, good flow (not direct) and decent lighting. What other Euphyllia do you have? Pictures would help also. Could be settling in, but pics help a lot. Not just of torch, but whole tank or area it is in at least. Some of the strangest things can effect these.

What fish do you have? What other critters?

Thanks for your help. No brown jelly. I’ve been on the look out for that. I have torches, hammers, one frogspawn, a bubble coral, and a grape coral. I will take pictures this afternoon and post.

I have a coral beauty, 2 ocellaris clowns, 2 blue green chromis, a yellow clown goby, a Midas blenny, a melanarus wrasse, and a orange striped prawn goby. All have been in the tank for months.

I also have snails, hermits, a cleaner shrimp, and a peppermint shrimp. In early October I also took in some livestock from my neighbor who broke down his tank... a rainbow bta with a porcelain crab and a marble starfish. Might be worth mentioning that I just caught and returned two emerald crabs that were causing issues in my tank. One of those crabs did spend a lot of time hanging out in the middle of the torches and that it where I ended up catching it which did agitate the torch I am posting about but shouldn’t have been enough to hurt it. I think that covers it!

 

[Clarinuto]

Pictures would help also. Could be settling in, but pics help a lot.

I forgot to mention I have urchins also.

This first picture is from Nov 28 - you can see here that the green torch is the same size as the gold tip next to it.

The next picture is from Dec 9 - I took this close up as I started worrying because the tentacles are shorter and fatter than normal

The next set of pictures are from this afternoon

 

[Geebs19]

Torch looks fine, they are extended just fat. Mine did that after I altered the flow and they were in lower flow, I kicked the flow back up and they went back to being stringy, longer, and flowing.

 

[Clarinuto]

It seems so abnormally small though!!

 

[ZachR32]

I see a coral beauty in there. It’s possible she’s nipping when you’re not looking

 

[Clarinuto]

I see a coral beauty in there. It’s possible she’s nipping when you’re not looking

Yeah, I’ve wondered about that but have never caught her nipping thus far. I really love that fish so I’m not really sure what I would do even if I caught her.

 

[DeniseAndy]

Could be annoyed with a neighbor for some reason. Could be getting nipped. Does not look too bad though. Could just be getting a lower flow pattern as stated above and fat, not stringy. Keep an eye out, but looks pretty healthy.

 

[Clarinuto]

Thanks everyone. You can tell I’m a worrier!! Glad it isn’t something to be super concerned about at this point!

 

[Clarinuto]

Update:

 

[Geebs19]

If they were mad/unhappy they wouldn’t be out like that. It’s all good. Maybe point a little more flow at then and I bet they go back to stringy.

 

[Clarinuto]

If they were mad/unhappy they wouldn’t be out like that. It’s all good. Maybe point a little more flow at then and I bet they go back to stringy.

Cool thanks. I also moved the torch in front of it a little to give it more space to see if that is what is bothering it. I will update after a few days

 

[Clarinuto]

Well things have gone from bad to worse. I tried increasing flow and the torch did not appreciate that. Tried moving it away from its previous neighbor, no luck. It started to look worse so I dipped it last week and it now looks even more pathetic. I haven’t touched it besides moving it away from the neighbor and dipping it in case of pests. What does someone recommend? All other torches and euphyllia are extending fully and look healthy.

 

[Geebs19]

Sadly it looks like its skin might be retracting from the skeleton. Is this how it was been looking lately? Has it been oozing any jelly?

 

[Clarinuto]

Sadly it looks like its skin might be retracting from the skeleton. Is this how it was been looking lately? Has it been oozing any jelly?

The last few days it has looked similarly to this but perhaps a slight bit better. I haven’t seen any jelly. What is the best course of action at this point both for this coral and for the others around it?

 

[Oshengems]

I switched up my lights and placed mine in a different area of the tank and the tentacles did not extend as much as before don’t know why it’s been like that since sep1018

 

[Geebs19]

Not much can be done, once they start to recede its hard to stop it. Maybe try moving it around to see if it will open up more, I would keep it out of too much direct flow, that may accelerate the skin being pulled back. Sorry to see this!

 

[Tuffyyyyy]

Not much can be done, once they start to recede its hard to stop it. Maybe try moving it around to see if it will open up more, I would keep it out of too much direct flow, that may accelerate the skin being pulled back. Sorry to see this!

You do also need to be careful about moving it around too much. Unless it's in a dangerous spot (getting stung, flow way too high, etc.), I don't think I'd tough it again unless you start to see signs of brown jelly - then it needs to come out ASAP.

 

[Clarinuto]

You do also need to be careful about moving it around too much. Unless it's in a dangerous spot (getting stung, flow way too high, etc.), I don't think I'd tough it again unless you start to see signs of brown jelly - then it needs to come out ASAP.

Okay. What a bummer. Thanks to you both for the help. I’m pretty down about this. I loved this torch and hate to see it likely on its way out.