Torch receded and algae growing on skeleton. Help please!

[cybrook1421]

Sorry in advance for the length. I added all the information I thought someone could need

I bought this torch at the end of July. It looked really good at the store, but I have made a few mistakes between now and then that I would like some help recovering from. I don't have a picture of what it looked like at the store, but it was a deep purple/blue and maybe extended about 3/4in to 1 inch from skeleton.

My main concerns are the receding of the flesh (there is no flesh band around the skeleton), the highly visible skeleton, and the algae growing on the skeleton.

When I brought the torch home, the coral quarantine was newly set up and had not had time to mature a little. I also did not have a light on the tank for the first 3 days as it was still shipping. At the beginning of QT, the torch looked like this. Obviously it was bleaching and no longer extending well. The flesh band is still there though. The parameters of the QT were also likely off. I had a zoa and candycane coral in there with it and only the torch survived. It got progressively more recessed throughout QT until I finally put it in the tank after about 30 days.

Now, it looks like this: what I consider "happy" because that is the longest and fullest it gets, after about 1pm when it retracts a little, and then when it is very unhappy.

To battle the algae when it gets bad I will do a peroxide dip (5:1 tank water to peroxide) and then an iodine dip. I just did one yesterday and did another about 2-3 weeks ago.

How can I do my best to help this torch recover? I know it is a possibility that it won't, but it has been holding on for 3 months like this so that gives me some hope. I am wiling to change and try anything, or just simply wait and keep doing what I am doing.

Right now, I am very slowly increasing my par from 40 to about 70 and am almost at 70. I will continue to increase slowly until at about 100-120 par over the next month or two. I am broadcast dosing Brightwells Restore and Phyto on alternating days. One day a week I spot feed all my corals with mysis or reefroids and aminos (either brightwells or AB+).

Lights come on around 8:30am and ramp up, peak at 10am until 4pm, and then ramp down until 8:30pm. Have 2 kessils right now at about 95% and then a 4bulb t5 that isnt turned on yet. Flow is an MP10 and MP40. MP10 is maxed out but MP40 is only at 8% power.

Tank is going through a mini ugly phase right now as I put in more dry rock about 2 weeks ago. So the algae is worse than it has been.

All other corals are doing well. The GSP is the only other one that is not fully extending, and has not been for about 3 weeks now probably because of the mini ugly stage.

Parameters as of last night/this morning:
80 gal total volume (tank + sump)
Has 2 clowns, 1 cardinal and 1 firefish
Has both filter socks, skimmer, and bioballs
Temp 78-79
Alk 8.6 (hanna)
Calc 400 (red sea)
Mag 1275 (salifert)
Phos 0.02 (hanna)
Nitrate 13 (hanna)
Salinity 1.025 (digital refractometer)
PH ~8.1 (salifert)

I know for a fact that my nitrates and phosphates have been high in the past with nitrates around 30 and phosphates around 0.3. I have been working on these numbers. Yesterday was the first day I have had numbers "in range". I also know some of these numbers are low such as the calcium and the magnesium.

Thank you so much for any advice!!!!

 

[vetteguy53081]

Receeding often caused by :
Too much water flow
Coral held outside of water
Calcium below 380
Lack of light
Pests
Elevated phosphate
Elevated salinity

 

[OldRed1]

I would also add low magnesium can often be a cause for retracted hammers and frog spawn.

 

[cybrook1421]

Receeding often caused by :
Too much water flow
Coral held outside of water
Calcium below 380
Lack of light
Pests
Elevated phosphate
Elevated salinity

I do identify a few of these as being potential problems. Specifically lack of light and elevated phosphate. I am in the process of correcting both.

To correct the light, I have been upping my par by 5-10par every week, to get to 100-120 par at the end. Do you think I could do this faster? Also, it is most open and extended from lights on at 8:30am to about 1pm. So it really isn't open during peak hours. Thoughts on why or how to correct this?

Other than that do you think it's just a waiting game once I correct those?

I would also add low magnesium can often be a cause for retracted hammers and frog spawn.

Yes, I have heard that too. I'm trying to correct it, but it just takes so much magnesium solution to fix the display tank and then I also have to up my storage salt as well after I make it each week. I am planning to switch salt brands to one with a higher magnesium and matches my goal parameters. But other than that do you have any suggestions on a more short term fix other than dosing?

 

[vetteguy53081]

I do identify a few of these as being potential problems. Specifically lack of light and elevated phosphate. I am in the process of correcting both.

To correct the light, I have been upping my par by 5-10par every week, to get to 100-120 par at the end. Do you think I could do this faster? Also, it is most open and extended from lights on at 8:30am to about 1pm. So it really isn't open during peak hours. Thoughts on why or how to correct this?

Other than that do you think it's just a waiting game once I correct those?



Yes, I have heard that too. I'm trying to correct it, but it just takes so much magnesium solution to fix the display tank and then I also have to up my storage salt as well after I make it each week. I am planning to switch salt brands to one with a higher magnesium and matches my goal parameters. But other than that do you have any suggestions on a more short term fix other than dosing?

You can increase every 12-24 hours in small percentages. Torch is a photosynthetic coral and has a relationship with zooxanthellae which live inside its tissues that converts the lighting into sugar which feeds the torch. Also if you have leather corals in the tank, the terpenes which is a low level toxin they emit has an effect on euphyllia coral.
Temperature: About 78 degrees
Specific gravity : about 1.025
Ph: about 8.2
Calcium: 400 ppm.

Moderate to medium light and water flow is best