Torch receding and/or melting

[Dustin B]

My torch that I've had for a month has gone downhill the past couple days. See pictures where skeleton is showing where 2 days ago all tentacles were out and doing fine (see 1st pic). I know you all want to know parameters but I don't know exactly, my LFS test once a week and as of yesterday water was "perfect". The torch has been in the same spot so I don't think its light or flow since it did good for awhile? I test salinity with refractometer (1.026). Temp is 78. Just wondering if the torch is a goner or should I try a dip and what kind of dip? Thanks.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Torch can be very touchy
Just alone unpacking it and exposing to air can weaken tentacles
More important though is calcium which can’t be below 390 and light and water flow
Flow must be good but not to the point where tentacles are bent over in one direction
Should be more if a soft sway
Light must be good- not moderate and not too bright which is needed for them to produce zooxanthellae which they utilize for color and energy
They also should be fed mysis shrimp twice a week
Assure phosphate and nitrate are not elevated and salinity of 1.025

 

[Dustin B]

Just to keep this going, I dipped in Revive Coral Cleaner and it seems to be doing a little better (1st pic before dip, 2nd pic taken 1 day after dip). It looks like it maybe stopped the spread of disease but it seems to early to tell. My question is how soon can I dip it again, or should I dip it again, or does it look like a goner? This is day 3 since torch started looking bad.

 

[afrokobe]

Just to keep this going, I dipped in Revive Coral Cleaner and it seems to be doing a little better (1st pic before dip, 2nd pic taken 1 day after dip). It looks like it maybe stopped the spread of disease but it seems to early to tell. My question is how soon can I dip it again, or should I dip it again, or does it look like a goner? This is day 3 since torch started looking bad.

I've heard iodine dips can help euphyllia. But then again I had a torch bjd and I tried to dip it in iodine a few times and it still melted.

 

[Dustin B]

Update...this is the 6th day since torch stated looking bad. I dipped back to back days in Revive Coral Cleaner and the second time I got more aggressive with the baster and used a soft toothbrush to scrub infected area and torch was not happy (1st pic w/ shrimp). Now its 2 days later and the torch is looking pretty healthy except for the part that died off. I've got the flow directed at the infected area (2nd and 3rd pics). Hopefully the torch will make it...we'll see and I'll update.

 

[Jeffkstkrt]

Same **** happening to me…..

 

[crazyreefergirl]

Checked your nitrate? Be sure not to push nitrate up too fast If dosing some form of nitrate.

 

[MaxTremors]

You really should be testing your own water. Depending on an LFS is okay for fish only, but you really need to know your parameters and know how much your tank is consuming/producing. You should be keeping a log of test results, test every day or every other day at the same time for a couple weeks to see how much Alk, cal, annals mag your tank is using, and how much nitrate and phosphate it’s producing. Once your tank is stable and the parameters are the predictable, then you can go to once a week. Once your tank is mature and you’ve got more experience, you can probably test once or twice a month. But starting out, you really should be doing it yourself, testing once a week and only being told whether it’s good or bad is meaningless, you don’t know if it’s stable, just that it’s in range (much better to be slightly out of range and stable than in range but fluctuating). At the very least take your water in to the LFS 2-3 times a week (with samples taken at the same time of day), and have them write down the actual parameters. If you want to keep finicky corals (or any corals really), you need to have a more intimate understanding of your tank’s chemistry.