Torch Tissue Recession, but seems happy?

[cdw79]

I have a 10 head HG I've had for almost 2 years now. Moved cross country, left it at an LFS locally, started a new tank about 4 months ago, and I eventually got the torch back and brought it into my new tank.

Since the beginning I've been fighting 0 phosphates. About a month in, the torch stopped opening at all and I started noticing tissue recession. This is all when I had Dinos. I did a KFC dip and went to war with the Dinos, eventually getting rid of them, and the torch came back in full flow. It's been fully extended and happy looking ever since.

I happened to take a look at it at lunch today as lights were coming back on, and I see this- fresh tissue recession. I've looked at the other sets of heads and *I think* I don't see any recession there, just on this cluster of heads. I've had it split plenty over the time I've had it, and it never looks like this. (Note that lights haven't come on yet in this pic, so tentacles are not extended)

Tests are:
Alk- 7.85
Calcium- 500 (this is weird to me because I cut back dosing completely, but it still hovers this high. even double checked my dosing pump isn't putting in more CA)
Mg- 1345
Nitrate- 15
Phosphate- 0 (going back to adding neophos now that I've seen this).
Salinity- 1.025

Beyond upping my phosphate levels as best I can, what else can / should I do? Another KFC dip? Anything else? Outside of it being a valuable coral, it's one that's special to me, so I want to do everything I can, but also don't want to overdo. Any advice would be really helpful.

 

[RedCarpetReef]

The torch should recover since you caught it early enough. You need to increase nutrients and also lower the flow to help promote healing. I have seen this issue a few times in customer tanks when nutrients are far too low and dinos/cyano start to appear. It can also be a combination of the low nutrients as well as a potential bacterial infection either from the LFS, or any new corals you have added to the tank. Yes do another antibiotic dip nothing too crazy though. And monitor any other Euphyllia inside the tank. Just play it slow. It can take a few months to see a noticeable change and growth on the flesh band. But your number one priority should be raising phosphates to prevent future problems!

 

[cdw79]

The torch should recover since you caught it early enough. You need to increase nutrients and also lower the flow to help promote healing. I have seen this issue a few times in customer tanks when nutrients are far too low and dinos/cyano start to appear. It can also be a combination of the low nutrients as well as a potential bacterial infection either from the LFS, or any new corals you have added to the tank. Yes do another antibiotic dip nothing too crazy though. And monitor any other Euphyllia inside the tank. Just play it slow. It can take a few months to see a noticeable change and growth on the flesh band. But your number one priority should be raising phosphates to prevent future problems!

Really appreciate the reply. How much lower on flow? It's in pretty low flow as it is- I moved it down there the first time this happened to try to give it a calmer environment. I can think of one place with lower flow, but I know they need at least something to get the detritus off.

For the potential bacterial issue, is it worth dosing cipro on the whole tank? I have a reefing habit of doing a little too much when things go south, which I'm trying to break, but I've heard that can help sometimes. I will be watching those phosphates like a hawk now, testing every day or two at least. The tank is fallow atm so I am having to do a lot of supplementing to keep things going. Anything else to be using besides neophos?

 

[OctaviusBrine]

Solid advice stated above. Also feeding reef roids will also increase your phosphate. I mix mine up thick and feed corals. What’s left in the cup after I dilute and feed my sps. Just be careful to not overuse as it will drastically raise your phosphate.

 

[cdw79]

Funnily enough I swore off Roids for this reason, but the first time this happened I put a hefty helping in and honestly, it barely even moved the needle lol. I was talking to a guy at an LFS and he said Marco Rock can have a tendency to absorb phosphate, and that I basically just need to keep pumping the tank with more (while not overdoing it) and eventually I'll hit a point where they'll actually stay in the water and not get absorbed. I'm wondering if that's part of what I'm experiencing right now or just an extended period of the tank trying to mature

 

[OctaviusBrine]

What kind of filtration are you running?

 

[cdw79]

What kind of filtration are you running?

At the moment just filter socks. I stopped running the skimmer to try and help get the nutrients up. Got cheat hanging out in the huge but not seen any growth due to the low phosphate, presumably

 

[RedCarpetReef]

Really appreciate the reply. How much lower on flow? It's in pretty low flow as it is- I moved it down there the first time this happened to try to give it a calmer environment. I can think of one place with lower flow, but I know they need at least something to get the detritus off.

For the potential bacterial issue, is it worth dosing cipro on the whole tank? I have a reefing habit of doing a little too much when things go south, which I'm trying to break, but I've heard that can help sometimes. I will be watching those phosphates like a hawk now, testing every day or two at least. The tank is fallow atm so I am having to do a lot of supplementing to keep things going. Anything else to be using besides neophos?

Not worth cipro the entire tank if you don't need to. Personally, I wouldn't. If the flow is already low keep it there. Just leave it after the next bacterial dip for at least a week or 2. You are right on too low of flow being a problem as well so if the detritus can be blown off sufficiently then keep it there. Also, get some fish ASAP.

 

[cdw79]

Not worth cipro the entire tank if you don't need to. Personally, I wouldn't. If the flow is already low keep it there. Just leave it after the next bacterial dip for at least a week or 2. You are right on too low of flow being a problem as well so if the detritus can be blown off sufficiently then keep it there. Also, get some fish ASAP.

Believe me, I'd love to! Brook managed to get into my display, so I'm having to wait it out while the fish hang out in QT. In the meantime I'll give another dip a try and hope for the best it seems