Torch without fleshy white bands

[Ballyhoo]

I don't see the meaty white band around torch head. Does that mean my torch is in trouble?

 

[jabberwock]

How old is the tank?

 

[Ballyhoo]

9 months

 

[jabberwock]

9 months

I think you are too soon for LPS.

 

[Ballyhoo]

yeah, but I made a refugium and I got a GFO reactor

 

[Shirak]

yeah, but I made a refugium and I got a GFO reactor

Do you need them? What are your water parameters? LPS generally prefer higher nutrients.

 

[kevgib67]

Not looking good, sorry. As mentioned above we need the parameters. All is not lost, a couple of years ago a local reefer asked if I wanted to have and try to bring his torch that was in really bad shape, no flesh band and it’s big and happy to this day. I’ll be waiting for your parameters and see if we can help turn this around.

 

[Ballyhoo]

ok alk is 10, ph 8.6 temp 79f Ca 450 phos .1 N03 .3

 

[kevgib67]

ok alk is 10, ph 8.6 temp 79f Ca 450 phos .1 N03 .3

Ok , that’s a start, you need to get your NO3 up to 10-15, yours is practically zero. That could be a contributing factor. What’s your magnesium? It should be around 1350 but I dose mine up to 1400 or a little higher and it keeps my torches, Frogspawn and hammers very happy. Have you tried spot feeding it meaty food like mysis?

 

[BryanM]

Agreed, definitely need to increase nitrates.

 

[Ballyhoo]

OK, I thought too much nitrate is bad. I think my nitrates may be more than I stated. I'm concerned about my PAR levels. I mean, I have a salifert test. it's shows mildly pink. IDK. I don't really trust Salifert. I learned that with a phosphate test. It seems like the coloration was very subjective and back a while ago when I was using the Sal kit for phosphates, it turned out my phosphates were much much higher than the Sal tests were showing until I bought a Hanna that I did not know what my phosphates were. For example, it turned out in a salifer tests The mild pink was actually representative of very high phosphates, and I did not know that until I got hanna.

More importantly maybe: what about par?

Guy at kung fu coral was telling me that par is the most important because without the proper par they cannot get the energy to grow so as an example I bought this pretty expensive holy Grail coral and I made sure to lift it way up to the top of the tank up to the center so it gets a lot of par. It seems like the most I can get with my LED 90 Red Sea is like 125 and that's basically what I'm getting with this HG but only by placing at the very top and in the middle. It's keeping it's nice white flashy band. Otherwise I'm finding it difficult to get high par levels. I mean, par levels above 100. But when I get my torch closer to the very top of the surface of the water column or towards the center of the tank, par levels get pretty high.

and also, I noticed when I visited AQUA SD these kids that work there stand around spot feeding their coral with I don't know some red stuff. I don't know if I should be spot feeding my coral.

I can check my magnesium, but I'm pretty sure it's gonna be online with my calcium because the sources are coming from the same. Why would my calcium be OK and the magnesium low if I'm using the same blue bucket and AFR?

 

[kevgib67]

OK, I thought too much nitrate is bad. I think my nitrates may be more than I stated. I'm concerned about my PAR levels. I mean, I have a salifert test. it's shows mildly pink. IDK. I don't really trust Salifert. I learned that with a phosphate test. It seems like the coloration was very subjective and back a while ago when I was using the Sal kit for phosphates, it turned out my phosphates were much much higher than the Sal tests were showing until I bought a Hanna that I did not know what my phosphates were. For example, it turned out in a salifer tests The mild pink was actually representative of very high phosphates, and I did not know that until I got hanna.

More importantly maybe: what about par?

Guy at kung fu coral was telling me that par is the most important because without the proper par they cannot get the energy to grow so as an example I bought this pretty expensive holy Grail coral and I made sure to lift it way up to the top of the tank up to the center so it gets a lot of par. It seems like the most I can get with my LED 90 Red Sea is like 125 and that's basically what I'm getting with this HG but only by placing at the very top and in the middle. It's keeping it's nice white flashy band. Otherwise I'm finding it difficult to get high par levels. I mean, par levels above 100. But when I get my torch closer to the very top of the surface of the water column or towards the center of the tank, par levels get pretty high.

and also, I noticed when I visited AQUA SD these kids that work there stand around spot feeding their coral with I don't know some red stuff. I don't know if I should be spot feeding my coral.

I can check my magnesium, but I'm pretty sure it's gonna be online with my calcium because the sources are coming from the same. Why would my calcium be OK and the magnesium low if I'm using the same blue bucket and AFR?

I have been using Salifert almost 3 1/2 years and it excepted as one of the better test kits but it does feel subjective when you first start using it. Par for torches is moderate, between 100 to 200. Mine sit at 150. Calcium and magnesium get consumed at different rates and I have had 430 ca with 1290 magnesium. You really need to see where yours are at and we can go from there.

 

[Ballyhoo]

I have been using Salifert almost 3 1/2 years and it excepted as one of the better test kits but it does feel subjective when you first start using it. Par for torches is moderate, between 100 to 200. Mine sit at 150. Calcium and magnesium get consumed at different rates and I have had 430 ca with 1290 magnesium. You really need to see where yours are at and we can go from there.

OK, I'll test for calcium and magnesium and post
that. But could the low par like me keeping my torch for weeks or months and power levels of 40 have caused the flesh band to go away?

Last time I checked out they were both within the range needed, so I don't think I need to be mineral or element chasing, but I'm not dismissing this either. I cannot dismiss good advice. Can one have a nice fluffy beautiful torch but still be unhealthy because the white bands aren't thick that the torch will eventually die? Like this 24 ultra K. I'm not sure it's got real big meaty bands. Part of it is the tentacles are so fluffy. I can't really see underneath.

in any case, going back to previous question: what if I've had my par levels at too low for several weeks or months? I only had more recently purchased a par meter. And it was only yesterday that I went to kung fu Coral and it was impressed upon me how important par levels are.

 

[kevgib67]

The primary source of food is from the zooxanthellae in the torch. Zooxanthellae is photosynthetic and requires a certain amount of light. Par is very important. Corals deteriorate inside out so a torch that looks bad has been going down hill for quite a long time.

 

[Ballyhoo]

well, it's probably not a coincidence that I got my holy Grail and placed it at the top center with high PAR and it's been doing great. So maybe this is the answer? I've been keeping torch with some par @ levels bw 30 to 40 maybe 50. What do some contemplate here would happen to a torch coral long-term with par levels only at a high of 50 but often less than that?

 

[kevgib67]

well, it's probably not a coincidence that I got my holy Grail and placed it at the top center with high PAR and it's been doing great. So maybe this is the answer? I've been keeping torch with some par @ levels bw 30 to 40 maybe 50. What do some contemplate here would happen to a torch coral long-term with par levels only at a high of 50 but often less than that?

Not good for its survival. I Find Tidal Gardens website has great care information for all corals and torches, flow requirements ( moderate variable flow ) feeding etc.