Is My Torch Coral Dying?

[NickMyatt]

Hello Everyone,

I just purchased this coral 2 days ago and it was thriving for the first day as you can see below.

But I woke up the next morning to see that the coral is not doing so well, is there anyone that knows what has happened? Here’s what it looks like now, all closed up and wrinkled.

 

[Luke.]

People are going to ask what your alk , cal , mag , salinity and temp are , also flow and placement in your tank , if it’s been less then a day it’s there’s a good chance it’s trying to adjust to the tank , or maybe it’s slowly dying/ 1 head is already gone ?

 

[Painter Steve]

What are your Nitrate & Phosphate levels??

 

[NickMyatt]

I purchased the frag like that, I didn’t know the head was already gone.

 

[Sasha T]

To add to what Luke and 'Steve said, acclimation can take a bit of time once it's in the system. It looks like there's a bit of flesh extending over the crown, which usually means it's strong, or at least preferable to no flesh at all. Think of it like your gums and teeth, the main skeleton is the tooth, and the flesh at the base of the polyp is the gums. You don't want your gums to recede, and if they do it can suggest a potential, but not definitive, issue.

While you're finding time to tick off all the tests, pay attention to its condition throughout the day. Coral have cycles for feeding, eliminating waste, and in my experience some like to sleep in (those coral and I have an understanding), and their appearance will change for each.

 

[NickMyatt]

My filter runs 300 gph in a 29 gallon tank, along with a wave pump, the frag sits near the top of the tank and is exposed to light.

 

[NickMyatt]

Water temp is 78° and my salinity is 1.024-1.026

 

[NickMyatt]

It also seems there is a little brown bubble on the left side there

 

[Sasha T]

My filter runs 300 gph in a 29 gallon tank, along with a wave pump, the frag sits near the top of the tank and is exposed to light.

Did you drop your light intensity before adding it? The change in spectrum as well as the intensity can piss them (or any coral) off. If it went straight to the top of the rockwork it's getting the most intense light available in the tank, which won't necessarily hurt it but it's more abrupt than starting the frag wedged into the substrate for a bit, making sure it's extending, THEN moving it to its final spot.

The bubble is 100% bubble algae. Highly recommend you remove it if you don't want it throughout the system, without popping it. If you can take the frag out of the tank and remove the bubble then rinse the coral in tank water that does not re-enter the system. Bubble algae is a bane, and can populate and overrun the tank quickly.

 

[NickMyatt]

I’m pretty new to the hobby and don’t have the test kits for phosphate, alk, cal, mag, can I buy a kit that includes all of those testers?

 

[NickMyatt]

How can I remove the bubble?

 

[NickMyatt]

here is my nitrate

 

[Sasha T]

How can I remove the bubble?

If you can roll it off with your finger without popping it, that works. Otherwise pulling it off with forceps or prying it off with something like a toothpick.

Re API Nitrate tests: Don't just shake the reagent bottles, you need to BEAT them otherwise the result will not be even close to accurate. When you're shaking reagent 1 and 2, bounce it off your knee/leg. I've seen people test and get <5 ppm, but after beating on the reagents tested 40+ which was confirmed with two other nitrate tests (Salifert and Nyos). I don't share the hate for API that some have, they can work, just need to be diligent.

 

[NickMyatt]

I placed the torch in a different area in the sand to see if that helps, it’s just so odd, only been since friday when I got the coral and it’s already not doing well. I also purchase a hammer coral and it seems to be doing very well, so I find it hard to believe that it’s my parameters

 

[Sasha T]

I placed the torch in a different area in the sand to see if that helps, it’s just so odd, only been since friday when I got the coral and it’s already not doing well. I also purchase a hammer coral and it seems to be doing very well, so I find it hard to believe that it’s my parameters

'spawn and hammer aren't in the same genetic classification as torches, so it's a bit of an apples and oranges situation. Calling all three "Euphyllia" is a bit of a misnomer that the hobby keeps to make things easier. Sort of like how "SPS" refers to both acropora and montipora, but montipora is WAY easier to grow and keep.

ime torches and hammers have very different levels of sensitivities. I've made so many mistakes with hammer and 'spawn coral and a lot of the time they are completely unphased. Torches on the other hand can be particular about what they need, and less forgiving.

 

[NickMyatt]

What else would you suggest doing to help my torch coral, or is it already too far gone?

 

[Luke.]

Ive been in the same shoes as you , if you can eliminate water quality issues , drip properly, and place in the right spot / lower light to get “used to” your tank , and it still dies , out of all my years in the hobby I always assume it just doesn’t like your tank , I mean there’s not much you can do..

how old is the tank ?

Do you have other corals in there / if so for how long ? Torches and hammers are considered easy to keep corals , but I honestly think they are much harder then what people say , easier corals are soft corals , lps and sps is where it gets difficult, I would recommend getting proper test kits , Hanna checkers are a great reliable test kit , I would recommend getting them they are more money but you don’t have to “guess” with colour on a chart . Sometimes you can find them used but regardless great kits, under them I would say salifert is good but higher chance of user error . I assume you would want to be successful in this hobby , so invest in good stuff !

 

[NickMyatt]

Okay thank you very much for the help! Do you think my coral is about to die?

 

[NickMyatt]

I’ve had the tank for a little over 10 weeks and these are the first corals I purchased

 

[Sasha T]

What else would you suggest doing to help my torch coral, or is it already too far gone?

Lower light is basically the easiest thing you can do mechanically at this point, and make sure that whatever polyp extension it has is moving (gently) in the water flow. The idea for water flow is something like this:
if you put your hand in cold water, but don't move it, eventually your hand feels comfortable. As soon as you move your hand the water feels cold again. Your body heats the water touching your skin and creates a layer of heated water over your hand. Same idea with coral, the difference being that rather than giving off heat the coral is giving off waste and collecting food and minerals. If they don't move, they get surrounded by their own waste and can't take in the nutrients and elements to function. Soft coral do this best, followed by LPS since they have a lot of flesh that can move, SPS do this poorly because they're basically rocks with small wiggly bits.

Unless the coral is sloughing off flesh or completely refuses to extend at all for a lengthy period of time, no reason to call it dead or dying yet imo. It's just pissed. It could eventually die, it could stay pissed, or it could pull a full 180 and turn into a weed, as long as your parameters on on point only time will tell.