Torch Issue

O

OctoPunk

Help!

I have a 4 headed Torch that I have had for over a year. He starts with one head and has been thriving the whole time I have had him. Now he is almost completely sucked in ALL the time. His tentacles are visible but just barely. like little stubs. His flesh has not changed color really (atleast that I can tell). because he is so sucked in he looks a darker green which is normal for him when he is sucked in. He does not have and recession or visible damage either. I have inspected him thoroughly. i also tried moving him to a couple different spots, too see if he liked them better. He did not. I left him in each spot for a week to be sure but nothing has changed.
He has been sucked in for about 3 weeks now and I don't understand why. my other Euphyllia's are doing great. I have a frogspawn and a hammer that are both fully extending and basically just thriving. I have been seeing slow tissue recession on a Birdsnest and a Acro I have but other than them everything is great. I have always had issue with Acros and Birdsnests to say the least. I don't know why they are so hard for me to keep. I do everything that is recommended. I constantly maintain water quality...or try my best. Yet they always die. I can keep Montipora and clams just fine but branching SPS don't do well.
This is the first LPS I have had a problem with. I do weekly water changes and I only run Purigen and carbon (both bagged sitting in sump). those are the only chemical forms of filtration I use. Since the issue i have removed the carbon, because I was reading 0 nitrates and I thought maybe I should have some in there. That didn't seem to make any different three weeks later. I at a loss. I started using Brightwell Aquatics Microbacter7 as well. It is what I used to cycle the tank with and it works sooooo gooood. i though it would help me develop the tank a bit , since it appears I have lost a lot of nutrients. not sure if thats why the Torch is the way he is. I am just trying to give all possible related information and or changes in the tank.

Equipment:
ASM G2 skimmer
20 gallon sump fuge (custom dyi by me)
2x740gph returns (one for each return line )
2X 1" drains coming out the back covered by internal overflow (custom dyi by me)
55 gallon display (marineland - standard)
80lbs live sand (dsb in refugium)
85lbs of live rock
9w UV sterilizer (crappy and to small and weak for tank - just had it laying around and figured it couldnt hurt)
18w 6500 PC fuge light
chaetomorpha (harvested biweekly)
caulerpa (harvested monthly)
Dragons Breath (harvested as needed)
filter sock on drains
filter floss in overflow
sponge filter between bubble traps
hydor koralia 425 ( hidden behind rocks in back to kick up detritus behind rocks in back)
Vortech Mp10w
Aquavia 100w Heater (Titanium)
Fluval 150w heater (glass)
3x thermometers
Hydrofill ATO (magnetic probes)

Addtives:
Aquavitro Alpha (prime)
Aquavitro eighty-four (alkalinity)
Aquavitro Calcium
Brightwell Magnesium
Brightwell Microbacter7
Brightwell Coralamino
-used to use acropower but ran out - it works better if you ask me. haven't seen the same results with this product
Brightwell Marine vitamins
Two Little Fishes Reef Elements
Two little Fishes Iodide
*schedule - every other day

Stock:
Starry Blenny
Yellow Assessor
True Percula
Red Sea Mimic Blenny
Peppermint shrimp
Skunk Cleaner shrimp
Pom Pom Crab
RBTA
Maxi-Mini Anemone
Maxima Clam
2x Hermits
Astreas +
2x Nerite's
Nassarius's +
Trubo's +
Cerith's +
Dwarf Cerith's +
Dwarf Planaxis's +
6x Florida Certihs
2x Fighting Conch

Corals:
Torch 4 head
Hammer 3 head
Frogspawn 4 head
Favia
Trachyphyllia
Duncan colony
2x acan colonies
Red Goniopora
Kryponite Candy Cane 6 heads
Montipora Undata
Montipora Chili Pepper
Monitpora Capriconis
Various Zoas
Various Rhodactis
Various Ricordeas
Various Mushrooms
Xenia
Kenya Tree
Large Palyzoa colony
Green Star Polyp mat
Yellow Polyps
Daisy polyps
Acropora Blue Tort (STN)
Acropora Red Planet
Birdsnest (STN)


Long post short, can anyone give me any suggestions on this. I hate how its such a mystery and so hard to figure out what is causing this. We know so little about these animals (coral) I feel like its just a shot in the dark half the time ya know.
 
What's you alk and ca levels at? Did you check for brown jelly disease?


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I'm with pampee, I think it either has to be low alk and or some form of infection on the coral. If you have had a torch for one year and it hasn't grown at all, then I would have to say that that your alk is off in the aquarium, and that explains why you have issues with sps. Check your alk and get back to us, you will most likely need to get some buffer and slowly get your alk up. I use brightwell buffer. Follow the instructinos on the side of container.

If you alk looks good, then I would dip that coral to see if there was something wrong with it, such as a form of brown jelly. You can dip the coral in a 50/50 solution of aquarium water and hydrogen peroxide. Leave dipped for about 5-10 minutes then return to the tank. Hopefully its not too far gone to survive the dip if this is the case.
 
My Aussie torch died from brown jelly disease. My ca was extremely low so I suspected that was the cause. Of course my anenome plowed over it, stinging it too, so unsure. I also tried dipping it but was too far gone. So as others say, check your ca and alk.

~Matt
 
@mtraylor wrote:
I'm with pampee said:
I do use alk. I dose Aquavitro's eighty-four. I also does calcium. those are the ones I keep up with the most.
my alk levels remain around 8. I will note that i have not been able to get it past 8 for quite a while, but since thats within normal parameters I thought nothign of it.
calcium is around 410-420

fyi - he has grown. I got him with 1 head. he now has 4 heads. he has always done great until these last 3 weeks...coming up on four weeks....


I have CoralRX Ican try for the dip. so I guess I will do that, Question: There is this really annoying algae growing inbetween the stalks of the torchs heads. I constantly have to remove it, yet it just grows back. even removes every bit and piece of it (that I can see). I have a few other spots in the aquarium where this is happening. This algae has been a plague on my existence, seriously it just wont stop. I have even scrapped off the rocks surface where the algae grows and it still comes back! always in the same spots. In the case of the torch, i dont feel comfortable scrapping his skeletal branch, for fear of hurting him, especially in his weakened state.
Maybe this algae is the problem. I just dont see why. Its not touching the actual tissue. its planted on his skeleton no where near his flesh. could this algae have some chemical that is spreads out that can irritate others? All the information I have gotten on this Algae basically says the same thing. That it is one of the worst nuisance algae's that have every graced a reef tank. Its ugly, its brittle, its tough, and it grows fast even without direct light and little phosphates or nitrates.

my phospates are pretty much undetectable and I harvest chaeto and calurpa regularly from my tank. My nitrates are also 0 or hovering around there. yet still the algae flourishes. I have no other algae growing either. no hair, bubble, film, bryopsis, or whatever. just this crap. Its called Dictyota .

It is Brown with forked branches and an iridescent blue hue. There is not trunk like feature to this algae and when you try to remove it, the whole thing starts breaking up and if that happens and piece that gets lost in the tank will start a whole new colony. so to remove this algae I have to remove the whole rock its on and scrub the algae off in a bucket of saltwater. I have to do this once a week!
One last horrible tidbit.....nothing eats this crap!!! i have tried every animal with the exception of a few that wont fit or obvious other reasons.


Anyone have experience with this BEAST
Click to expand...
 
I dont think its brown jelly disease. i havent found anything strange on it beside the dictoya algae.

Will a CoralRX dip kill the dictoya on the torch's base? I would hope so, I would really hate to do a peroxide dip...i prolly screw that up, besides he prolly wont survive it in his current state.
 
Oh ok. Yeah I would use a buffer and slightly raise your alk. As for the coral, if you are going to dip it, I would use the reccomendation I sent you.
 
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