What is happening to this coral?

disc1 · 12/20/2010, 05:27 PM

I have had this little hammer frag for a couple of months now. It was looking great and had started to bud off what I assumed were new polyps from the skeleton. It looks like a piece of the skin of the skeleton fell off. This happened in one spot, then another. I don't know if it flaked off or dissolved off or was eaten off, but I haven't seen any pieces of it. What is going on? What should I do?

My params are below. The tank is a 75 with a 30 sump. It's about four months old and only has one fish (a firefish), a toadstool, and a few zoo's and mushrooms besides this hammer.

SG. = 1.026
pH = 8.2 - 8.3
Alk = 3.2 meq/L = 9dkH
NO3 and PO4 are not detectable
Ca = 380

Top Water · 12/20/2010, 05:31 PM

How big is tank and what lighting and where is it placed
( bottom/top/current /no current ect...)I have had a piece drip off and actually grow into another one over time.

disc1 · 12/20/2010, 05:34 PM

I just added a picture to the original post. It is about 16 or 17 inches from the surface. I have four T5's on an icecap over the tank. It gets a bit of current, enough to move the tentacles around some, most of the time. I have two powerheads that oscillate on a random timer and when they are both on sometimes it gets a lot of flow.

Sk8r · 12/20/2010, 05:49 PM

Your calcium is 40 points low. It can cause calcium to start dissolving.
If your calcium is falling, that means your magnesium is also low. Bring it to 1300 first. Then add calcium.
This coral will like to be stuck in the rocks in fairly bright light and in mildly chaotic flow.
Your sg could come down .001, so it won't go too high on you.
1.025 gives you leeway in both directions---but that's very minor. Get that mg and cal up, and get the coral off the sandbed, too.

Agu · 12/20/2010, 07:14 PM

Are the tentacles actually touching the rock/substrate ? If so reposition it so they're not rubbing against abrasives. It doesn't look unhealthy in the pic but it appears to be at a weird angle.

disc1 · 12/20/2010, 08:41 PM

It is at a weird angle. It's not touching anything though. It has a really long skeleton that went right into that hole in the rock. It fell over like that and I never righted it because I didn't think it a problem. I will set it back up straight if you think it will help.

But what is causing the skeleton to flake away?

12/20/2010, 05:49 PM	#4
Sk8r RC Mod Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Spokane WA Posts: 34,628 Blog Entries: 55	Your calcium is 40 points low. It can cause calcium to start dissolving. If your calcium is falling, that means your magnesium is also low. Bring it to 1300 first. Then add calcium. This coral will like to be stuck in the rocks in fairly bright light and in mildly chaotic flow. Your sg could come down .001, so it won't go too high on you. 1.025 gives you leeway in both directions---but that's very minor. Get that mg and cal up, and get the coral off the sandbed, too. __________________ Sk8r Salinity 1.024-6; alkalinity 8.3-9.3 on KH scale; calcium 420; magnesium 1300, temp 78-80, nitrate .2. Ammonia 0. No filters: lps tank. Alk and cal won't rise if mg is low. Current Tank Info: 105g AquaVim wedge, yellow tang, sailfin blenny,royal gramma, ocellaris clown pair, yellow watchman, 100 microceriths, 25 tiny hermits, a 4" conch, 1" nassarius, recovering from 2 year hiatus with daily water change of 10%.

12/20/2010, 07:14 PM	#5
Agu Registered Member Join Date: Oct 1999 Location: Sarasota, Florida Posts: 30,279	Are the tentacles actually touching the rock/substrate ? If so reposition it so they're not rubbing against abrasives. It doesn't look unhealthy in the pic but it appears to be at a weird angle. __________________ Less technology , more biology . Current Tank Info: 30 gallon half cube and 5.5, both reef tanks

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12/20/2010, 05:31 PM	#2
Top Water Moved On Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: Over here Posts: 106	How big is tank and what lighting and where is it placed ( bottom/top/current /no current ect...)I have had a piece drip off and actually grow into another one over time.

12/20/2010, 05:34 PM	#3
disc1 -RT * ln(k) Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: Little Rock Posts: 9,705	I just added a picture to the original post. It is about 16 or 17 inches from the surface. I have four T5's on an icecap over the tank. It gets a bit of current, enough to move the tentacles around some, most of the time. I have two powerheads that oscillate on a random timer and when they are both on sometimes it gets a lot of flow.

12/20/2010, 08:41 PM	#6
disc1 -RT * ln(k) Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: Little Rock Posts: 9,705	It is at a weird angle. It's not touching anything though. It has a really long skeleton that went right into that hole in the rock. It fell over like that and I never righted it because I didn't think it a problem. I will set it back up straight if you think it will help. But what is causing the skeleton to flake away?