Is my Trachyphyllia blowing up OK?

rogeragrimes · 02/03/2016, 01:58 PM

I bought 3 trachs a month or so ago. One in particular seems healthy and normal, but he often "blows up" with water. The other two either don't do it as often, and even when they do it's not even close to the same extent. Is this normal and healthy or an indication that something might be wrong?

I'm including a picture of "swollen" one and one of his buddy that rarely has the same behavior.

Swollen TrachSwollen.jpg

Unswollen one TrachNormal.jpg

I apologize in advance as I don't know normal trach behavior

Flashy Fins · 02/07/2016, 10:54 PM

This is normal. I had one for years that did exactly the same. It's shocking how much they can inflate; mine would often blow up at least 4x its true size during daylight hours. Likely flow related, but nothing to worry about.

TimeConsumer · 02/07/2016, 11:03 PM

Looks like the one is eating more. They do stuff like that when they catch food.

BrandonFlorida · 02/08/2016, 07:34 AM

The unswollen one has some sand on it, and I heard that it can be irritated from that. I have one and he actually moved himself a little bit which I didn't know they could do. How long have you had them for?

rogeragrimes · 02/08/2016, 04:48 PM

Thanks for the replies and reassurance. I've had them a few months now. The third one stung my wife hard while she was moving it a month or so ago (which she had done once or twice before). It stung her so hard she said it was like she stuck her hand in an electrical socket and her arm hurt for a week. Since then he's either died or is in near-skeleton form. Not sure if he's dead...color seems to improve slightly every now and then, but he's not moving...so he may be dead. But the other two green Kryptonite's are doing great.

rogeragrimes · 02/08/2016, 05:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BrandonFlorida

The unswollen one has some sand on it, and I heard that it can be irritated from that. I have one and he actually moved himself a little bit which I didn't know they could do. How long have you had them for?

I've had them for a few months.

The sand is from an over exuberant clown wrasse that keeps picking up rocks and shells and is hiding a swim thru hole he likes to hide in. The trachs don't seem to mind the sand, and if they do, they move around and brush it off...but for the most part they seem fine with it, as I have a hard time keeping up with the clown wrasses construction activities all the time.

The third one, which badly stung my wife and is possibly dead now, used to pull sand back on himself when I blew it off.

rogeragrimes · 02/09/2016, 06:43 PM

Update: The red trach that I said was either dead or near dying, well after 1-2 months of looking just like a trach skeleton, today he just puffed out of nowhere. I would have bet it was dead, although I sometimes though it was regaining color slightly when looking at it under blue lights. This morning, no change. Then my wife noticed around dinner that it was puffed up with a feeder tentacle out. Here's the pic:

RedTrich.jpg

I was at work, but hearing that it suddenly came back made my day!

BrianKC · 02/09/2016, 08:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rogeragrimes

Thanks for the replies and reassurance. I've had them a few months now. The third one stung my wife hard while she was moving it a month or so ago (which she had done once or twice before). It stung her so hard she said it was like she stuck her hand in an electrical socket and her arm hurt for a week. Since then he's either died or is in near-skeleton form. Not sure if he's dead...color seems to improve slightly every now and then, but he's not moving...so he may be dead. But the other two green Kryptonite's are doing great.

I'd like to draw other reefers attention to the comment about his wife getting stung so hard that her arm hurt for a week. I've never heard of anything like this with something like a trachyphillia. Feeling like she got hit with a jolt of electricity makes me wonder if that actually was what happened and it was just incidental to moving the coral. Is brain corals zapping people a thing?

Mussin · 02/10/2016, 03:57 AM

I touch mine all the time, never had a problem

Flashy Fins · 02/10/2016, 08:58 AM

Never heard of it and never experienced it. Best practice is to touch brain corals only from the bottom, but I can't imagine being stung no matter how the coral was handled. Another explanation would make more sense. Any anemones in the tank? Aptasia? Perhaps electric shock, as BrianKC suggested.

rogeragrimes · 02/11/2016, 04:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Flashy Fins

Never heard of it and never experienced it. Best practice is to touch brain corals only from the bottom, but I can't imagine being stung no matter how the coral was handled. Another explanation would make more sense. Any anemones in the tank? Aptasia? Perhaps electric shock, as BrianKC suggested.

No one I've talked to has ever heard of someone being stung either, but the literature does talk of their stinging capability. She had previously picked it up 2 or 3 times before without an issue.

It was fairly by itself, nothing else even close to nearby that could have stung her, unless it was something free floating. But the biggest way we know that it was that trach was: 1) She was lifting it bare handed, 2), the injury area matches where the sweeper tentacle is to where the injury is, 3) a single stinging injury injection site (most other stinging things would leave more than a single entry point), and 3) It immediately went from a vibrant, healthy looking trach to something resembling it's skeleton in less than an hour and remained that way for months (like it had sudden super stress event).

02/03/2016, 01:58 PM	#1
rogeragrimes Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2015 Location: Key Largo, FL Posts: 184	Is my Trachyphyllia blowing up OK? I bought 3 trachs a month or so ago. One in particular seems healthy and normal, but he often "blows up" with water. The other two either don't do it as often, and even when they do it's not even close to the same extent. Is this normal and healthy or an indication that something might be wrong? I'm including a picture of "swollen" one and one of his buddy that rarely has the same behavior. Swollen TrachSwollen.jpg Unswollen one TrachNormal.jpg I apologize in advance as I don't know normal trach behavior

02/07/2016, 11:03 PM	#3
TimeConsumer Registered Member Join Date: May 2011 Location: New Orleans, La Posts: 1,919	Looks like the one is eating more. They do stuff like that when they catch food. __________________ Steve - Retired from reefing, for now.

02/09/2016, 06:43 PM	#7
rogeragrimes Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2015 Location: Key Largo, FL Posts: 184	Update: Red trach is alive! It's alive! Update: The red trach that I said was either dead or near dying, well after 1-2 months of looking just like a trach skeleton, today he just puffed out of nowhere. I would have bet it was dead, although I sometimes though it was regaining color slightly when looking at it under blue lights. This morning, no change. Then my wife noticed around dinner that it was puffed up with a feeder tentacle out. Here's the pic: RedTrich.jpg I was at work, but hearing that it suddenly came back made my day!

02/10/2016, 03:57 AM	#9
Mussin Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: Lima,Ohio Posts: 728	I touch mine all the time, never had a problem __________________ 120RR tank/ 30g sump, mag 9.5, SWC cone 160, Reefbreeders photon 48

02/07/2016, 10:54 PM	#2
Flashy Fins Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2012 Location: Washington Posts: 105	This is normal. I had one for years that did exactly the same. It's shocking how much they can inflate; mine would often blow up at least 4x its true size during daylight hours. Likely flow related, but nothing to worry about.

02/08/2016, 07:34 AM	#4
BrandonFlorida Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2013 Location: Port Orange, FL Posts: 637	The unswollen one has some sand on it, and I heard that it can be irritated from that. I have one and he actually moved himself a little bit which I didn't know they could do. How long have you had them for?

02/08/2016, 04:48 PM	#5
rogeragrimes Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2015 Location: Key Largo, FL Posts: 184	Thanks for the replies and reassurance. I've had them a few months now. The third one stung my wife hard while she was moving it a month or so ago (which she had done once or twice before). It stung her so hard she said it was like she stuck her hand in an electrical socket and her arm hurt for a week. Since then he's either died or is in near-skeleton form. Not sure if he's dead...color seems to improve slightly every now and then, but he's not moving...so he may be dead. But the other two green Kryptonite's are doing great.

02/10/2016, 08:58 AM	#10
Flashy Fins Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2012 Location: Washington Posts: 105	Never heard of it and never experienced it. Best practice is to touch brain corals only from the bottom, but I can't imagine being stung no matter how the coral was handled. Another explanation would make more sense. Any anemones in the tank? Aptasia? Perhaps electric shock, as BrianKC suggested.