leather coral still alive after months of darkness!

kchen95 · 03/10/2006, 12:10 AM

This is truly one of the most bizarre phenonmenons I've witnessed. My cousin essentially abandoned his Nanocube tank about six months ago after several clownfish kept dying in there (needless to say, the condition wasn't even great before the abandonment). He kept the water running and did manage to top off with some fresh water periodically, but the light broke so the tank was in darkness and without any real water change for at least six months. Today, he told me he looked at the tank for the first time in months and realized that a finger leather coral seems to still be alive, clinging onto a rock at an angle and still with some polyps showing.

Is this possible? How could any coral survive under this condition for that long? Basically, he's been reluctant to touch the tank and throw it out because he's afraid that if he opens the hood, a foul stench would permeate the room, so he's elected to just let it sit and ignore the problem. Also, apparently not only is the leather alive, but the other coral in there, a mushroom coral, also may not be dead.

My question is: assuming these guys really aren't dead, is there a safe way for me to try to rescue them into my Aquapod tank? Like should I try to quarantine them for a while in a bucket of fresh saltwater and see what happens first? I'm tempted to test that abandoned tank's water quality and see what I come up with. What if the water quality turns out to be horribly bad, but somehow the corals are still alive? Does that mean they're mutants that can't survive under "normal" conditions? I feel like those poor corals deserve a chance at life after all they've endured, but I also don't wanna screw up my current tank by introducing toxic mutants! Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

Kevin

Blown 346 · 03/10/2006, 12:17 AM

There is a safe way to rescue them, just take tank water out of the current tank they are in, and place the corals and waterinto a bag.
I wouldnt quarantine them in fresh saltwater, If you have a quarantine tank setup place them in there after a hours drip acclimation.
If you dont have a quarantine tank setup, do the acclimation the same way but place them at th bottom of your tank in shaded areas and slowly move them out over weeks time, so you dont shock them with light.

The water quality could be horrible, but leathers, shrooms are very hardy and can live through alot, as your buddy has proven.
I wouldnt worry about your tank becoming foul from these corals, that wont happen unless they die and you leave them in the tank to rot.
Post some pics of the corals. Myself and others would like to see them.

nemofish2217 · 03/10/2006, 12:19 AM

well, first i will say that is absolutely terrible what he has let happen.... now i will say this... YOU SHOULD TRY TO RESCUE THEM!!!! chances are his water is god awful, so you will need to take some precautions... i would say, acclimate them very very very slowly into your system.... use a piece of airline tubing and drip acclimate them over a perios of several hours..... like maybe 1 drip per second or so? after that, put them in the least lit part of your tank and slowly move them into the light over a period of a week or two...then you might have a fighting chance with these guys.... i mean, what do you have to lose, he is obviously going to just let them die in there any ways, so you can at least try..... it is really a shame that some people are so irresponsible that they would do that to a living organism.... maybe we should put him in a closet with no bathroom for about 6 months and see how he likes it...... sorry, just had to vent.... i hate lazy people who dont see these creatures as just that CREATURES, but rather just something that looks "cool." maybe he will be out of the hobby for good.... not to be too mean....but not everybody is cut out to have a reef tank...

nemofish2217 · 03/10/2006, 12:20 AM

haha... beat me blown....

kchen95 · 03/10/2006, 12:33 AM

Thanks a bunch for the thoughtful replies, and indeed I will give it a shot!

How exactly is drip acclimation done? Sorry I've never done this before. Also, if I'm gonna place the coral with its current water in a bag and then place the bag in my tank, don't I risk contaminating my current tank if the foul water somehow seeps out of the bag, even just a little bit? What's the best way to this without jeopardizing my current water quality? Sorry I'm really new at this, so if you can walk me through it step by step I'd be supremely grateful

Kevin

kchen95 · 03/10/2006, 12:35 AM

Also yes I will try to post pictures and take you all through the attempted rescue process. Wish me luck!

nemofish2217 · 03/10/2006, 12:47 AM

its okay... we were all new at one time or another....just knowing you care to try to do this makes a huge difference and i give you a lot of respect for that.... just take the bag, and pour it into a bowl or something that will hold a good bit of water... place the bowl somewhere on a lower level than the tank. then take your airline, and start a siphon, by sucking on the lower end of the tubing until water starts to come out... then take the tubing and make a small "knot" in it towards the bottom.... the more you tighten the knot, the less water will come out. (you might want to also make sure that the airline that is in the water is secure and wont fall out.) Anyways, you tighten the knot until you get a very slow drip, like i said, maybe 1 drip per second.... after about an hour or two... the corals should be ready! Just pick them up out of the bowl and place them in your tank.... no bad water will enter.... just let me know if you have any more questions....

kchen95 · 03/10/2006, 12:59 AM

Thanks a bunch. That was as clear as can. Very much appreciate it.

It'll be a challenge to find a place without much light in my tank, as I've got the metal halide. Maybe somewhere shaded somewhat by one of the rocks...

If this finger leather recovers and becomes a host for my two juvenile clowns, that would really make for a rags-to-riches story....

03/10/2006, 12:10 AM	#1
kchen95 Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2006 Posts: 11	leather coral still alive after months of darkness! This is truly one of the most bizarre phenonmenons I've witnessed. My cousin essentially abandoned his Nanocube tank about six months ago after several clownfish kept dying in there (needless to say, the condition wasn't even great before the abandonment). He kept the water running and did manage to top off with some fresh water periodically, but the light broke so the tank was in darkness and without any real water change for at least six months. Today, he told me he looked at the tank for the first time in months and realized that a finger leather coral seems to still be alive, clinging onto a rock at an angle and still with some polyps showing. Is this possible? How could any coral survive under this condition for that long? Basically, he's been reluctant to touch the tank and throw it out because he's afraid that if he opens the hood, a foul stench would permeate the room, so he's elected to just let it sit and ignore the problem. Also, apparently not only is the leather alive, but the other coral in there, a mushroom coral, also may not be dead. My question is: assuming these guys really aren't dead, is there a safe way for me to try to rescue them into my Aquapod tank? Like should I try to quarantine them for a while in a bucket of fresh saltwater and see what happens first? I'm tempted to test that abandoned tank's water quality and see what I come up with. What if the water quality turns out to be horribly bad, but somehow the corals are still alive? Does that mean they're mutants that can't survive under "normal" conditions? I feel like those poor corals deserve a chance at life after all they've endured, but I also don't wanna screw up my current tank by introducing toxic mutants! Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks Kevin

03/10/2006, 12:33 AM	#5
kchen95 Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2006 Posts: 11	Drip acclimation? Thanks a bunch for the thoughtful replies, and indeed I will give it a shot! How exactly is drip acclimation done? Sorry I've never done this before. Also, if I'm gonna place the coral with its current water in a bag and then place the bag in my tank, don't I risk contaminating my current tank if the foul water somehow seeps out of the bag, even just a little bit? What's the best way to this without jeopardizing my current water quality? Sorry I'm really new at this, so if you can walk me through it step by step I'd be supremely grateful Kevin

03/10/2006, 12:17 AM	#2
Blown 346 Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Rockford, Illinois Posts: 6,596	There is a safe way to rescue them, just take tank water out of the current tank they are in, and place the corals and waterinto a bag. I wouldnt quarantine them in fresh saltwater, If you have a quarantine tank setup place them in there after a hours drip acclimation. If you dont have a quarantine tank setup, do the acclimation the same way but place them at th bottom of your tank in shaded areas and slowly move them out over weeks time, so you dont shock them with light. The water quality could be horrible, but leathers, shrooms are very hardy and can live through alot, as your buddy has proven. I wouldnt worry about your tank becoming foul from these corals, that wont happen unless they die and you leave them in the tank to rot. Post some pics of the corals. Myself and others would like to see them.

03/10/2006, 12:19 AM	#3
nemofish2217 Registered Member Join Date: May 2004 Location: South Carolina Posts: 1,606	well, first i will say that is absolutely terrible what he has let happen.... now i will say this... YOU SHOULD TRY TO RESCUE THEM!!!! chances are his water is god awful, so you will need to take some precautions... i would say, acclimate them very very very slowly into your system.... use a piece of airline tubing and drip acclimate them over a perios of several hours..... like maybe 1 drip per second or so? after that, put them in the least lit part of your tank and slowly move them into the light over a period of a week or two...then you might have a fighting chance with these guys.... i mean, what do you have to lose, he is obviously going to just let them die in there any ways, so you can at least try..... it is really a shame that some people are so irresponsible that they would do that to a living organism.... maybe we should put him in a closet with no bathroom for about 6 months and see how he likes it...... sorry, just had to vent.... i hate lazy people who dont see these creatures as just that CREATURES, but rather just something that looks "cool." maybe he will be out of the hobby for good.... not to be too mean....but not everybody is cut out to have a reef tank...

03/10/2006, 12:20 AM	#4
nemofish2217 Registered Member Join Date: May 2004 Location: South Carolina Posts: 1,606	haha... beat me blown....

03/10/2006, 12:35 AM	#6
kchen95 Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2006 Posts: 11	Also yes I will try to post pictures and take you all through the attempted rescue process. Wish me luck!

03/10/2006, 12:47 AM	#7
nemofish2217 Registered Member Join Date: May 2004 Location: South Carolina Posts: 1,606	its okay... we were all new at one time or another....just knowing you care to try to do this makes a huge difference and i give you a lot of respect for that.... just take the bag, and pour it into a bowl or something that will hold a good bit of water... place the bowl somewhere on a lower level than the tank. then take your airline, and start a siphon, by sucking on the lower end of the tubing until water starts to come out... then take the tubing and make a small "knot" in it towards the bottom.... the more you tighten the knot, the less water will come out. (you might want to also make sure that the airline that is in the water is secure and wont fall out.) Anyways, you tighten the knot until you get a very slow drip, like i said, maybe 1 drip per second.... after about an hour or two... the corals should be ready! Just pick them up out of the bowl and place them in your tank.... no bad water will enter.... just let me know if you have any more questions....

03/10/2006, 12:59 AM	#8
kchen95 Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2006 Posts: 11	Thanks a bunch. That was as clear as can. Very much appreciate it. It'll be a challenge to find a place without much light in my tank, as I've got the metal halide. Maybe somewhere shaded somewhat by one of the rocks... If this finger leather recovers and becomes a host for my two juvenile clowns, that would really make for a rags-to-riches story....