Hey there! Euphyllia glabrescens partially closed? Hey, data, rdg!     3/3/13
I have a Euphyllia glabrescens (gold torch coral) that is partially closed up.
<Retracting from the hard skeleton... bad>
There are two mouths on this particular piece. On one side where a mouth is, the coral is completely inflated and happy, where as the other side is deflated and all sucked in. Is this a sign of splitting or a sign of dying?
I did do an iodine and Coral Rx dip on the piece hoping it's not "hurt" or sick in anyway, but I can't tell if it is just splitting or if it is sick.
All of my parameters seem to be in the normal range,
<... need numbers, not subjective evaluations>
 and I even did a 20% water change just to see if it would perk up...to no avail. Let me know what your thoughts are.
<... read here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/EuphHlthF10.htm
and the linked files above. Bob Fenner>
 I know the photo isn't all that great, but you can see how one side looks okay while the other is closed up. Also, there are no signs on brown jelly disease. I don't see any thing that looks brown around it.
Thanks!
Andrea

Re: Torch Coral Receding (might have been sent twice)     8/16/12
Crew,
<Art>
I appreciate all your advice and I apologize for the long delay in letting you know what happened to my Copperband. Unfortunately, though it did begin eating, about 2-3 days after my last email it died. 
<Sorry to read/realize>
It appears, as it so often does in this hobby, that my trouble is not over.
 This is the fastest growing algae I have ever seen and after I remove it, largely via siphoning it off at water changes, it comes back within a week.
<Need to "fight" in other ways... competition, denial of nutrient/s, predation...>
 My system has low nitrates, less than 5 ppm, and zero phosphates, or so my test kit says, but I couldn't tell the difference between the lowest three colors anyway so maybe I'm reading it wrong.  I have read that if there is enough algae in the tank it will utilize nitrates and phosphates faster than they can accumulate so tests don't register.
<This can be so>
  I believe from what I have read that this is likely caused by my rocks leaching phosphate into the tank, as about 1/2 of the 100+ lbs were dry base rock when I put it in (2.5 months ago).  So they were not fully developed (for lack of a better word).  I did make sure the tank was fully cycled before putting in fish.  That being said I had to take all of my corals from this tank and move them to my 34 gal Solana so that they were not being choked by the algae.
<Ok>
Now the new problem I am having is that since the end of July my torch coral has been getting smaller and smaller.  It has about 5-6 heads and is maybe a 4 inch circle.  I feed my corals in this tank Azoox Coral Food, Mysis shrimp, and the occasional Spectrum Pellet that falls on them. 
Everything looks pretty good except the Torch and my Duncan, it was being harassed by clownfish and sexy shrimp in the bigger tank so it looks bad but I'm hoping in the shady spot in the Solana a few of the heads will be saved and I can frag off any dead parts.
So I have a few questions:
1) Is the torch coral not getting enough light ( about 150 par) or not enough?
<This lighting, PAR value is fine (anything more than 100 would be)>
 The larger tank has t5's and LED supplements and the smaller tank has straight LEDs.
2) Is it improper flow?  The area is relatively calm and my coral looks no different than the ones in the fish store when it was extended?
<Not likely a/the issue>
3) Is the chemical warfare amongst my corals killing off the torch because its more sensitive? 
<Could be... but the new-ness of the system, it's lack of stability overall is likely much more cause>
4) If so, how can I fix or temporarily mitigate the fighting?
<Read here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/CorlCompArt.htm
and the linked files above... Best to "start over" in stocking if practical... isolate (quarantine) most/more mal-affected, reintroduce over time>
  (Other than the GAC and water changes (about 5 gallons or so weekly)) I only need to leave the larger tank coral-less for another couple months until the dry rock stops leaching phosphates.
5) Are my nitrates too low in the 34 gal (don't register on API kit)?
<Not too low, no>
6) Should I just move it back to the 75 gal where it will be in a much bigger area away from all the other corals?
<Yes>
 (Again, the problem here is that the super fast algae chokes out my corals in a matter of a week or two meaning I have to take them out and clean them routinely).
<You NEED to solve this algal issue... Read here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/algaeconMar.htm
and the linked files...>
  I have a couple Zoas and palys in the 75 to see if they survive and they seem to do O.K. (i.e. they multiple and have good color) as long as the algae doesn't get  to them.  Would that mean that the Torch stands a better chance in there?
<Considering the algal issue, the present condition in the smaller system, more likely yes>
7) Somewhat unrelated to the torch, have you ever heard of algae growing like this, it doesn't even bother to form complex structures (i.e. no identifiable strands, veins, roots) its like a brown fluffy version of red slime algae? 
<Oh yes... unfortunately many times, places.>
None of my LFS people had any suggestions other than to keep doing what I'm doing.
<Mmm, Read on WWM re>
Sorry for so many questions and information all in the same email but everything seems related and I'm not sure where to separate them, and to be honest I have only been able to keep Euphyllia for 11 months tops (frogspawn), most of them are much shorter lived so this is a problem far exceeding the current issues.
Yours truly,
Arthur
p.s. If you think that my belief about the rocks leaching phosphate for the first several months is wrong let me know because if not I have another problem. 
<Could be a contributor... easy to melt a bit (organic or not acid... CH3COOH, HCl, test for HPO4) and test for>
p.p.s. I attached pictures to the bottom of the email.  They should be a total of less than 500 kb.  The top (or first from the left depending on how you receive this) is a picture when I first moved it.  The other two were taken a few days ago and shows both the same angle as the first picture and a side shot of the coral (will have to use your imagination for the side shot of the first picture sorry).
Solana Reef Tanks stats
78F
470 ppm ca
<Too high... need to review where you're boosting this and slow down, stop perhaps>
(having trouble keeping this down and Alk up so this is as close as I can get using 2 part, hopefully the corals will catch up)
8-9 dKH alk
1350 ppm Mag (but for past month it has been dropping from 1500 ppm as I put additives into the tank)
35 ppt salinity  (1.026 sg)
pH is between 8.2-8.6 (Usually between 8.2 and 8.3 but last week Wednesday the meter read 8.6 so I went to calibrate it and it needed no adjustment but the next day, and since, it has been within normal range)
I use:
Oceanic salt mixed in separate mixing barrels for up to 2 weeks before use and I change weekly about 5 gallons.
RO/DI water with a 0 TDS reading from the meter
Purigen (couple table spoons)
GAC (changed weekly)
Phosban (Changed Monthly)
<I'd ditch this for now>
Equipment:
AI Sol Blue
Vortech mp10 in Nutrient Export EcoSmart Mode
Tunze Nano 9002 (Just got it for the Solana a few weeks ago and just got it dialed in a few days ago)
Tank Tenants
Torch Coral
Small Cristata Euphyllia (I know there might be an issue with allelopathy between the Euphyllias but this coral is about 1/4 the torch and they are not near each other)
Florida Ricordea (one orange one green)
Metallic Green Mushroom
Assorted Zoas and Palys
2 small (2X1" Acans) - One of each species
12 Cerith Snails
Duncan Coral with 7-12 Heads
1 Fire-fish
75 gal Tank
78F
0 Ammonia, Nitrite, < 5 ppm Nitrates
Don't measure Alk, pH, Ca, Mag, since hard corals were removed but at the time they were pulled out:
Ca 450 ppm
Alk 9.3 DKH (steady)
pH 8.2
I use biopellets and a Octopus 200-xs skimmer
Tenants
Dragonet
Mystery Wrasse
Royal Gramma
Pair of Occ. Clowns
few Zoas and palys
Used to have butterfly fish but now that its dead I might remove biopellets
(or buy more fish)
<Bob Fenner>

Re: Torch Coral Receding  - 8/17/12
Dear Bob Fenner,
<Arthur>
Thanks for the quick reply.  To clarify there are two tanks I am talking about.  The 34gal has been set up for over a year and was supposed to be used for Zoanthids and a couple frags of stony corals.  It is the 75 which is new and having this algae problem and which was where I put the corals from the 34 gal after I moved about 2 months ago (the 34 came with and the 75 i set up in new house).
<Ah, I see>
I seem to be getting mixed signals regarding allelopathy.  I was always under the impression that Euphylliids were low in the chemical warfare department
<Ah no... the genus ranks near the top... 8 or 9 on a scale of 10. See WWM... the Caryophylliid Compatibility FAQs>
relying more on sweeper tentacles to compete.  According to this http://www.wetwebmedia.com/CorlCompArt.htm Euphylliids (is that the proper plural form?)
<Mmm, yes... Veron's last work... he "elevated", created a new family for this genus, others>
are inside the sweeper tentacle section but are not directly referenced in the allelopathy section.  However, most of the user questions refer back to the articles on allelopathy, which I always thought was a big problem with Shrooms, Ricordea, Yumas and Plate corals (in weakest to strongest potency). 
<Mmm, no; your order is fouled up... again, gone over and over on the site>
You mentioned in my question that its not likely the main cause of my coral's current predicament anyway.
<Is, but/and "brought on" by the challenges detailed/mentioned by you... a typical "cascade event"... Read here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/toxictkendof.htm
  Moving the corals from the 75 to the 34 was my way of keeping them in the more stable system that has been set up and successful. I had planned on waiting 5-6 months (thinking November/december) before reintroducing corals into the 75.  So for my understanding, are you suggesting that I move the Torch back to the 75 which has only been set up for about 3 months? 
<Yes I would>
Maybe I go the other way and just put in the toughest corals for now (scans and Zoas) and have just the torch in the 34 gal?  I have no other option for tanks with lights on them, my local fish store won't hold anything long-term and I am all out of reef tanks. 
So to address the rest of the issues with the algae in the 75.  So I put in some Chaeto into the sump from another tank to hopefully suck up some of the nutrients to help limit what the brown algae gets.
<Please... read... >
 It has been in the sump for about a week and its a nice dark green color and seems to be growing at least a little.  I currently perform 25-30 gallon changes weekly on the 75 to try to combat the algae and do not run Phosban on this tank.   I was thinking about switching from Phosban to Phosguard by Seachem but I read that it is an aluminum based absorbent. 
Didn't iron based products replace them as the aluminum would irritate the corals. 
<Not in low concentration... and there are other/alternatives...>
As far as predation goes I have two turbo snails, 20 banded Trochus snails, and half dozen Astrea and Cerith snails, oh and one Nerite snail.  As far as predation of the algae should I add more snails?
<No>
 I don't want to be two months down the road, fix my phosphate (maybe) issues, and then have a bunch of starving snails.  I was also thinking a Starry Blenny and a Hectors or Jester Goby to help eat the algae.  If you have any suggestions please let me know.  The other thing I was thinking was to remove my yellow-eyed Kole tang (purchased on your recommendation) from my 120 FOWLR and put it in the 75.  However, I always feel chasing them around the tank is a lot of stress so I may just leave it in there and get some other fish that does similar work. 
As far as my current progress goes as I missing anything else.  I don't want to toss the rocks so I guess I will have to wait but in the mean time is there anything we haven't talked about that I can do for the long run?
<... keep reading. B>
Also as far as testing phosphate goes the biggest problem I have is telling the difference between the lowest levels my test kit gives out (Salifert). 
This seems to be a problem with all the test kits for phosphate that I have been shown. I don't know if you are willing to endorse/comment on an particular product over your site but I was looking into the Hannah Phosphate Checker, the electronic ones.  Do you have any personal knowledge of these products, their error rates can be 10% which seems awfully high and could potentially limit the usefulness of the digital readout. 
Yours truly,
Arthur
p.s.  The eventual stocking list for the 75 is the current fish (mystery wrasse, royal gramma, pair of clowns, and dragonet) plus pair blood shrimp, starry blenny, small goby (hectors/jester), watchmen goby and one larger fish, like a small tang or Butterflyfish.  The total volume is around 95 gallons and the tank is 48x18X18 is that enough room?

Frogspawn ID and compatibility 4/3/12
Hi crew!
<Hello Jennifer>
I bought a frogspawn about 6 weeks ago. After QT it went into the main tank. All was good (attached pic) then all of the sudden it closed up and has not opened back up (attached pic). This has been going on for about 2 weeks. All of my other corals are doing well. I was advised that it could be the coral beauty picking on it so I put it in the refugium hoping it could recover but to no avail. Water parameters: Ammonia - 0, Nitrite - 0, Nitrate -0, Phosphate 0,
<Corals do benefit from the presence of low nitrate and phosphate levels.>
Calcium 420 (a little high, don't know why),
<How about magnesium, equally important.>
pH 8 in am, 8.3 in p.m., salinity 1.024. My question is could this be coral warfare? The other inhabitants are: Pulsing Xenia which was introduced into the tank about a week after the frogspawn, 2 ricordae <Ricordea> mushrooms, and green star polyps. I have a 55 gallon with a 30 gal refugium, 60 lbs of live rock and run protein skimmer full time.
Should I put this guy in a hospital tank and see if it is the other corals affecting it?
<Actually, the Frogspawn is the most aggressive coral amongst your corals. The star polyps (Briareum) are rather peaceful while the Ricordea is semi-aggressive. Have you actually witnessed the Coral Beauty picking on the Frogspawn? My other concern would be light. You made no mention of lighting and Frogspawn (Euphyllia paradivisa) appreciate bright indirect lighting. Good water flow, preferably wavemaker style, also encourages polyp extension.
Euphyllids are good indicators of water quality and failure to open may indicate less than perfect water conditions. Good water parameters are not necessarily indicative of good water quality. If not already doing so, I suggest dosing with iodine/dide. Other necessary elements such as strontium may be missing as well. Weekly water changes will supplement these elements back into the system. Do read here and related articles/FAQs found in the header.
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/caryophyllids.htm>
Thank you once again!!!
<You're welcome. James (Salty Dog)>
Jennifer