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FAQs about Health/Diseases, Pests of Soft Corals of the Family Alcyoniidae 3

FAQs on Alcyoniid Disease: Alcyoniid Health 1, Alcyoniid Disease 2, Alcyoniid Disease 4, Alcyoniid Disease 5, Alcyoniid Disease 6, Alcyoniid Disease 7, Alcyoniid Disease 8, Alcyoniid Disease 9, Alcyoniid Health 10, Alcyoniid Disease 11, Alcyoniid Health 12, Alcyoniid Disease 13, Alcyoniid Disease 14, Alcyoniid Disease 15, Alcyoniid Disease ,
FAQs on Alcyoniid Disease by Category: Diagnosis, Environment, Nutritional, Pathogenic (Infectious, parasitic), Predator/Pests, Social, Trauma, Treatments

Related Articles: Soft Corals of the Family Alcyoniidae

Related FAQs: Soft Corals of the Family Alcyoniidae, Alcyoniids 2, Alcyoniids 3, Alcyoniids 4, Alcyoniid ID, Alcyoniid Selection, Alcyoniid Compatibility, Alcyoniid Systems, Alcyoniid Behavior, Alcyoniid Feeding, Alcyoniid Propagation, Soft Coral PropagationSoft Coral HealthDyed CoralsSoft Coral Propagation, Nephtheids, Dendronephthya, Paralcyoniids, Nidaliids, Xeniids, Dyed Corals

Coral dying Help! 3/28/04 Hi, I have a green leather coral, the exact type I am not certain. When we placed it into our tank the base or stalk enlarged causing the coral to loose balance in what ever position we tried. The coral fell 3 times before we could successfully anchor the coral. Then small finger like projections came off which I initially thought I could glue down and grow more, however, the coral has since lost 2 heads, has then began sloughing from his stalk. Some of the amphipods were on him during the night, and I did notice on the finger like projection some black dots. My son works at a family owned fish store and the person taking care of saltwater tank has been doing this for several years, is with the reef society in the area and has had saltwater tank herself for years. She thought the coral might have a bacterial infection and suggested: iodine dip for 8-10 minutes, I kept him in 10 minutes followed by a 2-3 hour soak in a aerated saltwater container with an antibiotic to kill the germs. <good advice... careful with the antibiotics though> After that put him back into the tank, and repeat only the antibiotic soak for the next 5 days. He is a sorry ask to see now. His stalk is whiter in color still creamy but lighter, what remaining parts to the head area are still green some slightly brown. Now the poor thing is limp and hanging over. Is there anything we can do? <good water flow and water quality are the order at this point> Is it worth trying the antibiotic soak or will that just worsen the situation. <the latter I suspect... it is important for us as human beings globally and in all facets of life (human and pet health, etc) to be very sparing with the use of antibiotics. If you cannot confirm exactly that there is a bacterial infection... then resist the haphazard use of a drug to treat a mystery illness> Our tank is: 75 gal 115# of live rock, 2-3 inch sand base, CPRs BakPak, Rio 1100, pc lighting with 260 watts plus actinic. We also have a Eheim canister and a UV sterilizer we have found we really didn't need - still attached. Our inhabitants are: 1 mandarin, 1 damsel, short spine sea urchin, 1 fire shrimp, 1 cleaner shrimp, 5 emerald crabs, 15 blue hermits, 3 red hermits, a beautiful frogspawn coral, a green stripped mushroom and a fluorescent green/pink hairy type mushroom ( this mushroom seems to like to eat and we can feed him krill etc., will he be likely to eat any of the animals we now have). We also have a broad leaf type Caulerpa and grape Caulerpa growing. I had initially put the green leather coral above the green hairy mushroom for several days and noted that the coral did not seem to like it there. It was about 7-8 inches away from the mushroom. So I moved it, that is when I could not get it anchored again, it fell injuring itself and is now in the shape as I described above. Our water is 1.026, 8.3, no nitrites, no ammonia, slight nitrate, iodine 0.03, ca+ 450, temp is 77(trying to get it lower as I want a Linckia star fish and I here they do better at about 75 stable temperatures) I never knew how much I love the coral and the critters, nor how endangered they are until I started to help my 15 y/o son with this new hobby of his. <it really is a beautiful and educational hobby!> Thank you for being there to help support all the people trying to do their best for the animals they have. <its a labor of love> Are aquacultured coral healthier overall? <not genetically better disposed... but rather simply (usually) handled/shipped better> as buying any coral that is wild will increase more damage to the coral reefs. <not always the case/concern either... so much coral is easily sustainable to the extent that our imposition is miniscule against the enormous tracts of reef, damage by storms, disease from overgrowth and other natural "checks and balances". Some reefs destroyed by storms are fully recovered (magnificent Acropora cervicornis patches) a mere one year later. These are easily yielding corals in our small quantities for aquarium use> (someday, if I ever get this figured out I would love to grow the corals, seahorses and maybe other fish but I have so very much to learn and I hate to learn by mistakes in this case!) Thanks Sue <all is quite possible and well within your reach. I myself have written an entire book on it (Book of Coral Propagation, by Calfo 2001). Do seek a local or regional aquarium society for great fellowship and trading/lectures and topics of interest/entertainment for you and your son. With kind regards, Anthony>

Sarcophyton elegans Not Doing So Well - 12/03/05 Hello WWM Crew, <<Hi JJ>> I recently bought a yellow Sarcophyton coral from my LFS. <<Likely Sarcophyton elegans...a delicate and touchy species.>> It looked great in the store and was "doing well" for the last 2 days in my tank. After reading through your FAQs, I read that drooping is normal for this coral until they adjust. <<Yes, usually some weeks. They don't take kindly to being moved/touched...not a beginner's/easy coral to care for in my opinion>> Mine has been drooping as well but regularly extends it polyps and still has a nice yellow color to it. <<Hopefully you have adequate lighting for this light-loving coral.>> <<Take a look at what Aquahobby has to say about this specimen.  Marina>> When it droops, it leans up against another piece of rock in my tank. Today I noticed that there is a hole underneath the cap almost separating it from the shaft! <<Hmm...>> It runs about halfway around and I can see into the inside of its cap or rather it looks like there is some kind of hollow section. It still looks healthy and polyps are extending normally like in the past 2 days. I moved it to take a closer look <<Yikes! Not a good idea to handle as previously noted. Do place it for good water flow/light and leave it be.>> and there is some flaking or shedding around the area only around the hole, but not anywhere on the "inside" of the coral. It would seem like the cap is separating to attach to the rock it is leaning against. <<Maybe...but more likely this is a stress-induced reaction.>> It is originally mounted kind of strangely across 2 pieces of rock, so maybe it wants to relocate? <<Not likely at this early stage.>> I'm not sure what to think here. Is it dying or is it propagating? Should I cut the cap off myself and remount it? Or should I just leave it and let it go though its adjustment period hoping for the best? <<Give it good water flow and adequate lighting (You did your research "before" you bought it, right?), and just keep an eye on it. More handling is only going to worsen the problem.>> My tank parameters are as follows: Ammonia 0 Nitrite 0 Nitrate 0 Calcium 360 Alk 11 (hard water in my area) SG 1.022 <<I would bring this up to 1.025>> Temp 76 deg None of my fish have been observed picking at it and all other corals are doing well (mostly softies and LPS). <<Yes, likely a stress-induced situation for the Sarcophyton.>> Thanks for reading, JJ <<Regards, EricR>>
Re: Sarcophyton elegans Not Doing So Well - 12/06/05
Hello again WWM Crew, <<EricR here again...>> An update for you guys on the situation. (see below for previous correspondence). Next morning, the cap detached completely from the shaft and was found resting beside it on a nearby rock. It was also rotting across the middle part (whitish coloration) and a slit opened up as well. There was a faint smell to the water and I felt had to do something before the tank fouled. <<Agreed>> I know this is against your advice, but I inspected the bottom of the cap and the entire section where it joins the shaft was rotting! <<No worries JJ...comes a time when you have to use your own good judgment, as you did in this case.>> Seeing as how things were, I don't think I really had a choice... <<Agreed again>> I ended up fragging the entire coral. Cutting out the diseased parts and dividing the cap into equal segments. The shaft was mostly gone, except for the inner part that kind of looks like a finger. I mounted all of them on rocks and placed them in different locations. Now I am just hoping for the best. <<About all you can do at this point. Do keep a close watch for any continuing decline.>> To answer your question (EricR), I did do a bit of research before purchasing this coral and everything I've read seems to say that they are a hardy coral and good for a beginner! <<Not in my opinion/experience. And I'm not saying they can't be kept or will not do well. Once established they can/will do very well and are a very attractive addition...it's getting past that first hurdle that can be problematic.>> I am currently keeping supposedly "more difficult" LPS corals without problems and now I'm inclined to agree with you, this is not an "easy" coral, VERY SENSITIVE like you mentioned. (Don't worry, I left lots of room between the LPS and the toadstool!) <<Excellent>> Per your recommendation, I'm slowly bringing up my salinity. <<Ah good...>> The lights I'm using on my tank are 375 watts of PC, I believe this is adequate for most softies and LPS. <<Likely so...for most. But contrary to what some others think, I believe you will find this coral will prosper/display better color with intense lighting. I have kept this coral under PC lighting in the past, but the coral was placed at only a few inches of depth.>> Thanks for your help, JJ <<Always welcome, EricR>>

Leather Coral Health  11/21/05 Hi Guys, Been reading your Website for about six months now. Very helpful. First time question.  I've had this leather coral for about 1 month. It had been expanding nicely, but only for short periods of time, then it stopped expanding. After day 5 of not expanding, I checked it out when the lights were out. Should of done this sooner (duh).  <<"Should have", not "should of" - sorry, I have a friend who does this all the time!  MH>> Found a Dendronotus sp. or Tritonia sp. on the base of the coral. I extracted the sucker with a tweezers and softly brushed the rock rubble it was on for possible eggs in a bowl of display water, and put it back in. This morning It looked like this (see pict.) and hasn't changed. Is it dying? <Maybe...> Or will it come back? <Hopefully> Is there anything I can do? <Optimized, stable water quality, iodine/ide administration (Lugol's), feeding...> All my others corals are fine. and water is optimum. Thanks,
Tom C.
<Welcome. Bob Fenner> 

Dying Pink Toadstool?  11/18/05 Hi WWM crew...I have recently become a SW hobbyist (2 mths now and I adopted a 10yr old tank) and came upon your site by way of Reef Sanctuary. I love all of the information I have gathered from your site, but I have been unable to get an answer as to why my toadstool is failing. I understand they are hearty creatures, but being a newbie..... Let me give you some background the best I can: 75gal tank, 80lbs LR, 2in LS substrate, Yellow tang, 2 damsels, 2 striped catfish, bi-color blenny, hermit crab, Pink Toad Stool, Mushroom rock (also not doing well), Flame Scallop and a variety of numerous tubeworms and feather dusters.  Plan to add more after I get the hang of it!  Water Parameters: NitrAtes 40ppm (down with H2O changes from 100+ppm) <Need to aim for getting, keeping this below 20 ppm... Whatever the causes here, this may be THE reason for you stinging-celled life's lack of vitality> NitrItes 0 Amm 0 pH 8.2 Sal 1.022 <I'd raise this up, keep it near natural seawater strength, 1.025> Temp 76 Doing weekly 10-15% water changes after 'blowing off' the rock and siphoning the 'yuck' out. Additives and food to the tank are Oceanic Natural Sea Salt. Bio-Calcium, as needed. <... what are your readings for pH, calcium, magnesium?> Kent SuperBuffer. Coral Vite, <Drop this, garbage... likely a source of nitrate here> tsp weekly. 1 drop Lugol's Solution, weekly. DT Phytoplankton, <Not necessary, or advisable> 1 capful every other 2 days. Emerald Entree, 1/2 cube every other day. One 3"X2" sheet of Nori daily. New bulbs - 1 Coralife Actinic 48" Blue and 1 Florescent 48" 40Watt 10,000K bulbs. Running lights 8 hours a day. H39 system Mechanical and Biological Filter and sump with 3 powerheads.  Ok, I have attached some photos as the toadstool has deteriorate a bit in the last few days. Note the base of the Toadstool and it is leaning over. <I see> Although from what I have read, it seems that it will be ok. But my questions are, why is the base getting so skinny and shedding so much? <In two words: "water quality"> It doesn't seem to be thriving so I moved it higher up in the tank to be closer to the lamps and water flow. I used gloves and carefully pried it away from the LR to move it to a better location. Should I frag it? <I would not> I'm at a loss. I have not been able to find anything written anywhere about this strange happening. Please help!!!! I hate to see my new 'babies' suffering! Thanks so much,  Cheryl <Do consider the above changes/suggestions... the DAS H39 system Mechanical and Biological Filter... is puny, and should be added to in all aspects of filtration... and for now I'd add some activated carbon in your filter flow path. Bob Fenner>

Leather Mysteries... w/ photo's 11/3/05 Hey Guys.... <... and gals...> I know how you like photo's so I took the extra effort for you. I know you probably have already answered these questions, but I don't comprehend written stuff as well as others... <... so how are you going to interpret this response?> so I'm hoping you can sort of spell things out and maybe use these photos to help others who may be struggling to understand your site...  <Will try> THE BASICS: This is a 55 gal. with everything pictured plus 1 black angler, 1 3-stripe damsel, 1 coral banded shrimp. <The Angler will consume these in time... not long from now> The lighting is 2 -20" 65w pc smart bulbs + 2 40w 48" florescent (one actinic) (one 10,000k) I know the light is not strong enough for the anemone, but he was given to me after being caught in a power head and left for dead.... he's grown about twice the size in the last couple weeks, but still no color... I'm looking for someone with MHQ light to pass him on. ANYONE IN NASHVILLE TN AREA WANT TO RESCUE HIM... E-mail melstarcher@cpws.net. <I take it you want us to publish this email addy...> <<So do I.  MH>> The Lights are on 11 hours a day for the gorgonians. Feeding includes DT's phytoplankton, and I just started DT's oyster eggs today (I've heard great things) plus I heard they are great for small mouth polyps such as sea fans etc. and plus some leftover food from feeding the fish in my other aquariums.  Chemicals include Kent strontium as per directions on bottle, SeaChem reef complete as per directions on bottle, and Kent iodine as per directions on bottle...  Water Changes are weekly 5 gal, filtration is a stripped down Eheim 2213 used basically for simple debris filtering and phosphate reactor... which leads to question 1 of 3 1: I've read about using carbon... WWM seems to thinks it's good but only to use a certain type... my LFS's only carry wood based, which WWM says not to use.. should I use carbon, and what is the name brand, where can I get it and per what directions? <I'd look for pre-made carbon products... like Aquarium Pharmaceuticals or Boyd's Chemipure... from etailers, catalog sales if you can't get locally> the reef has been established for about a year now and all seems to be fine except lately... which leads to questions 2&3 2&3: If you look at the photo you'll see what appear to be cuts on the colt coral, and holes in the middle of the mushroom leather. I hope the photos are enough to tell the story. I do have bristle worms, but from what I've read... that shouldn't be the problem... I have looked for other instigators, but haven't seen anything out of the ordinary. <... have you forgotten the questions? Do see the hole in the Sarcophyton (nice pic BTW), and could be damage from the worms, yes... Could be baited/trapped out> Please review this information and please make any and all suggestions to improve the quality / conditions for my reef. And please help me save my two corals before it gets too far out of control. <Mmm, for this mix, your system looks fine... as does your maintenance/care...> you guys are the BEST.... sincerely, Mel Starcher faithful WWM freak <Bob Fenner> 

Soft Coral health  9/29/05 Dear  Sir <Alan> my  soft corals are shrinking and coming away from its rock that it  was attached to, <Not good> I think they are disintegrating, the soft corals that I have is 1  toadstool leather coral <Usually a tough animal, Sarcophytons> 1 pussy coral 1 frilly finger coral, but the rest of the fish and inverts   are ok. the inverts that I have is 1 yellow feathered cucumber/ 3 different kinds  of mushroom polyps <These last may be mal-affecting your leather> on  rocks. My ammonia is perfect  my nitrite is also perfect  ph 8.0   nitrate not good 20ppm dark orange  the salt level is 23. Why are my corals doing that?  I  clean out and replace my  filter media every 4 weeks, and I do water changes every  2 weeks. what is the problem are  my  corals  dying off?  I  have got foam and bio   hoops and activated super carbon in my  canister filter, I hope to here from you  soon. yours sincerely    ALAN REID <Please read here: http://wetwebmedia.com/marine/inverts/index.htm Scroll down to soft corals area, read re: Alcyoniid Compatibility, Systems, Health... Bob Fenner>

Devil's hand turning white  09/13/2005 In our tank we have had a Devil's hand leather for a couple of years. It is about 5 inches, pink colored, 10+ "finger", and many polyps.  It had been doing very well until a few weeks ago when a large anemone placed itself right next to it.  We have moved the anemone (after a few days) but now 1/3 of the leather is turning white and the polyps are not out.  The other side looks as healthy as before.  Is there anything we can do to save the Devil's Hand?  Also one "finger" was detached a couple of months ago and is a healthy looking stub with polyps.  It is loose on the bottom of the tank.  Anything we should do to aid its growth?  Thanks for you help! <You could glue it where you want it with underwater epoxy.  As for the mother, if the bleached side looks bad, cut it off with sharp scissors and new polyps will emerge in time.  James (Salty Dog)> Carrie R. Frost

Drop in pH, Colt coral suffering Hi all, <Larry> I'm hoping that you can give me some suggestions for a treatment plan.  I have a colt coral in my reef system that just hasn't had any luck.  I added it to the tank in February and it bleached within 1 week of being introduced.  I've been trying to nurse it back to health ever since.  Fortunately, the polyps never stopped extending and the color has been gradually coming back over the last couple of months.  I don't know that it helped or was a coincidence, but the color started improving after I started target feeding with a mixture of Cyclop-eeze and DT's Oyster Eggs. I thought we were on the road to recovery until I got home from work today and found the colt nearly melted away.  All of the limbs were eroded to a point close to the main stalk and no polyps were extended.  Another soft coral, a green Kenya tree looks okay (not fantastic, but okay).  All other corals (including 2 yellow leathers) look fine.  No corals are within 5 or so inches from the colt and the nearest are candy canes.  The major change in the tank was a 10% water change yesterday, done with day old aerated water matched to the temp and salinity of the tank. I did some quick water tests, temp 78 degrees, nitrates and ammonia undetectable.  Didn't test nitrite (never really do with this tank, but can if you think it is a good idea).  Then I checked pH.  Normally it is a steady 8.3 (I usually test around 9:00 am), tonight (7:30 pm) it is about 8.0.  I haven't checked alkalinity yet, but I can guess that it will be below my normal readings (will check in a bit).  I can/will check other items (calcium, phosphate, iodine, silicate, etc.), but I have a feeling that I've already found my problem.  I dosed some Reef Builder this evening.  I will check the pH in the morning and if the pH is still low I will dose some more.   Other than buffering the water and investigating possible causes for the drop in pH (and possibly alkalinity) is there anything you would recommend to try and save the colt? Thanks for you help (as always!) <Larry, to be successful in keeping corals, 10% weekly water changes are necessary.  It replaces lost trace elements and also removes waste products from the water.  You don't mention what your salinity or alkalinity are/were.  Alk should never fall below 8 dKH and calcium levels 375/400.  A weekly iodine supplement also helps.  You also don't mention your lighting intensity (watts per gallon), and your water flow in gph.  Do a Google search on the wet web, keyword, "corals", will open up links to most anything you are interested in. James (Salty Dog)> Larry
Drop in pH, Colt coral suffering 7/20/05
James, <Larry, sorry for the long delay.  Been out of town.> Sorry, I meant to include sg and didn't.  It is at 1.023 (a little low, <1.023 is fine.> I plan on gradually bring it up a bit).  I didn't mention, but the water change is a regular part of my maintenance schedule although it was overdue.  Alk is 7 dKH (per the FasTest kit).  While the alk is low,<Not dangerously low.> this has been a typical reading on this tank for as long as it has been running, I occasionally get alk to 8.4, very rarely as high as 9.8.  Calcium (per Seachem test kit) is at 400 (which for this tank is very good).  I do provide a weekly iodine addition. <Sea Chem's Reef Builder will raise your alk safely.> I can't give you a watts per gallon, I've never figured it out that way.  The tank holds 240 gallons (with another 100 in the sump).  Lighting is 2 x 175 watt MH pendants (65K) and 3 x 6 foot VHO bulbs (2 actinic white, 1 actinic).  The halides are suspended about 5-6 inches from the top of the tank.  The colt is towards the end of the VHOs, off to the side from one of the pendants, about 21 inches down from the surface of the tank.  Water flow should be more than sufficient, the return from my gravity fed sump is via a 2000 gph Iwaki MD-100. <Your wattage is only 1.75 watts per gallon.  Not near enough to keep any light loving inverts alive for any length of time.  The flow rate should be somewhere up around 2400 gph.  Try adding a couple powerheads to increase the circulation.> I tested the pH again this morning, still at 8.0.  I added a second dose of Seachem's Reef Builder this morning, will continue checking/working with the pH.  Is there anything else you would recommend to help stabilize/revitalize the colt?  <Lighting my friend.  James (Salty Dog)> Thanks again! <You're welcome> Larry

Pods... undesirable7/5/05 Hi WWM, Recently I'm seeing "ant-like" pods burrowing in my live rock and some of my coral. Two of my soft corals look sick and these pods are crawling in and out where the tentacles of the coral are supposed to be sticking out. Are these pods harmful, <Could be> they seem to come out of their hole just for a split second and look like small red/black ant about the size of 2mm. I freshwater dip one of my live rocks and a whole bunch of them came out swirling, struggled and die in about 15 seconds. Thanks and keep up the good work. Regards, Yik Sing <You might want to look into adding a fish predator that will eliminate a bunch of these crustaceans. There are many choices. Bob Fenner>

Sick Cabbage Leather With Fungus at Base? 7/5/05     Dear Crew, <Sorry for the lateness of this reply... misplaced>     Thanks for taking the time to answer my question. I have searched the FAQ's over and over but cannot find the answer I am looking for, so here I am.     Here goes: I have a sick looking batch of cabbage leather. They don't appear very well today. Found this fungus area with some dark brown on it about 5 days ago. I think this may have started when I upgraded the lights from 83watts Power Compact Fluorescent to 143watts PC. The coral is in the top third of the tank near the lights. <Mmm, I might (have) moved this colony lower...> It was doing great with the new lights and it's polyp extension was incredible. Sorry I don't have a pic of it with the new lights and happy.     Here's a pic 3 months ago with 83wattsPC: <Very nice>         You can see the base where the leather is shedding as it grows. <Yes, natural>     Here is a pic today, with 143watts PC: <Yikes, a bit "burnt">     The piece on the far right is on a separate stalk from the other; which is all one bunch.     Close-up of the tissue damage: <Unfortunately pic didn't come through>     Could this be caused by the new lights? <Yes... but this is likely only a co-factor... something like other livestock incompatibility is likely at play here.>     Is there anything I can do to save it? <At this juncture, mainly time going by... addition of Lugol's, other iodine/ide might help, be worthwhile> How about a soft toothbrush scrubbing in a bowl of tank water and then move down on the bottom? <Mmm, I would not do this>     All other corals and fish are beautiful and smiling. The nearest coral is a frogspawn whose head is 6" - 7" away.     Thanks, David <A water change, adding some activated carbon in your filter flow path would be good as well. Bob Fenner>

Re: Sick Cabbage Leather With Fungus at Base? ***UPDATED*** 7/5/05     Dear Crew, <David>     Here is an update which may or may not help. I vacuumed off the supposed tissue damage. It's now clean. It was from the coral shrinking and shedding. The stalks are clean, but the coral still looks real bad. I did turn off the 65watt PC Actinic03 just in case. He looks stressed.     System Specs: 29gal Bare Bottom, 42#'s Live Rock, skimmer working good. Currently fighting Cyanobacteria problem by all recommended means without the dosing of chemicals. The only thing that has been added was a 2" x 4" piece of Poly Filter to my HOB filter. Sometimes I use this HOB filter, which is stripped clean, to run carbon. Mostly LPS: hammer, frogspawn, very large open brain, Zoanthids, Palythoa, Diploastrea Heliopora, cabbage leathers, and mushrooms. <The Zoanthids, Corallimorphs are pretty toxic tankmates... w/o substrate to complex...> 2 clowns, a 2 year old blue dragonet (loves frozen foods), 2 peppermint shrimp, 3 porcelain crabs, 6 Astreas. Water param.s as of 20 min.s ago: Temp - 82ºF SG - 1.0265 (refractometer) dKH - 8 CA - 370ppm pH - 8.4 Nitrates - 0 Nitrites - 0 Phosphate - 0 Ammonia - 0 (just for the heck of it) <All look good> It has been a week since I dosed with 2 part B-Ionic alk/CA buffer. So I know my CA and dKH are low. Usually dose twice a week, but with the Cyano problems I have been doing 10% water change with aerated and heated water every 3 days. Using Instant Ocean salt, BTW. HTH, Thanks again, David <Do please take a read through our Cnidarian section: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/marine/inverts/index.htm I suspect a good deal of your problems are due to the mix of species you are housing together. Bob Fenner>
Dying leather! Hi Bob, <Michael> Pleasure reading all the great information on this website.  It's   clearly the best tool available!  Anyway, I recently decided to make   my first soft coral purchase, as I've had this 54gal tank for close 2   years.  I purchased on Sunday, and almost immediately it started   reacting well to the lighting and water-flow. Well, yesterday, the healthiest of the 4 stalks somehow moved off the live-rock it came with, and shifted onto my own live rock. <Happens> It was a   bit slumped over, but looked very healthy all day long.  Today, I   found it slumped over and losing all it's color.  Is there any saving it? <Mmm, maybe better to cut, move it a bit away from the other stalks> (see attached pic). On another note, the other stalks seem to have a bit of gray on the   side and some cotton like tufts where it was touching the sickly   stalk.  Could you recommend any options?  Should I get the sickly   stalk out immediately? <Yes... with a sharp single-edge razor blade. See WWM re> I've read the site carefully, but I haven't seen any fish/crabs   picking on it throughout the day and night.  Any recommendations for   keeping these healthy? <Just what is posted> Tank param.s are: 54 gal amm: 0 nitrite: 0 nitrate: 0 1 2" maroon clown 1 yellow tang 1 long, long nose Butterflyfish. <Your tank is too small for this BF> Thanks so much!
Regards,
MB
<Bob Fenner>

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