finger leather coral

[Galvan]

Just purchased a finger leather coral or tree coral from pet shop, was awesome looking in the show case tank. After bringing coral home and placed in my tank with in a few days the coral has fallen apart. I'm new to the coral department and now thinking that maybe one of my animals got to it. There are some pieces that are coming off, should I remove the coral from the tank? Or do I leave it in there. Pic attached.

have-
1 yellow tang
1 blue tang
1 coral beauty
1 maroon clown
1 royal gramma
1 green mandarin

1 brain coral
1 carpet coral
1 frog spawn

 

[Old Man Of The Sea]

What is your tank parameter reading? Calcium and do you have Iodine drops as this coral would do well under VHO and is one the easiest corals to care for so I not know why it could died like that on you?

Also that it needed a good water current so the question would be is, what size tank is this and how many power heads you have for your water currents.

I had this coral as one the first coral years ago in my old 180 reef tank and it has grown quickly so I cannot see why you had this lost as you did unless your calcium was very low and that you not as well added Iodine drops when you should have.

So even being new to corals as you said, you shouldn't have had the problem you did for the Iodine I speak of, when my reef tanks are ready, I will use the stronger professional Iodine and if your tank is rather small, you not want to get the stronger Iodine.

So a salinity of 1.024-26 (I have my main tanks at 1.026 with a Ph of 8.4 and temp at 78-79 F.. Also all your other test show good that your nitrates are not more then 5 PPM and zero be far better as after your tanks cycle is completed, you shouldn't ever again have a nitrite or ammonia reading.

As well, how long are you having your tank lights on ?

OK people, I can think of nothing else at this time, for I'm surprised that he is having such difficulties with a leather coral when they are the easiest corals for any beginner.

 

[Galvan]

Have same problem keeping mushroom corals begin ti Wither. my set up is below. Could my yellow tang have picked on the finger leather. I watched the tang for a while and he did not seem to be picking at the finger.

have a 75 gallon, 7 animals, 90lbs of LR. have recently been working to get more corals. Have on carpet coral, 1 brain coral. problem is that I can not keep my mushroom coral in healthy shape. some of the top mushrooms begin to wither.

have 2 atonic at 65watt and 2 65Watt at 10,000.
Atonic on at 7:00am to 9:00pm and 10K are on from 10:00am to 7:00pm.
why can't I keep my mushrooms healthy for extended periods of time. How long should they last. water parameters are keep well. Regular water changes.

1 yellow tang
1 blue tang
1 coral beauty
1 maroon clown
1 royal gramma
1 green mandarin

1 brain coral
1 carpet coral
1 frog spawn

 

[Old Man Of The Sea]

As I was saying, corals like leather or even just mushroom corals, they are of some the easiest corals to keep and brain corals as well are easy to maintain for these corals can be kept under VHO lighting.

Sorry, I need to hear what is your calcium level is and if you ever dosed with Iodine? Also do you dose your sump (RO water) now and then with Calcium Hydroxide?

These were some the very first corals that I even started with, I cannot understand why you be having any problems at all for the leather corals for one thing need time to adjust and if you been handling the coral often after you placed it into your tank, this would had placed much stress on it. You need to place the corals and try not to place your hands into the tank if you can help it.

On lights, I'm no expert but I do know the corals that you are mostly keeping can be kept rather well even under VHO lighting. It could be also that you could done to much water changes but the same thing on that, one needs to know of more details.

So still, people would need to know what are your tanks parameters for there has to be some answer to why this is failing, your leather coral that is

You do understand that when you first added this coral to your tank that it was already under much stress? So you need to know where you would place the coral, get it in and leave it alone.

Let me ask you something, did you know that you upset your tanks perfect balance when you keep putting your hands into the tank? I not even in eel tanks put my hands inside them unless I really have too

For as for remove this or not, if this coral isn't falling apart at the lower part of its body, then cut off where it is dead only and cut this with a very sharp cutting tool and also in one clean cut. Don't cut as your cutting wood or so, the cut must be in one motion and be careful not to tear. But if it is falling apart and not much of a solid body to it, then remove it now, Sorry.

 

[Galvan]

O.K. looks I did and do many things wrong still. I have 3 power heads at 900gph that I keep in place with suction cups. I place my hand in water when I see one of the suction cups gets loose. That is one. During water changes I put my hands in the water one with turkey baster and the other with the siphon tube. That is for hands in the water.

on the leather this was a large coral maybe 6-9 spread when I put him in the water was for sure stressed I became worried and moved the coral to another spot (hands in water) he quickly deteriorated.

Calcium is running about 450 -475. Again the other coral hard for me to keep is the Mushroom coral.

appreciate your thoughts... learned to keep hands out of water I guess need to use the plastic glove, correct?

 

[Galvan]

need to add that after 2nd movement did see a tear at the base of coral.

 

[Old Man Of The Sea]

need to add that after 2nd movement did see a tear at the base of coral.

Then something which should had been done is to use a toothpick to hold the coral together for it is something that I not had any need to do in the past. so still, if your any body of this coral is still holding together, you might want to try to see if it will pull itself together again and grow for it be hard to say if it will or wont at all.

Your tank is a 75 and your three power heads I guess added up to 900 gph making them a maxi 1200?

This too had to been a bit too much depending on the direction strength of your water currents. That this tear could had been minor and that these currents had cause your coral to collapse.

Years ago a leather coral had grown on my 180 had grown large and into the path of one of the power heads, the small area at the top of this leather once was in the direct flow of the water currents had then only not down as well, only in that small area at the top of the leather coral.

I had two choices in what I can do, one was to lower the L/R this leather coral was attached too in which was out of the question. And the other in which I did was to cut the leather coral at the base and help it to be to manage in attaching itself to another L/R and then afterwards had sold the leather while the leather from the location that I cut it from has grown again.

As for plastic glove, this would still cause some minor changes in your water for at least I believe it does. But still gloves are mostly needed to help protect you from any infections, skin infections. Its not heard of much, but can happen.

Your calcium is fine so now the thought of concern is if your too strong a water current at the lower part of your 75.

 

[Chubosco]

O.K., I'm not following the thread because I have to keep readjusting the screen. Not everyone owns a Hummer.

 

[jimmyj]

Couple of questions,

What's your salinity and how are you measuring it?

What are you doing to supplement Ca?

If your getting a Ca reading of 450+ and not supplementing it somehow something is way funky with those numbers. Ca tends to run low not high. High may mean elevated SG, otherwise it's very unlikely IMO/IME.

I've never known a tang to bother a leather coral. Leathers do melt / fall apart when things are way off.

I would suggest finding someone local or your LFS and having them run all the usual tests - Ca, alk, Phosphate, nitrate, and SG with a refractometer.

 

[Galvan]

reading SG 1.025 to 1.026 with the hydrometer. was supplementing with calicum additive but stopped in the last 4 months due to CA was at about 450. have never checked my alk or phosphate going to LFS soon.

 

[jimmyj]

Hmm,

I would strongly suggest you get that SG checked with a refractometer. Hydrometers, especially the swing arm style are notorius for getting way out of calibration over time. (I forget which way the trend goes, but they almost always read either way high or way low after they've been used a while.)

If Ca is / was running high, you pretty much must have either way low alk or elevated salinity.

 

[jimmyj]

here's a related link. In general it seems that hydrometers start out pretty close, but over time get way out of wack due to salt deposits and whatnot.

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showt ... did=893763

 

[Galvan]

This should be last question. about what CA should I set to. If my SG is 1.026 is this good for both animals and corals.

Thanks for the help.

 

[jimmyj]

Sg at 1.025-1.026 is perfect. Ca 400ppm + is good. alk should be 8-12dkh.

just reality check those hydrometers.