Dying coral in my tank. What should I do?

[nano7g]

I just got a fiji leather yellow coral for my nano tank. This morning it was stll contracted and I saw a little brown spot on it. By the time I came back from work, it was nearly 1/3 necrotized. I cut off the necrotic tissue to try to save it and moved it to maximum flow area. But what exactly does a dying coral release into the tank? I did a water change as a precaution. But I don’t know what I should be monitoring or any other steps I should take other than water changes and carbon. I’m trying balance saving this coral while not crashing the tank. What do I need to keep in mind and look out for?

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

Can you share your water parameters and type of lighting and flow and filtration and tank age? We need more info to help you. Thanks

 

[nano7g]

Ammonia (0.5)
Phosphate (0.03)
Nitrates (0-5)
Salinity 1.023
PH 7.80-8.00
AI prime 16HD light set at 40% at 14K spectrum
Temperature 82 due to record heat wave today.


Coral was received yesterday morning. But honestly, from reading up about fiji yellow leather coral, I’ve kind of written it off as pretty much beyond saving. I’m going to give it another day and if by tomorrow a quater of the left over coral starts to necrotize, I’m going to toss it.

 

[tobster]

I just got a fiji leather yellow coral for my nano tank. This morning it was stll contracted and I saw a little brown spot on it. By the time I came back from work, it was nearly 1/3 necrotized. I cut off the necrotic tissue to try to save it and moved it to maximum flow area. But what exactly does a dying coral release into the tank? I did a water change as a precaution. But I don’t know what I should be monitoring or any other steps I should take other than water changes and carbon. I’m trying balance saving this coral while not crashing the tank. What do I need to keep in mind and look out for?

I have a green leather and a few days after I got it it turned brown but it was shedding its skin. Apparently they do that. It came off in a day or so and was fully extended after.
I was worried because the guy at the fish store said if it starts to die you need to get it out of the tank because they release toxins.
No clue if the yellow is the same as the green toadstool I have but that was my experience.
Good luck

 

[Reefering1]

Gac would be a good ides

 

[EricR]

Gac would be a good ides

This was my first thought also -- GAC (carbon) couldn't hurt,,, however it's easy for you to run.
I'd never toss a coral based on what you said except you used the word, "necrotic",,, so I wonder how bad it really is.

Any pictures?

*like others have stated, leathers can go through phases where they look awful, shed (or maybe not), then spring back to glory,,, and I think my read on this is that it's very new to your tank

 

[NanoNana]

Pics under white lights would help. Sorry you’re having issues.

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

What size is your tank? Do you have any flow in the tank? Non-moving water is one thing that will kill a coral in 1-2 days.

Not many things will kill a coral in 2 days, so something is very wrong. Pics will really help to find out whats wrong. Temp of 82 is bad but I don't think will kill the coral. Heat and no flow will.

 

[nano7g]

Tank is 7g. Here’s a photo from yesterday. The dark parts pretty much disintegrated when I blew on it with a pipette. As of an hour ago it had taken most of the coral and was left with the nub on the upper left corner of the photo. Safe to say it’s dead. Took it out of the tank and it smelled like raw seafood. I’m almost certain it’s tank flow. I’m mainly using a return pump as my flow, which so far has worked well for my other soft corals, but it likely wasn’t strong enough for the fiji. I think I should have put it right in front of direct flow when I got it. Did a massive water change. The online LFS was kind enough to offer a credit. Not going to try this coral again.

 

[Naekuh]

that's pretty bad... its dying...

You want to try to cut off a healthy piece, and then dip it in iodine.

I am guessing there is something in your water its not reacting well to.
I don't think its flow.

Do you have any other corals in the tank, and how are they?
You might have a chemical warfare going on, i would also run some carbon.

 

[nano7g]

that's pretty bad... its dying...

You want to try to cut off a healthy piece, and then dip it in iodine.

I am guessing there is something in your water its not reacting well to.
I don't think its flow.

Do you have any other corals in the tank, and how are they?
You might have a chemical warfare going on, i would also run some carbon.

I’m having a cyano issue, other than that, no apparent tank issues. Tank is 4 months. I have mainly gorgonians and kogi wada nepthea which I’ve had for 2-4 months which are doing well (except for a grube gorgonian which I have to blow off cyano every other day. It opens up only at night). I bought the fiji along with a devil’s hand that opened up immediately when it went into the tank. It could be temperature swings due to the heat wave(?).

 

[Naekuh]

It could be temperature swings due to the heat wave(?).

how large is the swing and at how fast of a change per day

Also how much water is your ATO dumping though out the day? it could also be a change in salinity.

 

[nano7g]

The temperature doesn’t really swing, but it went up to 80 for the past 3 days when it’s usually kept at 77. I don’t have air conditioning so there was not much I can do with the tank temperature, unless I keep it at 80, which I don’t want to do because I animals that don’t do well at that temp. I guess this is now a moot point as the fiji is now gone.

 

[Naso180!]

So for future reference, yellow leathers (sacrophyton elegans) are notorious for shipping and even transporting poorly. Once a brown or black necrotic area arises all you can do is cut away the dead tissue (out of the tank) dip the remaining healthy part in an iodide bath and put it in an area of high flow. Yellow leathers are high flow, high light, great water quality. Similar to SPS care.
Sorry you lost it.

 

[nano7g]

So for future reference, yellow leathers (sacrophyton elegans) are notorious for shipping and even transporting poorly. Once a brown or black necrotic area arises all you can do is cut away the dead tissue (out of the tank) dip the remaining healthy part in an iodide bath and put it in an area of high flow. Yellow leathers are high flow, high light, great water quality. Similar to SPS care.
Sorry you lost it.

Thanks. Yeah, I was aware of the notoriousness of its poor shipping but tried my hand at it anyway. But honestly, I think it shipped in good health. I think it was the critical decision of the initial placement in the tank. And then when it started to die, it started dying quickly.