EMERGENCY Coral shrinking rapidly!

[Tinnerito]

It's been over a month since I bought this dead mans finger leather coral, and day by day it looks worse. The only problems that I, along with other reefers here could see is too much light, and low phosphate and nitrate. I fed it reef roids 2 weeks ago, it ate it fine and nutrients began to pick up, and I moved it to a shadier spot to solve the light issue, yet now it looks worse than ever. I have attatched 2 photos. One from yesterday(being a 3rd the size since week 1), and the other from today, to which i see it falling apart, and I am horrified. Please help! And thanks in advance!

 

[Formulator]

I don’t know that too much light would be an issue and it may have just stressed it out being moved. I have several very large old leathers getting 300+ PAR under metal halide lighting.

What are your parameters? Are you using RODI water or tap?

 

[Tinnerito]

I don’t know that too much light would be an issue and it may have just stressed it out being moved. I have several very large old leathers getting 300+ PAR under metal halide lighting.

What are your parameters? Are you using RODI water or tap?

I use RODI for my seawater. And I had assumed too much light because it was growing downwards, unless that means something else? Anyways, here are my essential parameters:

Nitrate: 0.23ppm
Phosphate: 0.02ppm
Ammonia: 0ppm
Salinity: 35ppt
Calcium: 395ppm

 

[Formulator]

I use RODI for my seawater. And I had assumed too much light because it was growing downwards, unless that means something else? Anyways, here are my essential parameters:

Nitrate: 0.23ppm
Phosphate: 0.02ppm
Ammonia: 0ppm
Salinity: 35ppt
Calcium: 395ppm

Sometimes they grow away from other corals if they are aggressive. I was skeptical of the light, but maybe in combination with those low nutrients it is an issue. I think your biggest problem is probably that it is starving for nutrients. Leathers, along with most soft corals and even some LPS are generally hungry for nutrients and tend to do better with higher levels. Target 10-20 ppm nitrate and 0.05-0.1 ppm phosphate. What is your Alk?

 

[eliaslikesfish]

0.23ppm nitrate = your coral is starving to death. Get those nitrates up

 

[Tinnerito]

Sometimes they grow away from other corals if they are aggressive. I was skeptical of the light, but maybe in combination with those low nutrients it is an issue. I think your biggest problem is probably that it is starving for nutrients. Leathers, along with most soft corals and even some LPS are generally hungry for nutrients and tend to do better with higher levels. Target 10-20 ppm nitrate and 0.05-0.1 ppm phosphate. What is your Alk?

Alk is at 8.0

 

[Tinnerito]

0.23ppm nitrate = your coral is starving to death. Get those nitrates up

Will try, but I just blasted it, and it began ripping apart. It is melting. Is it too late to save it?

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

Do you have any flow in the tank? They will slump over like that in non-moving water.

 

[Tinnerito]

Do you have any flow in the tank? They will slump over like that in non-moving water.

I have a powerful filter, but I cannot tell where flow is hitting the best. Have any tips?

 

[Formulator]

I have a powerful filter, but I cannot tell where flow is hitting the best. Have any tips?

Ahh, maybe we are on to something here… Are you saying your only source of flow is from your filter? What size tank?

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

A hob filter will not provide sufficient water movement. You need one or two wave makers to move the water, depends on your tank size.

 

[Tinnerito]

Ahh, maybe we are on to something here… Are you saying your only source of flow is from your filter? What size tank?

It's a 6 gallon vertical pico tank. It was going to be a macroalgae aquarium at first, but I decided to try getting a coral in there since the parameters have been stable for about 6 months.