Hammer and Torch deteriorate after months of growth.

[hsp]

I have a hammer that has left its skeleton (red circle), which is now placed on rockwork (green circle), and a torch with an exposed skeleton. Both have grown for months in my newish tank. Deterioration in the last ~10 days. I also lost another hammer about a month ago, which got smaller and smaller.

Any suggestion on what I should check based on the below details?

Tank established: 1 Feb 2024
Nitrate: fluctuating between 4.6 - 11.7 (Hanna)
Phosphate: fluctuating between 0.01 - 0.09 (Hanna)
Alk: fluctuating between 7.8 - 8.5 (Hanna)
pH: 8.5
Salinity: 1.025
Mg: fluctuating between 1160 - 1350 (Hanna)
Ca: fluctuating between 450 - 500 (Red Sea)
Ammonia: 0.04 (Hanna)
5 July 2024: ICP confirmed above (and no other surprises)

Feeding
alternating daily between
- Red Sea Reef Energy Plus: 3 ml
- Quantum Bio-Enhance: 2 ml
Every day
- Phyto: 200 ml
- Baby brine shrimp
- frozen mysis + frozen mix of mussels, white fish, scallops, shrimp, etc.- mostly for fish
weekly Copepods

Tank
Red Sea Reefer Max G2+ 300
Display Tank Volume - 246 Liters
Sump Volume - 57 Liters: with Cheato on opposite photocycle
ReefMat 500 Automatic Filter Roller
2x ReefWave 25 Gyre Powerhead at 30% during day and 10% at night
ReefRun 5500 Return Pump - run at 60%
2x ReefLED 90 at 100% Blue and 100% White for 11 hours
Temp: 26 C

Stocking
Corals
Problematic ones

• Toxic Green Tip Torch Coral -- added in 5/2024
• Hammer Coral -- added in 3/2024
  

All others are doing OK

• 12 x small Zoa frags
• GSP
• Ultra Goniopora Coral
• Bubble Tip Anemone -- added in 5/2024: grown and split in 2 in 8/2024
• Anemone -- added 7/2024 -- grown 50%
• Bright Orange Corallimorph
• Ultra Morph Coral
• Rhodactis Coral
• Ultra Alveopora Coral

Recently added, but Euphyllia problems started before

• Debdronephthya Coral - added 8/2024
• 1 Coco Worm - added 8/2024
• 1 Tube Anemone - added 8/2024

Fish

• 1 x Bicolor Blenny
• 3 x Fire Goby
• 2 x Orange Ocellaris Clownfish
• 1 x Pajama Cardinalfish
• 1 x Bristletooth Tang
• 1 x Yellow Wrasse
• 1 x Flame Hawkfish
• 1 x Bicolour Dottyback, Pseudochromis Paccagnellae
• 1 x Spotted Mandarin

CUC

• 1 x Shortspine Urchin
• 1 x Tuxedo Urchin
• 15 x Astrea Turbo Snail
• 5 x Nassarius Snail
• 8 x Trochus Snail
• 4 x Nerita atramentosa snails
• 4 x Austrocochlea porcata snails
• 5 x Strombus Snail
• 5 Turbo snails
• 1 x Gold Ring Cowrie
• 10 x Cerith Snail
• 2 x Coral Banded Shrimp (Stenopus hispidus)
• 1 x Banded serpent starfish (Ophiolepis superb)
• 3 x Sand Sifting Star Fish
• 2 x Yellow Foot Hermit Crabs

 

[WalkerLovesTheOcean]

Get your mag up to around or above 1400. Euphyllia loveee high magnesium so lower levels make them not do so well. Other than that I don't see anything wrong as long as lighting and flow levels are appropriate and there are no pests such as EEFW.

 

[NonstopSoda]

Get your mag up to around or above 1400. Euphyllia loveee high magnesium so lower levels make them not do so well. Other than that I don't see anything wrong as long as lighting and flow levels are appropriate and there are no pests such as EEFW.

I agree, I keep my mag at around 1450-1500 and they are constantly happy, other than that I would say just try to keep parameters as stable as possible.

 

[bBurn18]

Did the ICP show iodine levels? Seemingly healthy Euphyllia can drop heads out of no where when iodine is low for a long period of time.

 

[nasdds]

Are you spot feeding reef energy or anything at all? I’ve noticed that causes euphyllia to contract brown jelly and die off sometimes.

 

[hsp]

Did the ICP show iodine levels? Seemingly healthy Euphyllia can drop heads out of no where when iodine is low for a long period of time.

This is all I got. See here.

 

[bBurn18]

This is all I got. See here.

Your iodine seems fine at 42.00 μg/l. That is likely not the issue here. Any updates?

 

[hsp]

Thanks!!!

I have increased Magnesium and got a new Torch in the hope that it was the Mg:
29-August: Mg: 1160
8-September: Mg: 1210
18-September: Mg: 1225
23-September: Mg: 1290

In addition, I am dosing now once per week 2 ml Red Sea Trace-Colors: Iodine (for my Red Sea Reefer Max G2+ 300).

I will keep posting how it goes.

 

[bBurn18]

You're running your powerheads at 30%? Without seeing it in person, that sounds low to me.

How is the flow in the display?

Any way you could get a 20-30 second video of the display to see the flow in action?

 

[hsp]

You're running your powerheads at 30%? Without seeing it in person, that sounds low to me.

How is the flow in the display?

Any way you could get a 20-30 second video of the display to see the flow in action?

Sure. I have sent these videos months ago to my lfs asking what they think about the flow and I was told it is perfect:
Password for all videos is "flow"




Thanks for letting me know what you think.

 

[bBurn18]

I agree the flow seems fine for those three pieces. Sorry but I'm out of idea as to why that happened. Hopefully things turn around. Stay positive and only change one thing at a time so you can observe the effects.

 

[hsp]

I agree the flow seems fine for those three pieces. Sorry but I'm out of idea as to why that happened. Hopefully things turn around. Stay positive and only change one thing at a time so you can observe the effects.

Thanks for thinking of so many options.