Torch anemone decaying

[terraincognita]

3 months is way too early for someone still figuring out their tank. If you've been doing this for a long time and are very experienced you might be able to get away with having a gold torch in a 3 month tank.

Correct.

There’s just sometimes information that goes around that no matter how long you’ve been reefing you have to wait 3-6 months.

so I just wanted to clarify time is more a helpful boundary a lot of reefers will just arbitrarily put for new reefers (which absolutely works) but I just like to include why we say “too young” as it’s not necessarily her tank age is too young but her experience more than her tank.

 

[michaelabellz]

How olds this tank?

Seems like youve had a rough time with a few different things in here (i was looking for a build thread and saw some of your other losses)

Most probably you're an excited new reefer which is great! Welcome to the Saltwater world!

But I think you're probably moving a little too fast. Based on your other posts I think you have something going on with your water quality beyond the nitrification cycle (I believe you've fully cycled by now)

But what's your water source? Are you mixing it yourself or buying it from a store?

So my tank is about 4 months old I’d say. I get what you’re saying but other than this anemone everything that I had troubles with were fixable mistakes like for example my refractometer has to get recalibrated every time we use it which I didn’t know which resulted to bad salt parameters (which is how I lost my starfish) I was upset for awhile but I realized that at least now I know to recalibrate it every time and I can prevent that from happening again. You live and you learn you know? And I am mixing it myself when I do water changes but I always let it sit over night and test salt again in the morning to make sure I’m on point.

 

[michaelabellz]

these are tough and expensive, I would start off with other torch corals that were grown in captivity by hobbyists before trying this one. if you raised your salinity while this was in there that could have killed it too. I would not add this to a 3 month old tank, wait till it hits a year. Can you post some pictures of your tank and sump/filtration?

Yes of course I’ll add pictures once I get home.

 

[michaelabellz]

these are tough and expensive, I would start off with other torch corals that were grown in captivity by hobbyists before trying this one. if you raised your salinity while this was in there that could have killed it too. I would not add this to a 3 month old tank, wait till it hits a year. Can you post some pictures of your tank and sump/

Also, the torch I got was from another hobbyist and it was just the green torch.

 

[Auto-pilot]

I second brown jelly. It was most definitely was an infection. Torches are extremely susceptible.

 

[michaelabellz]

Definitely does not look like BJD.

3 Months isn't necessarily too quick as long as you really understand reef chemistry.

You didn't post your Phosphates?

I've had Pho spikes wipe out all my euphyllia at once.

Oh sorry about that phosphates were very low I’d say .03 or just 0 it’s hard to get an exact reading on the test kit

 

[michaelabellz]

One thing I did realize was off was the Ph as it was sitting at 8.0 instead of 8.3.

 

[michaelabellz]

Thank you guys all for the help, it really helps and means a lot.

 

[Auto-pilot]

I circled the goo, that is brown jelley. If you look at it under a microscope it will look like a bunch of slugs moving all over. The appearance is caused by ciliates.

Brown Jelly Disease: Under The Microscope!

Would you be able to reword your question- I'm not entirely sure I understand, but I'll take a crack at it- correct me if I'm answering a question you weren't asking! 1) Yes, any coral that I perform testing on goes into dedicated tanks following treatment. This is both for observation and to...

www.reef2reef.com

Here's a thread where they talk in depth. In the middle of the thread there are some cool microscope images.
When corals die rapidly like how you described it's almost always brown jelly

 

[terraincognita]

So my tank is about 4 months old I’d say. I get what you’re saying but other than this anemone everything that I had troubles with were fixable mistakes like for example my refractometer has to get recalibrated every time we use it which I didn’t know which resulted to bad salt parameters (which is how I lost my starfish) I was upset for awhile but I realized that at least now I know to recalibrate it every time and I can prevent that from happening again. You live and you learn you know? And I am mixing it myself when I do water changes but I always let it sit over night and test salt again in the morning to make sure I’m on point.

As you go along as a reefer you learn there’s.... hmm, maybe not 100’s of, but definitely 10’s of little things, like having to re calibrate your refractometer every time you use it, that when you’re not aware of can make your reefing life difficult.

These little things you just have to learn as time goes on, I simply state this because it’s very very discouraging to have one bad thing happen after the next and it almost made me give up reefing on my first tank.

torch’s and other Euphyllia are on the “easier side” of coral too keep, but far from the easiest for sure.

I recommend before you get another Torch or Hammer or Frogspawn you get to the stage of “dosing” in terms of knowledge of reefing.

(By the way they’re not anemones per genetics they belong in the classification of of Large Polyp Stony Corals torch corals have oral disks very similar to Zoanthids.)

if I was going to make a course in reefing I’d say to learn these in this order:

1. Basic Water Chemistry & the Nitrification cycle (Complete including EVERY possible filtration method and additive.)

from filter socks and filter floss, to carbon to calcium reactors, UV Lights etc.

You want to understand all the parts of setting up a complete ecosystem and what you may or may not need. You might not have to get into calcium reactors as this stage per say, but you want to at least understand the purpose of GFO and other basic filtration media and why they're imporant (including the natural filtration of bacteria etc)

2. The fish you want to keep, I'd study up on their families and species.

3. Understanding next the basics of all coral types. SPS, Softies and LPS

4. Understanding Trace Elements and dosing with water parameters.

4A. Tying in 3 and 4 together on your owns studies

5. Now you can start specializing in areas to study, like increasing growth, dosing tricks, running parameters intentionally at different levels like high ALK and maintaining low Nitrates and Phosphates.

Without a full understanding of the above points.

Pinpointing why your coral died is like playing "a million ways to die in the west"

Who knows sometimes...... We can't tell you without more educated information based on hte last 2 weeks of your own observation without a complete understanding of the above 5 points.

The reason I say not BJD is normally BJD is onset by physical damage to the coral, resulting in an infection resulting in decay resulting in BJD.

Once the coral is decaying and dying BJD can set on at any time for sure, but I don't think it started with BJD based on her explanation.

I'd also throw inverts in between fish and coral up there somewhere.

 

[terraincognita]

One thing I did realize was off was the Ph as it was sitting at 8.0 instead of 8.3.

Things like ph at 8.0 vs 8.3

Or nitrates at 10 vs 5 aren't killers most of the time.

Things like that possibly can cause more stress, but normally there's something else already stressing out your coral.

Which can be from things we don't even know are going on (until it's too late) because it's not things we're normally looking for.

i.e. I think Chloromines and other nasty elements in our city water today has a lot more effect than we realize.

ARe you using RODI water to mix or tap? Have you confirmed 0TDS?

 

[michaelabellz]

I circled the goo, that is brown jelley. If you look at it under a microscope it will look like a bunch of slugs moving all over. The appearance is caused by ciliates.

Brown Jelly Disease: Under The Microscope!

Would you be able to reword your question- I'm not entirely sure I understand, but I'll take a crack at it- correct me if I'm answering a question you weren't asking! 1) Yes, any coral that I perform testing on goes into dedicated tanks following treatment. This is both for observation and to...

www.reef2reef.com

Here's a thread where they talk in depth. In the middle of the thread there are some cool microscope images.
When corals die rapidly like how you described it's almost always brown jelly

As you go along as a reefer you learn there’s.... hmm, maybe not 100’s of, but definitely 10’s of little things, like having to re calibrate your refractometer every time you use it, that when you’re not aware of can make your reefing life difficult.

These little things you just have to learn as time goes on, I simply state this because it’s very very discouraging to have one bad thing happen after the next and it almost made me give up reefing on my first tank.

torch’s and other Euphyllia are on the “easier side” of coral too keep, but far from the easiest for sure.

I recommend before you get another Torch or Hammer or Frogspawn you get to the stage of “dosing” in terms of knowledge of reefing.

(By the way they’re not anemones per genetics they belong in the classification of of Large Polyp Stony Corals torch corals have oral disks very similar to Zoanthids.)

if I was going to make a course in reefing I’d say to learn these in this order:

1. Basic Water Chemistry & the Nitrification cycle (Complete including EVERY possible filtration method and additive.)

from filter socks and filter floss, to carbon to calcium reactors, UV Lights etc.

You want to understand all the parts of setting up a complete ecosystem and what you may or may not need. You might not have to get into calcium reactors as this stage per say, but you want to at least understand the purpose of GFO and other basic filtration media and why they're imporant (including the natural filtration of bacteria etc)

2. The fish you want to keep, I'd study up on their families and species.

3. Understanding next the basics of all coral types. SPS, Softies and LPS

4. Understanding Trace Elements and dosing with water parameters.

4A. Tying in 3 and 4 together on your owns studies

5. Now you can start specializing in areas to study, like increasing growth, dosing tricks, running parameters intentionally at different levels like high ALK and maintaining low Nitrates and Phosphates.

Without a full understanding of the above points.

Pinpointing why your coral died is like playing "a million ways to die in the west"

Who knows sometimes...... We can't tell you without more educated information based on hte last 2 weeks of your own observation without a complete understanding of the above 5 points.

The reason I say not BJD is normally BJD is onset by physical damage to the coral, resulting in an infection resulting in decay resulting in BJD.

Once the coral is decaying and dying BJD can set on at any time for sure, but I don't think it started with BJD based on her explanation.

I'd also throw inverts in between fish and coral up there somewhere.

I definitely understand what you mean, I’ve only been reefing for a few months and I must have studied it for about a month before even getting the tank and still I find almost every day I learn new things about this tank, like BJD never heard of it before this happened but glad I do now.

 

[michaelabellz]

Whoops o didn’t mean to reply to both up there

 

[michaelabellz]

I circled the goo, that is brown jelley. If you look at it under a microscope it will look like a bunch of slugs moving all over. The appearance is caused by ciliates.

Brown Jelly Disease: Under The Microscope!

Would you be able to reword your question- I'm not entirely sure I understand, but I'll take a crack at it- correct me if I'm answering a question you weren't asking! 1) Yes, any coral that I perform testing on goes into dedicated tanks following treatment. This is both for observation and to...

www.reef2reef.com

Here's a thread where they talk in depth. In the middle of the thread there are some cool microscope images.
When corals die rapidly like how you described it's almost always brown jelly

Thanks so much I will definitely take some time and read up on that.

 

[michaelabellz]

here’s some pics, I have a 40 gal with a 10 gal refugium. Don’t mind the bags I just got some turbo snails and hermits to hopefully help get rid of the algae

 

[michaelabellz]

Also I know I need another ai light. I should be getting one in about a week or two.

 

[michaelabellz]

Things like ph at 8.0 vs 8.3

Or nitrates at 10 vs 5 aren't killers most of the time.

Things like that possibly can cause more stress, but normally there's something else already stressing out your coral.

Which can be from things we don't even know are going on (until it's too late) because it's not things we're normally looking for.

i.e. I think Chloromines and other nasty elements in our city water today has a lot more effect than we realize.

ARe you using RODI water to mix or tap? Have you confirmed 0TDS?

And I’m using RO water I don’t have the DI filter but it still tests at 0. and yes

 

[terraincognita]

You've got an nice little set up, and a unique scape.

I can only see Zoa's from that photo they seem fine. Any other corals seem stressed?

There's also 100% a chance that it just up and caught BJD from some irritation in transport or something else, and there was nothing you could've done or done different to save it for sure.

But again hard to tell without a full details about everything.

 

[Robert Ranciato]

Probably Alkalinity but hard to tell. Most important thing is Alkalinity try and keep a stable numb

 

[mar.deezy]

Oh nooo that’s terrible I’m sorry to hear that. Do you know what happened?

I think one of the new torches had bjd and it spread im not completely sure. Im just glad i have a few left