Torch Cracked? What is happening ‍♂️

[mzlskink]

I noticed my torch has a crack on one of its head close to the polyps, is this normal or something bad?

Alk 7-8
Calcium 440-460
Magnesium little low ~1050
Phosphate 0.02 (Hanna)

Please help reef experts, thank you!

 

[Tavero]

To me that looks less like a crack and more like the skeleton is showing due to retracted tissue -> torch is dying.

Phosphates are too low. What are your nitrates? That tank looks very new so my guess is it's probably starving. Is that clam still alive? Doesn't look great either.

 

[mzlskink]

To me that looks less like a crack and more like the skeleton is showing due to retracted tissue -> torch is dying.

Phosphates are too low. What are your nitrates? That tank looks very new so my guess is it's probably starving. Is that clam still alive? Doesn't look great either.

Hi nitrate is about 20 ppm per strip test (I don't have a good test)

clam is still alive but I put it in a cage since flame angel was picking on it

This torch was fully extended and doing well, I'll try to provide photo when the light is on

Are you saying that since tissue is retracted, it pushed the skeleton open? (thus a cracks formed)

 

[Tavero]

Hi nitrate is about 20 ppm per strip test (I don't have a good test)

clam is still alive but I put it in a cage since flame angel was picking on it

This torch was fully extended and doing well, I'll try to provide photo when the light is on

Are you saying that since tissue is retracted, it pushed the skeleton open? (thus a cracks formed)

I think, what we're seeing is the skeleton, which is showing when tissue is retracted, or the coral is dying. No cracks are forming. They were there before just hidden under tissue.

I can't say exactly why that coral is unhappy, just that your water parameters aren't optimal and that tank looks quite new.

 

[steveschuerger]

Hi nitrate is about 20 ppm per strip test (I don't have a good test)

clam is still alive but I put it in a cage since flame angel was picking on it

This torch was fully extended and doing well, I'll try to provide photo when the light is on

Are you saying that since tissue is retracted, it pushed the skeleton open? (thus a cracks formed)

The torch is unhappy and the skeleton is showing. Those aren’t cracks , they’re where the polyps extend from. Boost your magnesium and get the phosphate and nitrates a bit higher. Torch might turn around if you rectify things but it has a good chance of dying the way things are

 

[mzlskink]

I think, what we're seeing is the skeleton, which is showing when tissue is retracted, or the coral is dying. No cracks are forming. They were there before just hidden under tissue.

I can't say exactly why that coral is unhappy, just that your water parameters aren't optimal and that tank looks quite new.

Here is updated photo, I think it was 30min since last photo (turned on the lights), it seems happy to me but I could be wrong, the skeleton that opened does concern me :/

 

[mzlskink]

The torch is unhappy and the skeleton is showing. Those aren’t cracks , they’re where the polyps extend from. Boost your magnesium and get the phosphate and nitrates a bit higher. Torch might turn around if you rectify things but it has a good chance of dying the way things are

Posted a new photo, thanks I been dosing magnesium. The skeleton looks like a piece of bread being ripped open from the top, there is a V shape crack but definitely was not there before?

 

[Tavero]

Here is updated photo, I think it was 30min since last photo (turned on the lights), it seems happy to me but I could be wrong, the skeleton that opened does concern me :/

The torch may just be temporarily unhappy, though I can't see anything from this angle in the pic, but the water parameters are still suboptimal.

Btw, that's how the skeleton looks like

https://reefbuilders.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2024/04/Torch-coral-skeleton-2.jpeg

The cracks are always there

 

[mzlskink]

The torch may just be temporarily unhappy, though I can't see anything from this angle in the pic, but the water parameters are still suboptimal.

Btw, that's how the skeleton looks like

https://reefbuilders.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2024/04/Torch-coral-skeleton-2.jpeg

The cracks are always there

Appreciate the image you sent on the skeleton. For the crack I was speaking off it seems to be on the outside wall here, here is a photo just took, it looks like a cavity, where skeleton wall started splitting

 

[Tavero]

Appreciate the image you sent on the skeleton. For the crack I was speaking off it seems to be on the outside wall here, here is a photo just took, it looks like a cavity, where skeleton wall started splitting

I wouldn't worry too much about that. Just fix the water parameters. You can't do anything more about the coral anyway. When it recovers it should repair any damage in the skeleton too.

 

[Cell]

The crack or whatever it is you are seeing should be covered in flesh, not exposed. It was likely always present, but only revealed as the torch flesh receded.

 

[rdirtytwo]

Here's one of my torches that was cracked completely in half while fragged. Photo 06/10

Photo today


The flesh band should recover and grow over damaged skeleton with good parameters. 1050 mag could be why the tissue is receding, but I'm still new to this hobby.

 

[mzlskink]

Bump for any more

I wouldn't worry too much about that. Just fix the water parameters. You can't do anything more about the coral anyway. When it recovers it should repair any damage in the skeleton too.

thanks, I’ll wait and observe then

 

[mzlskink]

Here's one of my torches that was cracked completely in half while fragged. Photo 06/10

Photo today


The flesh band should recover and grow over damaged skeleton with good parameters. 1050 mag could be why the tissue is receding, but I'm still new to this hobby.

Beautiful torch you have today!

 

[mzlskink]

The crack or whatever it is you are seeing should be covered in flesh, not exposed. It was likely always present, but only revealed as the torch flesh receded.

Maybe, looking for photos one week old I did notice it was there, maybe I just never noticed before