Weeping Willow Toadstool Acting Weird

[ilyad]

As we all know, when it rains, it pours. Last week I had a fish jump who then succumbed to his injuries and passed 2 days later. Well, now my long time resident of the tank has started to look odd.

A few days ago I noticed that the polyps on the toadstool havent been as fully open as usual. I didnt think anything of it and chalked it up to something brushing past or climbing on the coral. The next day, I noticed that the polyps are again not fully expanded, which then led me to inspect closer. Here is the odd pattern that I noticed, the taodstool starts pretty expanded at lights on and then while the schedule progresses towards the peak, the polyps slowly recede back in, then as the schedule starts winding down, it begins to open up again. At least I think that's the pattern.

I did change my lighting schedule about 2 weeks ago, but I turned my lights slightly down as I was under the impression that they were a little too high, I was seeing some coral lose a bit of color towards a more pastel shade. In my experience, the toadstool would be more open to catch more light, if anything. Also, there was no noticeable changes the first week lighting was tweaked.

There are also two other things I did to the tank:
1. I added a VidaRock Detox Block to the sump 9 days ago since I am starting to seed it for my next tank I am setting up. According to the company the block is fired to be inert, so it should not effect anything in the water.
2. At the same time, I increased the use of carbon and rowaphos because I currently have slightly elevated phostphate levels that I am trying to bring down to the normal range.

Current Parameters for which I can test:
Alk: 7.7 (a little on the lower side for my liking, but within range)
Ca: 440 ( a little high, but prob because of the reduced Alk)
Mag: 1365 (looking good)
PO4: 0.14 (this is what I was working to bring down a bit)
Salinity: 1.025 (right on the nose)
Temp: 78 degrees (have heater and chiller that keeps the tank in the 77-79 range)

Im a little at a loss of what could be causing this. Although I did add/change 3 of the things, it does not appear to have effected the coral initially. Also, water parameters look fine to me. All other coral look great and happy.

Any help will be appreciated. Here is an attached picture of the toadstool normally (top) and then how it looks now (bottom).

 

[nautical_nathaniel]

It looks like you changed the spectrum of your light in addition to the intensity, which can have an effect on corals. It doesn't look too bad to me so it may just be in an adjustment period of sorts. As long as things stay relatively stable in the tank, it should go back to normal eventually.

 

[ilyad]

It looks like you changed the spectrum of your light in addition to the intensity, which can have an effect on corals. It doesn't look too bad to me so it may just be in an adjustment period of sorts. As long as things stay relatively stable in the tank, it should go back to normal eventually.

I did change the spectrum a little bit. I reduced UV, red, and greens. At this point is it better to change back, or let it try to adjust to the new schedule by leaving things be?

 

[nautical_nathaniel]

I did change the spectrum a little bit. I reduced UV, red, and greens. At this point is it better to change back, or let it try to adjust to the new schedule by leaving things be?

If you like the way things look, I would keep things the same and wait and see how all of your corals adjust. The last time I changed my light settings, my acropora were "upset" for maybe three weeks or so and then they went to looking normal again.

 

[ilyad]

If you like the way things look, I would keep things the same and wait and see how all of your corals adjust. The last time I changed my light settings, my acropora were "upset" for maybe three weeks or so and then they went to looking normal again.

Everything else looks great! And I prefer the color spectrum to the eye more as well. Do you know what the typical time frame for adjustment should be? At what point do I stop "waiting for it to adjust" and start looking for another cause?

 

[nautical_nathaniel]

Everything else looks great! And I prefer the color spectrum to the eye more as well. Do you know what the typical time frame for adjustment should be? At what point do I stop "waiting for it to adjust" and start looking for another cause?

I'd give it a couple of weeks at least, if it starts looking worse, then you start to figure out if something else is causing the issue. These corals also shed from time to time, so that might be the culprit as well.

 

[ilyad]

I'd give it a couple of weeks at least, if it starts looking worse, then you start to figure out if something else is causing the issue. These corals also shed from time to time, so that might be the culprit as well.

Thanks for the tip. I’ll monitor it and see what happens. It was just odd because this coral has been like a stone, no matter what I’d do to the tank (change lighting, flow, additives, media, etc) it was never bothered or effected.

 

[ilyad]

A quick update on the toadstool. After a few days, the toadstool was acting much worse so I took action and dipped in in Coral Revive. After initially being upset, the toadstool ended up being open and with its usual long tentacles.

However, what I did notice is there is one spot on the edge of the coral that appears to be the issue. It had brownish tissue almost like a scab. When I was dipping the coral I softly brushed off the part. Over a few days the damage returned? So I dipped the coral again.

It definitely looks better than before but still not great. I’ve attached a picture. Keep in mind this is in the AM before the lights come on, so it’s visible now. When the polyps are out, it’s practically impossible to see.

I did want to get your opinion on whether at this point it’s shedding in that area and it’ll heal on its own or if I should continue to brush and dip to help it along? In addition to revive I also have Lugols and Furan-2. Maybe one of those is in order?