What has caused this with my euphyllia?

[Shirak]

Just had a thought, could the stagnant water of my atom be causing this issue? I have it in an open tub next to my sump so, I top it up roughly once a week and it just sits there until it's used, I was just looking at it and it looks sort of similar to when you leave a glass lying around anit gammy and white...

What are you putting in your ATO?? My ATO runs off a 35g plastic trash bin and looks perfectly fine with just RODI in it even after a year. Maybe you need a cover for it to keep the dust and stuff out??

Aside from that, it's highly unlikely it has any negative effect on the corals. I have heard that containers of aminos and other things which can grow a variety of bacteria will just be more 'food' for the corals.

 

[Shirak]

Yeah it's just the testing system I use they don't go ultra low, but from my nitrates i'm assuming they'll be around 0.05 -0.1

You may want to look for a test kit for phosphate that can measure down to 0 and is good for measuring between .1 and 0. Should be shooting for .05ppm. It's pretty important to know if it's really 0 or not. It's quite possible to have nitrates 10-20ppm and 0ppm phosphate if things are out of balance. Heads bailing out of skeletons could be caused by that.

 

[Shirak]

I would also suggest a Mg test kit if you haven't checked it. Mg is important for coral growth as it protects the calcium carbonate skeleton from being 'poisoned' by phosphate and making it difficult for the coral to continue to deposit calcium carbonate.

I also am not sure you are dealing with just one problem as in your first post you say the torch head just deteriorated while later you are talking about a HG torch and a Frogspawn that bailed out in one piece? Can you post photos?

 

[downonthereef]

Some say it can and I believe somewhere it's documented once or twice.

There is someone on here that has a hammer that bailed almost 1 year ago and the head is healing and forming something on the base. I'll have to search for that thread.

I have never personally had one grow back the skeleton.

It's worth keeping the head if it is alive in a small Tupperware with a mesh lid in a low flow low light area....if this is possible.

How long will it survive? Who really knows, but it would be interesting to see if you can get it to calcify again.

Again sorry this happened

Hi Merkey! Just wondering, would a pom pom crab cause this to happen with my euphyllia? It's just there was never two torches dying at once, they weren't being eaten and so far, nothing else only torches have died? Some torches would go three days all happy and puffy, then bang over night, doesn't want to wake up and slowly bails. Maybe the pom pom would climb on the torch at night to get some height in the column and his nems stung the coral to the point of bailout? I also noticed he lived under the rock that the torches were on

 

[MERKEY]

Hi Merkey! Just wondering, would a pom pom crab cause this to happen with my euphyllia? It's just there was never two torches dying at once, they weren't being eaten and so far, nothing else only torches have died? Some torches would go three days all happy and puffy, then bang over night, doesn't want to wake up and slowly bails. Maybe the pom pom would climb on the torch at night to get some height in the column and his nems stung the coral to the point of bailout? I also noticed he lived under the rock that the torches were on

Hmm this is a really interesting theory!

Im not sure if he could he be transferring something from the nems, but let's see if @Eagle_Steve or @F i s h y might know.

The other thing he may be doing is actually nipping at the torches. It is un common but they are crabs.

Have you sat and watched the little guy and see if he is nipping at the flesh of the torches while on top?

 

[Eagle_Steve]

Hmm this is a really interesting theory!

Im not sure if he could he be transferring something from the nems, but let's see if @Eagle_Steve or @F i s h y might know.

The other thing he may be doing is actually nipping at the torches. It is un common but they are crabs.

Have you sat and watched the little guy and see if he is nipping at the flesh of the torches while on top?

it is a possibility. I do have a few Pom poms in all of my tanks and never any issues previously. I do know that the nems they carry around are tough little buggers. Had a few zoas melt where they touched them. But outside of that, never seen my Pom poms on top of corals, let alone up high in the tank.

 

[downonthereef]

Hmm this is a really interesting theory!

Im not sure if he could he be transferring something from the nems, but let's see if @Eagle_Steve or @F i s h y might know.

The other thing he may be doing is actually nipping at the torches. It is un common but they are crabs.

Have you sat and watched the little guy and see if he is nipping at the flesh of the torches while on top?

I'm yet to do a night shift on the tank, though now the torches are all gone, there will be no real proof as to what went on, however there is an ICP test on the way back to the lab incase there's some metals or other contaminants in the water, however, but fingers crossed it's a critter that can be banished to the sump, just not sure on how to catch him now without the torches being there

 

[MERKEY]

It will be good to get a solid idea what's in your water to rule out any contamination.

I'm yet to do a night shift on the tank, though now the torches are all gone, there will be no real proof as to what went on, however there is an ICP test on the way back to the lab incase there's some metals or other contaminants in the water, however, but fingers crossed it's a critter that can be banished to the sump, just not sure on how to catch him now without the torches being there