colt coral HELP!!!

[ferg822]

my colt coral is shrinking! i got it like, a week ago. i ended up moving it twice (i used epoxy) and now it is stuck in a good spot. It was doing AWESOME on about the 4th day and now its shrinking by the day. any help. I actually saw a piece on the sand that must have fallen off!!! HELP!!!

[BurntOutReefer]

PICS PLEASE

[Aquarist007]

is it near any other coral like bubble or frog spawn or hammer etc that can extend its tentacles and touch it--if not in the daytime at night?
Where is it placed in relation to flow and lighting?

[ferg822]

its the only coral in the aquarium. the flow is about 4 in above it and about 8 in to the light. sry i cant get any pics cause i dont have a camera/ phone with USB at the moment.

[Aquarist007]

place it closer to the bottom of the tank--mine is doing really well in low light with low flow

[weaselslucks]

mine does not like high flow.when i moved it the colt opened up again

[Aquarist007]

its a 28 inch high tank--the halides are about 8 inches above that

http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r107/reefescapetangster/IMG_4429.jpg

[luckydog104]

Mine likes the flow and the light. Would using epoxy have anything to do with it? I let mine attach on its own. I placed it in between two rocks and placed a smaller one underneath it for it to attach to.

[ferg822]

hey i got my USB working
here are some pics

[ferg822]

http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/164198Picture_016.bmp

[ferg822]

ok ill try to post a better pic later, i know that one's not that good.

[ferg822]

http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/164198Picture_014.jpg

[Aquarist007]

good job posting--pics are so handy
It appears that you have alot of algae on the substrate.

How long has your tank cycled and what are your parameters for salinity ammonia, pH, nitrates and alkalinity?

[ferg822]

it cycled for about a week, but everything was fine after a week and i had my LFS test it also. i haven;t checked most lvs in 4 days because i need to restock in test supplies. My last tests were fine. It shrinks smaller than the pic i just posted and goes from big to little in anywhere from 3hrs- a day. ive also had a lot of problems with the algae.

[mr_o98]

Check your levels and post the results.
Most tanks take 1 month to cycle. Did you add anything to the tank to start the cycle (piece of raw shrimp, live rock,etc.)?
Even after a week it is possible that you cycle did not even start. It looks like it is cycling now with the amount of algae present in your picture. Your cycle may be killing your coral.

[mr_o98]

How long has your tank been set-up?
If you added the livestock you have listed after 1 week of cycling you most likely shocked your system. Post your test results when you get a chance. If ammonia or nitrates are high, I would do about a 6-7 gallon water change.

[Aquarist007]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10778162#post10778162 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by ferg822
it cycled for about a week, but everything was fine after a week and i had my LFS test it also. i haven;t checked most lvs in 4 days because i need to restock in test supplies. My last tests were fine. It shrinks smaller than the pic i just posted and goes from big to little in anywhere from 3hrs- a day. ive also had a lot of problems with the algae.

that is an algae bloom due to the curing of the live rock. It indicates a high level of phosphates and nitrates in your system.

Your tank has definetly not cycled long enough---like posted above it takes between 3-6 weeks. You may not have experienced an ammonia spike and then a nitrate spike in the first week but evidence shows you are either experincing it now---or are going to.
That colt coral needs to be removed to a quarantine tank----a 5 gal tank with r/0 water and a power head will due for now---for about 3 more weeks while your tank is cycliong
It is placed too high up on the rocks--but you don't want to put it down close to the substrate because it might be over come by algae.

Aren't you glad you learned to post a pic :)

[Aquarist007]

exactly what are your tests----should be for ammonia, nitrates and nitrates, salinity at this point in the cycling.
Most people test ammonia nitrates and nitrates daily during the first three to four weeks of cycling to get a handle on the cycling process
I'd switch from any LFS that told me it was safe to put colt coral in my tank after one week of cycling.

[ferg822]

the colt isnt the first thing i added. I first added a damsel and a clown. then a month and a half later i returned the damsel and got a firefish, 6line wrasse, 5lbs live rock, and the colt. everyone thing was fine when i added the colt and fish

[mr_o98]

You added alot of livestock at one time, this may have caused your algae bloom and your colt corals demise. Add a fish every 4 weeks or so.

[Aquarist007]

ok now I am confused on the time line here: how long has your tank be running and when exactly did you add the fish?

[woodman24]

I'm confused with the time line also. So it sounds like you think the tank cycled 1 week after adding the live rock? And you added the live rock about a month after starting the tank. I agree with everyone else, I doubt it cycled in a week. Check your parameters.

[ferg822]

ok. so i started the cycling on about July 26. Then on August 6 i got a damsel and false perc. then on sept 6, i took back the damsel and got the coral, firefish, and wrasse. hope this helps. Thanks for all of the replies. Ill try to get in test results today.

[Aquarist007]

then I am not surprised about the algae bloom---I check back later for those tank parameters.

[ferg822]

hi ok so test results, nitrite-0, nitrate-0, ammonia-0, pH-8.4. wierd cause everything is about perfect. i dont have any other test kits at the moment but im getting some this week.

[Aquarist007]

your live rock is probably still curing---any phosphates and nitrates being realeased are taken up quickly by the algae bloom so you will get a zero reading.
Reduce your lighting time by 2/3 for the next five days--it won't hurt the colt. Then run them for only 4 hrs a day or so till that algae starts dying off
If you don't add any phosphates nitrates etc to the tank then that algae bloom should eat itself out of a food supply in the next couple of weeks

[HDAlien]

Just another thought on Colt's coral, it is basically a weed, I'm trying to rid my tank of it.

[Aquarist007]

again no suprises---the live rock is stilll curing--in this process dead stuff becomes ammonia and phosphates--these are the fuel for the algae bloom------a perfectly natural event of the cycling process.
Most algae blooms eat themselves to death--consume the fuel because eventually the rock will be fully cured--all the dead stuff gone.
A good possibility here is that the algae is consuming the the nitrates and phosphates a quick as it is being produced by the live rock----and as a result your are not testing positive for nitrates.

what you can do:
first of all wait before adding any more bioload
feed your fish very little---if you feel guilty about it---feed little three times a day instead of two :)
thoroughly wash any frozen food--rinse it through a brine shrimp net with r/0 water
only use r/0 water for top ups and water changes(mixed with salt of course)
shut off your lights for the next four days---it won't hurt the colt coral
run your lights after that max 4 hrs per day until the algae dies off
make sure none of the algae is starting to cover the the colt coral
lightly use a turkey base over the substrate and rocks to get that debris back into the water column where it can be fillter out.

[Aquarist007]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10790065#post10790065 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by HDAlien
Just another thought on Colt's coral, it is basically a weed, I'm trying to rid my tank of it.

it sure grows like one and so does xenia :)

[ferg822]

thanks so much everyone. Hope this all helps. :)