colt coral dying???

[woogy]

He's usually spread out but tonight he is stumpy, slouched over and really dark. I have him on the bottom of the tank. Should I move him closer to the light? More flow??? Please help!!!

[kfisc]

Spot any nudibranchs? Any changes at all to your system?

[woogy]

only thing i did was a water change last evening

[Bambalam]

How long have you had it? Soft corals will "slough" occasionally, sometimes when it's not real happy, sometimes when it's growing. Also, check your parameters to see if anything is off. JMO

[woogy]

yea im working on that

so far calc is 390...mag 1287.5

[woogy]

other paramters are nitrate 5-10...alk 9...sg 1.026

Is this too much NO3?

[kfisc]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13703126#post13703126 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by woogy
other paramters are nitrate 5-10...alk 9...sg 1.026

Is this too much NO3?

Yes, (what's your calcium?) but if it had been doing fine for some time (several months or so) and it suddenly deteriorated, my bet would be a critter attack of some kind. If it's new, water quality or change in light intensity would be my top concern, along with something eating it. Some nudi's eat from the inside out, so they're a bit difficult to detect at first.

[Bambalam]

We still haven't found out if this is a new addition. Parameters look fairly good to me. Unless there have been some big swings in parameters (maybe from the water change?) Keep posting.....

[woogy]

I did remove a "polyfilter" that I run in the first chamber on Wednesday. Could this be a cause?

[Flipper62]

You will really need to get the calcuim in the 450 range.

What salt are you using ?? Some salts like IO are made for fish only tanks...you can use it, but will need to add other trace elemints.

Some corals need a good Calcuim level.

Other salts like Reef Crystals..or Oceanic Natral Sea Salt Mix Will have the correct Calcuim in it. It may take a few water changes to get it raised up.

[tmz]

Parameters including nitrate numbers posted are ok. I would not move it.Moves are stressful as the coral has to adjust ot new light and flow and desn't like being touched. They do collapse from time to time. Give it a few days. You may want to direct some flow at it. Make sure of your water measurements .Low salinity could cause the issue. Calcium at 390ppm and alkalinity of 9dkh are fine in my opinion. If you see decaying spots or mushy areas remove it and cut them out.

[crvz]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13704306#post13704306 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Flipper62
You will really need to get the calcuim in the 450 range.


I don't see how that matters in the slightest for this coral, which is not calcifying. My SPS dominated tank hasnt even had a calcium level over 375 in the last 2 years, and my growth rate and tank health is great in my opinion.

Essentially I agree with tmz, give it a few days. Leathers and softies can do this sometimes, and it goes away after a couple days.