Doughnut Coral Help

[bkulyk]

Hello All. This is my first post and I am desperate need of some help.

About two or three weeks ago, I added some additional sand to my tank. In the process I had to move my doughnut coral and it got mad at me. In it's upset, it retracted it's flesh so tightly against it's skeleton that it actually cut itself in many places. It started to heal and come back to it's previous glory but, some green alge appeared on the skeleton, and now it's just worsening. I have tried just about everything I can think of. I have even tried scraping off some of the alge, but the coral just got more upset and ended it worsening it's injurys. Now it's just getting worse and worse. It's tissue is receding and I don't know what to do.

Some body please please give me some advice so I can help my precious coral make a recovery as soon as possible.

Thank you in advance.

[DJ88©]

[moved]

[bkulyk]

Okay... Somebody has to have some useful, advice for this problem. I fear I don't have much time before my poor coral meets it's demise.

Please somebody, anybody... Help.

[spsboy]

I would buy some more hermit crabs and they will help eat the algae growing on the coral. Also put it in a place of less flow and just leave it alone. The more you play with it the more unhappy it will be. There's not much more you can do, except for your regular water chages.
Good luck,
Drew

[DesertBandits]

The only way your coral will have a good immune system response is if they live in a great ebnvironment. Lots of food (light) and clean and flowing water is going to make them flourish. There probably isn't much hope for this coral in your tank. Just take this as a lesson and try to refine the quality of your water in the future. As your tank becomes a stable healthy enironment you can expect better results with growing your corals.

[DesertBandits]

by the way. take not that even though you thought the coral cut throught itself that was probably not the case. an upset LPS can deflate and stretch its flesh so tight it looks like the bones are protruding. Remember coral flesh is 95-98% water, they can deflate alot, even become quite transparent in some situations. Your cleaning may have broken the flesh, where the coral would haver normaly bounced back in a few days.

[bkulyk]

I guess, I will try to continue to impove water conditions, and increase my lighting.

I realize that I am still relativly new to this but, I'm not foolish. I've seen what that coral looks like when upset and I assure you, it's skeleton was truly cutting through the flesh. You can tell because alge would not grow on the flesh it's self, only the skeleton.

Thanks everyone for the comments so far.

[Amphiprion]

The tissue can potentially recover the skeleton if good conditions are given and it is fed well.

[bkulyk]

I am having trouble feeding it because, it wont' extend it's tenticles, because it's so upset. I have tried offering phytoplancton, any other suggestions of what it might perfer to eat.

Thanks

[StashuDave]

You may want to wait to feed until after the lights have gone out. Most doughnut style corals will open up and extend their feeding tentacles at night, then you can offer them something large and meaty. I've used defrosted pieces of Formula 1 or VHP, anything that is a little larger for it to ingest, you'd be surprised how it will inflate and take food in. You may even have to "cover" the coral so that fish don't steal the food, I've used a Tupperware container that I flip over and put around/over the coral to keep the fish out, I even drilled holes in it to allow water flow. Other than that just quit messing with it, the more you move, play with it the less likely it is to recover, given time and good conditions it may come back. Dave

[bkulyk]

Thank you for your advice. I have been trying to feed at night time, but it still dosn't want to extend it's tentacles. I guess, I'm just going to have to keep trying to feed it and attempt to be patient.

Thanks again for you help.