Colt Coral under attack? Cladiella sp compatibility. 10/8/2010 Hello <Hi Kelly> Thanks for a great web site. I know I join lots of people around the world who use your site to learn more about this wonderful hobby <Thank you for the kind words.> Attached is a photo of my colt coral that seems to be being eaten alive. <Ouch!> Unfortunately the culprit has chosen a week while I am traveling so I am unable to do night time spot checks. <Of course... it is one of the constants in aquarium keeping.> I am also unable to ask my brother to move it to my quarantine tank because it seems to have "fused" itself onto a piece of live rock about half way up it's trunk <Not uncommon.> My only option is to try and identify the culprit and move it to my quarantine tank until I return in a week Mine is a 14 month old 250L tank and other inhabitants are (in suspect order) 1 small globe urchin, 1 large pincushion urchin, <Most urchins are herbivores, but there are some ones that are not reef safe. have a look here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/urchins.htm > 4 peppermint shrimp, <Likely. Peppermint shrimp are NOT reef safe.> 2 hermit crabs (plus any number of hitchhikers). <I never completely trust crabs, but it is unlikely.> I also have an assortment of small snails plus a turbo snail but I don't think it's them? <I agree.> On the fish suspect list (again in order) a juvenile Longnose butterfly, <Another distinct possibility http://www.wetwebmedia.com/forcipcompfaqs.htm> 2 clowns, and 1 yellow goby. Although butterflies have a reputation for nipping I have never seen the butterfly fish worry the coral in any way except if it is stealing food from them when I target feed the coral Do you have any suggestions? <I would remove the shrimp, then watch the butterfly very closely.> My follow up question is will this much damage to the trunk (caused in less than 5 days) be terminal? <This is more of a wait and see. If you see signs of it melting down, remove it ASAP.> Kelly <MikeV>

Dying shipment of Sarcophyton 01/10/10
Hello Crew,
<Rand>
Again, thanks for doing what you do. I received a cooler of 17 pieces of Sarcophyton from Fiji that were seized by customs.
<Argghhh! For what reason?>
When I opened the cooler, the state of the shipment was evident...coffee brown, horrible smelling water, coupled with suffocating corals and die off of all the hitchhiking organisms. Saw some really fierce looking Polychaetes that I haven't seen before, and some neat boring urchins with tests the size of pencil
erasers, but alas, they were dead.
I know that Sarcophyton is totipotent, and has remarkable regenerative abilities. I am wondering how to take advantage of them without completely fouling my system. I rinsed the corals eight or nine times and each time, the water was coffee brown by the last coral. I then placed them in a cooler with yet another change of water and an airstone and left for a couple hours. I returned to find the smell unbearable, which I half expected, and the water completely fouled again. Is there any way to salvage something from these unfortunate casualties of smuggling?
<Not likely... IF you have a huge amount of water, you can try changing this out, tossing the old completely... Till you're out of water or patience, which ever comes first... other than this...>
Thanks,
Randy Folds
<Bob Fenner>

Blown up Sarcophyton 8/8/10 Dear WWM Crew, <Thierry> I have looked up on your website and on Google but nowhere have I found a description of what is happening to my Sarcophyton (possibly due to a bad choice of search criteria, English not being my mother tongue). <No worries> I think a picture will explain better than words (see attached picture) <I see this> I was on vacation for a week, it was all happy and smiling then. When I returned (one week ago) it was somewhat shrunk with the polyps retracted but I didn't worry as corals do that once in a while (I believe). The blowing up started a couple of days ago. Should I just leave it alone, poke a hole, remove it before it bursts ? <I would leave this animal alone, leave it here in this system, but you need to address water quality... The BGA/Cyanobacteria growing on the stalk of the Sarcophyton is indicative of real trouble here. Please read: http://wetwebmedia.com/bluegralgae.htm and the linked files above. At the very least, I'd do a series of good-percentage water changes, change-out your chemical filter media for new> Thank you in advance for your help Best regards Thierry <Welcome, Bob Fenner>

Re: Blown up Sarcophyton 8/9/10 Hi Bob, <Thierry> Thanks a lot for replying so quickly. The coral did deflate by itself over the weekend and looks ok now. I guess I should have waited but the look of it was worrisome. Regarding water quality, I am currently fighting nitrates (19 ppm !). <Mmm, not too high... but likely the BGA is taking up a large amount beyond this> Note : the algaes visible on the picture are only limited to 2-3 spots in the aquarium. <But on the base/pedicle of the Soft/Leather coral as well... a very bad sign> Best regards and thanks again Thierry <Do please read where you were last referred to. Bob Fenner> Re: Blown up Sarcophyton - 8/9/10 Hello Bob, <Big T> If I may, I have one last question : You mention the BGA being a very bad sign. For the coral or for the tank ? <... both. The causes/allowances need to be addressed... now!> I did read the page you referred to. One possible explanation is that I reorganized my filtration system quite a bit but I haven't yet put a mechanical or chemical filtration in it (for about two months). I will make sure I correct this ASAP. (I do have a large skimmer and a large amount of live rock though). <Ah good> Best regards Thierry <And you, BobF> Re: Blown up Sarcophyton - 8/9/10 Hello Bob, Thanks a lot for your time and your help Best regards Thierry <Very glad to assist you my friend. BobF>

Please Help!!! Alcyoniid lack of data, reading 8/5/10
Hi, we just purchased a leather toadstool about a week ago. The worker at the pet shop told us to put it in a hole in the live rock, so we did.
<Without support, tying it in some way?>
today I got home from work and the coral was lying on its side in the sand and its polyps were retracted. it got very soft and limp, so now it won't stay in the rock. we now have it in between two rocks in the sand. Is it going
to be okay there or should I move it somewhere else?
<... read here: http://wetwebmedia.com/alcyonsysfaqs.htm
and the linked files above. Bob Fenner>
Re: Please Help!!! Alcyoniid lack of data, still not reading
I'm sorry to bother you, but I can't find an answer...Should I leave it there?
<... did you read where you were referred to? You have not provided sufficient information for a useful response... the system make up, water quality/tests, tankmates, history... Read. B>
Re: Please Help!!! Alcyoniid lack of data, .... reading
meaning...should I leave the coral in the sand between the rocks?? the polyps are coming back out now...but will it survive there?
thank you sooo much for your help!!
<... help yourself.>
Re: Please Help!!! Militant stupidity
umm ok. You suck. Don't see why you have a site to answer ppl's questions if
your not going to answer them. Doesn't make sense.
You could have just told me you don't know instead of help yourself!!
<... read here: http://wetwebmedia.com/faqstips.htm
Re: Please Help!!! Alcyoniid lack of data, .... reading 8/9/10
I knew that...My answer was not in the FAQs. It's okay I just left it in the sand, still alive so I'll just keep it there. Thanks! -Monica
<... had you read you'd know that Sarcophytons don't live in/on the sand...
Please, go back, read where you were referred. I/we can't help you if you won't. B>

Finger Leather Dying From Shipment--How To Salvage? -- 08/06/10 Hello! <<Hey Kelly!>> Huge fan! <<We are pleased to know this>> I ordered a shipment of coral from that very-big-and-appropriately-named saltwater fish store on the web; <<Okay>> everything arrived alive and is doing awesome, except for a finger leather which is looking like it wants to be a goner. <<Uh-oh>> The store has been very nice and issued a credit, <<Excellent>> so if I can save this guy it'll essentially be a freebie. <<Indeed>> The question is - *can* I save it? <<Dunno--maybe>> You can see in the attached circled pic that it's bleached and at least one finger (circled) has gone mushy and sloughed off its tissue. <<Ah yes>> Should I leave it in the tank whole, or should I cut off the brown healthy parts and plant them somewhere? <<Actually Kelly, this specimen does not look to be in exceedingly bad condition. If the photos are accurate, the areas you assume to be bleached are simply normal variations of color--the real problem I see here is the necrotic tissue (the withering/sloughing fingers). If it were me, I would remove the necrotic tissue and leave the rest of the animal as is and observe it for a while>> Or is this a goner and just going to poison my water? <<Is worth a try to save>> I'm a newbie at this so any instructions should be spelled out for any idiot to understand::grin:: <<Place the animal in a container of tank water (like you show in the pics) and use a sharp Exacto-knife/scalpel, or you can use a new single-edge razor blade, and carefully excise any dead and dying tissue being sure to cut back to healthy tissue. Rinse the leather in a separate container of clean saltwater, and place in quarantine if you're using such protocol, or back in your system--keeping an eye on it for any further decomposition. It also wouldn't hurt to dose Iodide/Iodate (following manufacturer instruction), if not doing so already. Do also have a look here (http://www.wetwebmedia.com/softcorhealth.htm ) and here (http://www.wetwebmedia.com/softcorpropfaqs.htm ), as well as among the associated links at the top of the pages>> Thanks! Kelly <<Happy to share'¦ Eric Russell>>

Sick Toad? 7/24/10 Dear WWM Crew I had this Toadstool for 8 months and its growing steady. In the past couple weeks I notices his body is not standing upright and at the base, there is a hole. (picture included)Just a rip from the weight or a worm or other beast eating at him? <Maybe, but...> I do dose Iodine and had been spraying him locally with Iodine. Should I cut him half and throw away the part with the hole? <Is one approach... I might first try to bait a trap, have a flashlight out to check periodically at night re finding, removing the munching predator> Any suggestion would be great! Thank again Phil <Could also be some sort of chemical influence is malaffecting your Alcyoniid... in particular the two sponge colonies that are proximal. There are a few things folks can do re... Please read here: http://wetwebmedia.com/cnidcompppt.htm and the linked files in series... and write back if this, your options aren't clear. Bob Fenner>

Sick Coral? - 7-14-10 Hi Guys! <And some gals Christine> I purchased what I believe is a finger leather coral this weekend. It hasn't come out fully since getting it home, which apparently may or may not be normal depending on what you read. <Yes> The parameters in my tank are all "normal," and there are other established corals that are thriving in it. My concern for this new guy is that there is a spot on it about the size of a pea that has developed since getting it home, and I think it might be necrosis. <I see this> I have attached an image of the coral, and circled the area of concern. There's also some sandy bits it has attached to at the base, which look weirder in the picture than they look in real life. I read the post about cutting off necrosis [Green Finger problem (?), see below] and am willing to attempt this, but I want to make sure that 1) it is necrosis and needs to be cut off, and 2) there's no way it's going to just go away on its own. <I would not cut this area away just yet. Likely better to just wait, see if it heals of its own accord... In the meanwhile, you should seek whatever is mal-affecting this colony here> Also, I increased my protein skimming in the meantime as suggested in a previous post, which temporarily led to bubbles in the tank. I decided to just leave them on the sick coral instead of screwing with him- should I try and blow them off with a turkey baster or something? <No; I would not... the specimen is overly sticky due to...?> Finally, is there any chance that this will infect my other corals? <Yes... the most likely "explanation/cause" of what you're observing is allelopathy twixt your Cnidarians... Please read here: http://wetwebmedia.com/cnidcompppt.htm and the linked files above... Best to adopt/adapt the acclimation through isolation protocol detailed there> Thanks - you're my hero! Christine http://www.wetwebmedia.com/softcorhealth.htm <Bob Fenner>

Re: Sick Coral? Alcyoniid -- 7/14/10 Hi Bob, <Christine> Thanks for getting back to me so quickly - I really appreciate your help. Also, I didn't mean to offend the ladies... <Ah yes... a descriptive use of the term nowayears I guess> I call everyone guys, my bad. I read the link that you sent to me, and you are right on. Today I brushed by a large patch of pulsing xenia, which is about 6 inches from the leather, enough that their pulsers closed, and they had surrounded themselves with a thin layer of clear goo. Almost immediately the stalk on the finger leather turned darker and shriveled. The xenia were up and about in 2 minutes, but the leather is taking longer to "recover" to its moderately shriveled state. I'm pretty sure at this point that there is an allelopathic interaction occurring between the two and that the xenia are most likely emitting small amounts of allelotoxins constantly. <Yes> I will begin immediately with more frequent water changes & aggressive skimming. I can't move my xenia, should I move the already perturbed finger leather? <Yes I would... to another established system if you have one> My tank is 29 gallons + a 5 gallon built in overflow (Red Sea Max with some minor modifications), is there room for both of these, or are they likely to duke it out to the death? <May be the latter... only time can/will tell in such situations> Do you have any other suggestions as to what I should be doing in addition to the link you sent to me? Thanks again! Christine <Unfortunately no. BobF>

Sinularia coral.. reading, data, lack of 6/25/10 <Hello Benita> Hope you can help, bought this coral a week ago it has a white stalk and yellow top, the polyps when they are out are short flower shaped a bit like my toadstool, I was told it was a Sinularia <Could be, yes> Problem been have since been told by a friend that it has been dyed - would like your expert advice on what you think dyed or not. if it is dyed can I save it or will it end up dying? <Looks like, yes. Can recover with good care though, you make no mention of any useful data. Read, search on WWM re: the care of these quite easily kept animals http://www.wetwebmedia.com/alcyoniids.htm> this is a pic 2nd day after buying it polyps were not out. thank you for your help great site Benita <Simon>

Dyed... and dying

Trouble With Fiji Leather/Nitrate Control 5/21/10
Hi,
<Hello Jason>
For the last eight months I have been struggling with nitrates in one and a half year old system. I have a 125 gallon display tank and a 30 gallon sump with about 20 gallons of water. I've had nitrates as high as 80+ and I do a 15% to 20% water change each week.
<Yikes.>
When I started to get concerned, I took the sand out of my refugium and then I took the sand out of my display tank (I only had 3" to 4" of sand in the DI, and I thought it wasn't deep enough and could have been releasing waste due to the high flow in my tank). I have done everything I could think of to remove any sort of dissolved waste in my tank. I even got a bigger skimmer (Reef Octopus Extreme 200) and I run my overflow water through a
filter sock, which I replace every three or four days. I've even been dosing vodka!
<I wouldn't let this problem cause me to drink.:)>
But I still have nitrates between 20 and 40.
<Still too high.>
I lost all my SPS and LPS corals, but my soft corals are doing pretty well. At least, they look nice, but I've noticed that they aren't growing much.
<More tolerable to water conditions than SPS/LPS.>
Even my mushrooms really aren't spreading. I've started to wonder if my large Fiji leather coral could be causing problems.
<Is likely the other way around. Your mushrooms are semi-aggressive if they are near another coral.
They will/can cause other corals to loose tissue, recess, possibly die.
Acroporas for one, will not grow in aquariums with large mushroom populations.
Be sure to leave 5 to 6 inches between the mushrooms and your Leather Coral.>
It has been in my tank for almost a year and is about 10" in diameter when fully open. However, even though it has pretty good polyp extension, it doesn't get bright yellow. Kind of a golden yellow. And the crown doesn't stand up, but lays pretty flat, like a large shitake mushroom.
I have noticed in the past some small holes in the base of the colony, but I never really worried about it. Could this coral be doing something that is keeping my nitrates up?
<Unlikely.>
Right now it isn't in direct water flow, but I do have two Koralia 4 pumps moving water, and a Quiet One 4000 for circulation. I also have 175 watt MH lights over the tank.
BTW, I don't think the tank is too heavily stocked. I have a 5" Foxface, a 5" Yellow tank <Tang>, a 4" Red Sea Sailfin tank <Tang>, two ocellaris clowns and four Chromis. I also have a serpent start <star> and a couple
handfuls of blue-leg hermit crabs and an assortment of snails. I feed a sheet of Nori and some flake food every day, and I feed Mysis and Cyclop-eeze every other day.
<Do rinse all frozen foods through a net before feeding. The waste water is a source of nitrates.>
My other water parameters are pretty good. No ammonia or nitrite and really low phosphate. Ca is 480+, dKH is 9, and Mg is 1200+. SG is 1.025 and pH is between 8.2 and 8.4. Only thing that isn't ideal is that temp fluctuates during the day between 78 and 80 degrees.
<No problem with that.>
Is there anything I should do? I don't have a quarantine tank. Should I find a new home for my coral? Or should I keep looking for the source of nitrates?
<My first action would be to reduce the substrate depth in the display tank to no more than a couple of inches. Deeper sand beds can cause nitrate problems as they age if a healthy population of micro fauna does not exist in the sand bed.
Minimize stirring up the sand bed when doing this, is best to siphon out the sand during your water changes. I would add some Caulerpa in the refugium if you have none, can/will help in removing nutrients from the system.
May also want to read here and related articles/FAQ's found in the header.
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/nitratesmar.htm >
Thanks for any help you can offer!
<You're welcome. James (Salty Dog)>
Jason
Re Trouble With Fiji Leather/Nitrate Control 5/21/10
Thanks, James.
<Welcome.>
I've got some Chaeto and bits and pieces of Caulerpa in my fuge. Periodically I thin it out and feed it to my tangs.
<Good.>
As I mentioned, I actually took all the sand out of my tanks.
<Ah, I see that now, missed a line.>
I took the sand out of my display tank about 6 weeks ago. I'll put an inch or so back in the tank once I get nitrates back in line. At the moment, all I have in my system, besides the livestock, are about 150 lbs of rock and the aforementioned Chaeto and Caulerpa.
<Have you ever compared your nitrate reading with another/different test kit?>
I'll read the FAQ you recommend. If the big leather isn't causing the problem, can you think of anything else that might be causing the high nitrates? I'm really stumped...
<I'd make sure your kit is reading correctly, and to concentrate on your feeding regime. Best to feed small amounts a little more often and only feed what the fish will eat in no more than a five minute period. Uneaten food over the long haul can lead to nitrate problems.
Even with a clean up crew, food can get into crevices/areas where no critter can get to. You may want to take
a nitrate test of your source water if not using a R/O device. And, do read the
article I sent along with related items found in the header.>
Thanks,
<You're welcome. James (Salty Dog)>
Jason

Leather Toadstool base 5/10/10
crew,
<Gary>
I have a problem with my Toadstool Leather which doesn't seem to want to extend its polyps anymore, looking on here and the net it doesn't seem to be going through a state of shedding a layer. It used to extend and have a diameter of around 6 inch. The only thing that has changed in my system since this started happening is I added a canister filter with Live Rock Rubble, Seachem Matrix Carbon and Salifert Phosphate Killer
<A mistake... these and other chemosynthetic life need some soluble phosphate to live>
and a UV Sterilizer. I also moved my powerheads from the side of my tank glass to the back but have not changed the direction of flow it was merely to move them more from sight. My parameters are Ammonia 0.0, Nitrite 0.0, Nitrate 0.0,
<And NO3... these are essential nutrients>
PH 8.2,
Phosphate 0.00, S.G. 1.022.
<Too low...>
I add Salifert All In One once a week and do 40% water changes monthly.
All my other corals are flourishing which includes 2 types of mushrooms which are multiplying, Green Star Polyps, Clove Polyps, Button Polyps, Zoanthids and Mouse's Ear Coral.
<Some of these are too likely poisoning the Sarcophyton as well... Read
here: http://wetwebmedia.com/cnidcompppt.htm
and the linked files above>
That's it for the background now to the full extent of the problem. As I said it doesn't seem to want to reveal it polyps anymore although it does rise up and isn't drooping. The main worry is that it has a ring/band of brown around the bottom of it from where its attached to the rock to about 1/2 an inch up. To describe the brown ring is quite difficult, its browny
green reddish and seems as if its kind of flaking or could possibly be rubbed off. Like I said other than it not extending and this problem around its base it looks very healthy. I just want to rejuvenate it as it is my main attraction and I would hate to lose it. Thanks for hearing me out and any help would be appreciated.
Thanks in advance.
Gary,
<Read, soon... be ready to remove this animal. Bob Fenner>
Leeds, England.

Re Toadstool Issues/Sarcophyton Health/Systems 4/12/10 4/15/10
Hi James
<Chris>
I was finally able to grab an iodine testing kit along with some Kent Iodine supplement last night. I tested the water and determined that there was no iodine present so completed the initial dosing as stated on the bottle (1 cap for ever 50 gallons).
I'll retest again tonight, but at this point can you suggest on how to proceed. If undetectable, should I repeat the above, or should I now get into the daily drops.
The SeaTest kit that I purchased indicates that the reading level should be at 0.006. Can you verify that this is correct for a reef.
<Retest until you can read 0.06, then follow dosing directions on the bottle.
You may want to retest in a couple of weeks, you may need to increase/decrease dosage.>
Sorry to bother you on this, but was unable to find a definitive answer in the faq's.
<Oops, the average iodine level in sea water is 0.064.>
Thanks for your help
<You're welcome. James (Salty Dog)>
Chris

Toadstool Mushroom Help, hlth. 3/17/09
Hi All,
I have a large toadstool mushroom that has some tissue damage on it. I was away for the weekend, and one of my colt leather corals decided to reproduce by dropping some of its branches. Consistent with my luck, one of the colt branches became lodged in a powerhead intake, and proceeded to spray bits and pieces of itself onto the toadstool mushroom that usually enjoys the current from the powerhead. There are two white, spot, about 1in in diameter on the toadstool now, the tissue is dying and beginning to fall off. I'm guessing this is probably due from chemicals from the colt?
<Possibly>
The spots are almost exactly where the flow from the powerhead hits the toadstool, and now its has been retracted for a few days. I have removed the remaining bits of the colt from the intake, and cleaned it thoroughly, but is there anyway I can help the toadstool?
<Mmm, I'd dose (double) whatever Iodine-containing supplement you have/use (Lugol's?)... and an hour or more later double up on activated carbon in your filter flow path... That, and stay observant>
Thank you so much,
Dan
<Welcome. Bob Fenner>

Problem with my Reef tank....Please help..
Light Acclimation 3/13/09
Hi guys,
<Hello Phil>
I have a Trigon 350 <liters> and haven't had many problems, all parameters where fine although my pH level was a little low (7.9 - 8.0) However I never tried to rectify this as all my Corals where doing fine..
However about 1 month ago my lighting system (The Trigon fluorescents system) broke and I therefore bought a Metal Halide system. ( 2x 150 w Metal Halides and 4 x Blue actin tubes).
As soon as I put this light into action my pH shot up to 8.5 and my leather Mushroom corals seem to be withering and shrinking.
<With that drastic a change in light intensity, light acclimation is necessary here.>
Also there seems to be a mass of green algae appearing on the glass.. (
This stuff is a nightmare getting rid of it as it won't budge.)
There are no Nitrites, Ammonia, present my Nitrate seems high.. 80ppm.
<Bingo, intense light, a food source and rapid photosynthesis/growth takes place. The food, in the form of nitrates needs to be removed. Read here. http://www.wetwebmedia.com/nitratesmar.htm>
My main question is this Lighting to high for my tank
<No>
and do I need to move my corals around to keep them out of the full lighting as they are near the top of my reef, still about 6-7inches below water..
<Do read here and related articles/FAQ's.
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/acclimcoralslight.htm>
Thank you very much for your help.
<You're welcome. James (Salty Dog)>
Phil.