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FAQs about Mussid Coral Health/Disease, Pests 2
Related Articles:
Coral Pests and Disease; pests, predators, diseases and conditions
by Sara Mavinkurve, Mussid Corals,
Related FAQs: Mussid Health 1,
Mussids 1, Mussids 2,
Mussid Identification, Mussid
Behavior, Mussid Compatibility,
Mussid Selection, Mussid Systems,
Mussid Feeding, Mussid
Reproduction, Stony/True Coral,
Coral System Set-Up, Coral System
Lighting, Stony Coral Identification,
Stony Coral Selection, Coral Placement, Foods/Feeding/Nutrition,
Disease/Health, Propagation,
Growing Reef Corals, Stony
Coral Behavior, | 
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My Acan has worms (?)
Dear Crew,
<Russ>
I received an Acan frag in a trade yesterday. The frag appeared healthy
in the tank of the original owner; however, when I arrived home I
noticed some stringy material coming in the bag with the coral. At first
I assumed this was mucus, but when I went to lift the coral from the bag
all the "strings" seemed to retract back to the surface of the coral. On
the surface, there appeared to be many objects that looked like balled
up threads, as if it had been rolled between your fingers.
<Mmm>
Upon closer inspection, I could distinguish some slow movement in these
objects. What concerns me more is that I then noticed several spots on
the surface of the coral where it appeared as though these worms
(assumption) are coming through the flesh of the coral. I took the
following pic
<No image attached, linked... embedding doesn't work with this program>
in hopes that you can help me identify what these creatures may be. I
hope it is clear enough to give you an idea of what I'm seeing. Oh, and
yes, this piece (as with all new arrivals) will be going into quarantine
not my
display.
<Thank goodness... well, your forethought>
Thanks, as always, for your help.
<I suspect these "worms" may be part of this coral's structure, but even
if separate organisms, not likely deleterious... or so much so that the
colony will perish as a consequence, or "spread" troubles to your other
organisms.
Please do send along a well-resolved image. Bob Fenner>
Re: My Acan has worms (?)
10/21/09
My apologies. Here is another attempt with the photo attached this time.
<Mmmm, well... these might be worms (if so, best guess at phylum is the
Nematodes)... Or just "mesenterial filaments"... IF you're very
concerned you could run a vermifuge in your quarantine to eradicate if
Vermes... See WWM re. BobF>
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Re: My Acan has worms (?) 11/9/09
I never got a response to this after attaching the image. I know you all
are busy so I figured I would make another attempt. Please let me know
if the image changes your opinion at all. I still have not been able to
locate another image or account that seems similar to this. Thanks, as
always, for your input.
<Mmm, strange. I did respond to this. Posted here:
http://wetwebmedia.com/mussiddisfaq2.htm
BobF>
Re: My Acan has worms (?)
Ah, thank you. I somehow missed the second reply.
<I see... did these "worms" go away? I do think they are likely part of
your Acanthastrea. BobF>
Re: My Acan has worms (?)
No, they have not gone away. They are not as prominent as they were when
the coral was more stressed after transport, but if I blow a jet of
water on the coral to deflate the flesh I can still notice some of these
small "bundles". When left alone, the coral seems otherwise healthy.
They don't seem to be doing any damage to the coral, and do not attempt
to leave the coral (I tried baiting with meaty food), but they are
strange enough (to me at least) that I don't yet trust them to be
"harmless". I would be happy to learn that they are part of the
Acanthastrea, and not a parasite. If this were the case, would it be
normal to see this or would the emergence of these be a result of
stress?
<Don't know... but I do want to relate that I've seen such as this in
the wild, underwater. As long as the animal/colony is otherwise okay, I
would not be concerned. Interesting to speculate that these may function
as some sort of "lure" to attract prey. Cheers! BobF
Re: My Acan has worms (?)
Thanks for sharing your observations and thoughts. I will continue to
monitor, but am becoming less concerned. I will let you know if I make
any other interesting observations.
<Thank you for sharing. BobF>
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Scolymia, hlth. 9/26/09
Hi Bob, I wonder if you can help me. I purchased a Scolymia approx 4
months ago.
It was green and brown (maroon), it would polyp up for most of the day
and was feeding well. It is placed on the substrate. Approx 3 weeks ago
I noticed that it seemed to be losing its colour and wasn't feeding as
readily.
<Bad signs>
At first I thought maybe it was the light so I gently moved it a couple
of inches so that it was shaded by an overhang but this has made no
difference, I also checked that there wasn't anything close to it which
could sting it, apart from another Scolymia there is nothing within 8
inches of it.
I have just returned from a two week holiday (Have removed location/RMF
- lucky me) and found that it has now become virtually white.
<!? Very bad>
It has no maroon/brown pigment left at all and the green is now a
fluorescent yellow.
I don't know why the Scolymia is bleaching. It is still inflating but
not as much and is not feeding well although it is taking chopped mussel
and mysis shrimp in small amounts. My husband maintained the tank whilst
I was on holiday and he said he had great difficulty getting it to feed
although since I got home I have managed to feed it a few bits of
chopped mussel every night this week (I've had to stand guard to keep
the fish and shrimps away or they steal the food from it).
My tank
is 72x24x24
Photoperiod is
2 x Actinic Blue 1200 - 2300,
2 x 54w Actinic 'Daylight' 1600hrs - 2230
2 x 250MH 1700 - 2200
<I'd extend the "white light" time... to another couple hours per day>
Water Params:
Temp 76 degrees
Salinity 1.025
Calc 430
Mag 1500
<This is a little high... I'd keep closer to 3X Ca conc.>
Phos 0
<Have to have some...>
Nitrite 0
Ammonia 0
Nitrate <0.05
<And more of NO3>
PH 8.2
I also have a Red and Green Scolymia purchased a week after the above
and this is fine, eating well, inflating well and not bleaching, it is
placed alongside the above Scolymia and they do occasionally touch each
other if they both polyp up at the same time.
<... you state above that nothing touches the one poorly Mussid>
I also have a red Cynarina coral which is about 8 inches away from the
two scolys and this is also very healthy. Everything else in the tank is
likewise doing
very well.
Tank stock:
Symphyllia
Lobophyllia x 2
Trachyphyllia
Hammer
Physogyra lichtensteini 3
Plerogyra sp x 2
Plerogyra sinuosa x 3
Toadstools x 4
Anchor x 1
Goniopora x 5
Alveopora x 1
Gorgonian x 4
Pom Pom Xenia x 4
Sinularia
Turbinaria
Candy cane
Organ Pipe x 2
Sun Corals x 4
I'm not sure what more I should be doing to try to get this coral back
to full health so that it feeds well and returns to its proper
colouring. I have not seen any zooxanthellae expulsion.
I carry out a 100 litre water change every week which is approx 15%, I
add 3ml amino acids alternate days and feed the tank 5ml of live phyto 3
times a week.
<Mmmm... nothing here consumes this directly>
I run carbon for one week
in every 3 weeks. I have a refugium in my sump which is lit when the
display tank lights are off.
Can you please advise on what I should do to rescue this animal?
Pauline Grover
<Nothing other than my notes "jumps out" here as terminally off... The
fact that your other stony corals, even members of the same family,
genus are doing well is telling... I would ask that you review here:
http://wetwebmedia.com/mussiddisfaqs.htm
and the linked files above in the hope that something will become live
to your conscience... The more plausible "cause" here is allelopathy...
the second, some sort of direct trauma... but from what? Bob Fenner>
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Invertebrate ID and Bleaching 5/27/2009
Hey, I have another favor to ask of you,
<Hi Darren.>
I bought another coral over the past week and I have a concern with it. It
was told to me it was a Large polyp stony, called a pineapple or Favia
species of coral,
<Hmm, it is a Brain or Pineapple coral, family Mussidae. More information
here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/mussidae.htm >
a search of a few websites seems to confirm this, but the LFS told me that
it likes pretty intense lighting from metal halide,
<Depends on the species.>
so I placed it on top of my display tank near the light I have, a Solaris
14inch LED fixture, which again to me seems as bright as at least a 250
watt metal halide, and the concern I have is that it seems to be bleaching,
especially the reddish brown raised portion of the coral,
<Likely so.>
the green "eyes" don't seem to be affected as much yet, but the coral in
general doesn't seem to be as colorful and full of life as it was in the
store tank, and they had it in a large metal halide lit tank.
<May have been under metal halides, but still a lot of variables, hold old
were the bulbs, water clarity, etc.>
I acclimated the coral very slowly and the parameters of my tank are what I
think pretty pristine, so I ask of you your expertise on if I should
re-locate this new coral to a lower more shaded area, or let it recover
from whatever it is that it doesn't seem to like about my tank?
<Definitely get it lower in the tank, near the bottom, and start working it
up over the course of a couple of weeks until you find a spot it seems to be
happiest. You can do some supplemental feeding to help overcome the
bleaching.>
Thanks in advance for your help....
<My pleasure>
Darren
<MikeV>
Re: pH
problems - Favia bleaching 5-27-09
Hey, I have another favor to ask of you, I bought another coral over the
past week and I have a concern with it. It was told to me it was a Large
polyp stony, called a pineapple or Favia species of coral, a search of a
few websites seems to confirm this, but the LFS told me that it likes
pretty
intense lighting from metal halide, so I placed it on top of my display
tank near the light I have, a Solaris 14inch LED fixture, which again to
me seems as bright as at least a 250 watt metal halide, and the concern
I have is that it seems to be bleaching, especially the reddish brown
raised
portion of the coral, the green "eyes" don't seem to be affected as much
yet, but the coral in general doesn't seem to be as colorful and full of
life as it was in the store tank, and they had it in a large metal
halide lit tank. I acclimated the coral very slowly and the parameters
of my tank
are what I think pretty pristine, so I ask of you your expertise on if I
should re-locate this new coral to a lower more shaded area, or let it
recover
from whatever it is that it doesn't seem to like about my tank? Thanks
in advance for your help....Darren
I'm attaching 2
pics of the coral.
<Hi Darren, not to step into what Mike has already done with you. I
noticed that you have another coral in close proximity to this one. Two
things immediately come to mind. First, you say you think your lights
are equal to a metal halide but is easy to get the exact specs on them
and
compare to be sure. Second, did they have them under 100's or 250's or
what kind of halide because that makes a difference as well. And
finally,
Okay yeah I have three points not two, I think that you may have issues
with the other coral stinging this Favia. I would suggest moving it or
the
other a bit farther apart.>
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Maintenance and Water Quality
Issues in a 14g BioCube – 05/01/09
Hi Eric,
<<Hi Beth>>
Just got back in town the other day and Holy Sick Aquarium Batman!!
<<Uh-oh!>>
I really do have to join a local aquarium club for some support when I
have to leave town.
<<Doing so…and gaining the “local” support and advice of others sharing
your passion can be a real boon>>
Believe it or not, the Sea Pen is the only thing that has done well in
my absence. The tank has a horrible red algae bloom, my Xenia was torn
in half, my hermit crab decided that he liked the shell that the Xenia
was partially attached to and made it his new home. The Xenia does not
look like it's going to make it. My frogspawn, candy coral, Ricordea and
doughnut coral all look deflated and stressed. I lost one of my feather
dusters and all of my mushroom anemones.
<<Does sound like things have taken a serious downturn>>
The feather dusters are connected together and I haven't seen one of
them emerge from his tube. Another one decided that he didn't like his
tube and is now sharing a tube with another one. Do I just leave the
empty tubes alone?
<<I would… Trying to remove it will likely just cause more undue
stress…possible physical harm>>
The protein skimmer and the well it sits in smelled horrible. I removed
the skimmer and thoroughly cleaned it with hot water and toothbrush. I
also siphoned the debris at the bottom of the well that contains the
protein skimmer.
<<A good move>>
I did a 25% water change the first day and I siphoned out all of the red
algae that I could reach.
<<Another good strategy…and the siphoning will probably need to be
repeated periodically>>
I added Kent Marine Nano Reef supplements A and B.
<<I would not add “anything” until you get the tank back in “balance”…
And this will best be done through frequent partial water changes…say
25% twice a week for two weeks…and then reevaluate at that time>>
I also turned on my extra powerhead to boost circulation and prevent the
red algae from coming back.
<<It will come back for now…but the extra circulation is another good
move>>
I normally do not run the extra powerhead because I only have a 14g
BioCube and my frogspawn and doughnut do not seem to like the extra
current.
<<I see… Keeping a noxious mix of corals is often more complicated in
such small volumes…but does make water changes easy, and is the single
best way to keep up with water quality>>
I tested the parameters of water and readings are good except for
nitrates. So I performed a 10% water change on the second day. Nitrate
came down from 50ppm to 35ppm.
<<This is likely a large part of your issues here. I would strive to get
this reading below 5ppm (you should step up the water changes)>>
The corals have dramatically improved in appearance.
<<And should continue to do so…just keep bringing down that Nitrate
reading>>
However the doughnuts mouth is wide open and my pipe coral is not coming
out.
<<May be a delayed recovery…or maybe these have been more seriously
damaged>>
My Firefish is acting kind of weird, he is normally very shy, but as I
type, he is swimming in place at the center of the tank. Kind of like
riding the current. I think those are all the problems that I have
encountered so far. I look forward to any helpful suggestions.
Thanks again,
Beth
<<Water changes, water changes, water changes… Be chatting… EricR>>
Re: Maintenance and Water
Quality Issues in a 14g BioCube – 05/01/09
Hi Eric,
<<Hey Beth>>
So sorry to bother you again.
<<No bother my friend>>
I had to ask another question about my doughnut coral.
<<Okay>>
He seemed to be doing alright. He was my newest addition to the tank,
about 3 weeks ago, and never seemed to be fully expanded or symmetrical.
Today he was symmetrical as well as expanded. His mouth finally closed
somewhat but a few minutes ago he let go of his footing.
<<Lost footing? As in became “detached” from its skeleton? Not good…>>
I currently have placed him in the sand with a shell weighing him down
so he does not float behind the rocks. Doughnut know what to do.
Thanks
Beth
<<In my experience, large polyped corals such as this never
recover/reattach to the skeleton…is but a matter of time I’m afraid.
EricR>>
R2: Maintenance and Water
Quality Issues in a 14g BioCube – 05/01/09
Eric,
<<Beth>>
Sorry, should revise previous email. The doughnut has separated from its
skeleton.
<<Ah yes…did surmise such, but thank you for clarifying. EricR>>
R4: Maintenance and Water Quality Issues in a 14g BioCube –
05/03/09
Good Morning Eric,
<<Hello Beth>>
Thanks for confirmation on actions taken in response to Operation Death
Tank.
<<Quite welcome>>
I will hold off on additional supplements until the tank is healthy
again.
<<Excellent…is best>>
A question about more aggressive action.
<<Okay>>
I have another salt water tank that was set up at the same time as my
BioCube. I only stock live rock in this aquarium with no base substrate.
Some people collect spoons or marbles, I collect live rock. Okay..... I
collect spoons, marbles and live rock.
<<Ha!>>
Should I transfer corals over to my live rock tank with the exception of
my chili, Featherduster and sea pen in order to clean the wells of my
BioCube?
<<Might not hurt to do so with the stonies>>
I know that the wells are very slimy from the dead mushrooms and a good
cleaning could possibly improve my nitrate levels more quickly than
water changes alone.
<<Yes…no doubt>>
Also, until the nitrate level has been reduced, what volume of water do
you recommend for water changes and how often should it be done.
<<A couple 50% changes a day apart should show some significant
improvement…done in conjunction with the “cleanings” you mention>>
Could you describe to me how the doughnut forms his skeleton?
<<I’m guessing by “doughnut” you have Cynarina lacrymalis… This coral
forms/grows its skeleton as any other hard or “stony” coral does…through
the extraction of bio-minerals from the surrounding water. If you’re
interested in the science of it, you may find more info with a good
search of the web…or you can visit a local college library>>
and the relationship between the skeleton and coral?
<<Mmm, I would describe this as “necessary for life”>>
How does the skeleton keep him alive?
<<By providing an anchor, support, and protection for the polyp…and
possibly an avenue for nutrient distribution>>
Is it like the relationship between fetus and mother?
<<More like flower petal and receptacle (the attachment point of the
petal), I think>>
An umbilical cord where there is a transfer of nutrients?
<<Not to the same extent…if at all>>
Or does the skeleton act only as a support for the doughnut?
<<Not so simplistic…but does provide “support”>>
If it acts as a support only and nutrients will not be lost due to the
separation, could the doughnut be reattached to the skeleton manually?
<<I have never seen this work>>
Would puncturing the doughnut with a needle kill it and could he heal
around a suture?
<<I have seen this done with some of the so-called “leather” corals
(Toadstool, etc.), but I wouldn’t recommend this procedure for a
large-polyped coral such as this. Your water quality issues were the
cause of the polyp bail-out… Addressing these will certainly benefit the
remaining corals/any future additions. You could try a few spots of
superglue in an attempt to hold the polyp in place in hopes that it will
reattach to its skeleton on its own…but I do fear/expect that the
Cynarina is lost>>
Thanks Again,
Beth
<<Happy to share. Eric Russell>>
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Injured Coral? 04/24/09
Good afternoon, I am a little worried about my "button" coral. Although
he (she?) continues to expand and contract regularly and displays feeding
tentacles at night, the flesh seems to have receded on the one side and
there is skeleton showing. Could this be an injury from hermits, snails or
our urchin? Or is this a sign of something else?
<I could be wrong, but this does look like an injury more than a decline in
health... but I can't be sure.>
- 75 gallon display, 20 gallon sump, approx 80 lbs live rock, 2yrs old
- ammonia, nitrite, nitrate all 0
- PH approx 8.1 - 8.3
- salinity .025 <I assume you mean 1.025>
- calcium approx 380
the coral is about 18 months old, has undergone several moves in the tank
but seems happy where he is (for maybe six months). He is not close to
anyone else in the tank. Nearest neighbor is a torch coral.
<Uh oh... this could be the culprit if within up to 6in.>
No changes in occupants or landscape since November. I have attached a
picture in hopes of some help. I rarely target feed my corals because they
are all growing and appear healthy (up to now), but perhaps I should be.
<A little target feeding here might not hurt...>
I own Eric Borneman's coral reference book, but couldn't really come up
with a diagnosis from it. We are nowhere near a LFS so I don't even have
anyone else I could ask for an opinion. Thanks in advance for any help you
may be able to offer. Melanie
<I don't know if it's just the angle of the photo or what, but the way this
coral is "receding" looks odd to me. Usually, when a coral starts to
recede, the rest of the coral shows at least some signs of declining
health. But your coral looks great except for that one spot. Also, it's
showing mesenterial filaments. This could be a result of the injury, or a
way of fending off an attack. That's why I say it looks like it was
injured or is being stung (imo, again, I could be wrong-- I suppose time
will tell). How this happened is better your guess than mine... maybe a
hermit or another coral.
Cheers,
Sara M.>
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Brain Coral Issue 8/2/08
Hello,
<Hi there Greg>
I
recently purchased a brain coral (Lobophyllia corymbosa?).
<Maybe>
It has about 6 polyps.? However, one of the polyps will
not open (see attached picture).? It seems to have closed up after
cleaning a lot of coralline algae off the sides of the aquarium.?
<Could be an influence>
All the other polyps are doing fine, so I
don't think it's a water quality issue or conditions.? Anything I
can do to get this last polyp to open up?
Thanks,
Greg
<Likely is fine... I would do nothing extraordinary here... perhaps
a bit of iodine/ide supplement to the water (for the western
inertia)... Bob Fenner> | 
Re: Brain Coral Issue ??? 8/8/08
Hello Again,
<Greg?>
Just to update, the one polyp on the
Lobophyllia diminuta did not survive.? This evening after
returning home, the tissue of the one polyp was disintegrating.?
No problem though, I just brushed it away in clean tank water
and put it back in the tank.? All other 9 polyps on this piece
appear to be doing fine.? I have no idea what would have caused
the one polyp to go south, while the others did fine.? Anyway, I
now have one clean and white skeleton next to the other polyps.?
Any chance the one skeleton can be repopulated.?
<Yes>
Please say yes!!!
<Ok>
Thanks,
Greg?
<BobF?>
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Troubled over moon brain coral 03/24/08
Hi Crew,
I have a
quick question. I am actually fairly new at having a reef system. I
have a 55 gal. tank and I purchased a piece of moon brain coral I
believe it to be about 7 months ago.
<This is a Mussidae sp.,
not usually called "brain coral." They're usually called "brain
corals." Please see here:
http://www.asira.org/lobophylliasymphylliaothermussideans
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/mussidae.htm>
I've attached a photo.
When I brought it as you can see it seem to be health. However, as
of about a couple of weeks ago I got to noticing how bad it was
looking started to turn red/brown color looking.
<Hmm, darkening
in color is necessarily a sign of declining health.>
Just over
two days ago after I did a water change and system clean it has had
a hole to develop in the middle of it.
<Are you sure this isn't
the "mouth" of the polyp gapping?>
I have gave it live marine
phytoplankton,
<This is good for your tank life in general, but
doesn't directly feed this coral (feeds it more indirectly).>
moved it under the rock to the shade more as well as feeding it
frozen foods, about once a week (as I have been doing since
purchase). What I need to know if I should be worried about possible
other reef I have introduced into my tank has caused to go down
hill.
<I'm not entirely convinced it is going down hill. Can you
take a picture of what it looks like now?>
The last thing I put
in was some sun coral and mushrooms and two anemones this was
several months after I had purchased this piece of brain coral? And
what possible I could do to nurse it back to health? And should I
move to another tank? If you could get back with me with a answer
that would be awesome.
<Again, I could probably help you more if
I were more sure of if there is actually anything wrong (pic
would/will help).>
Thanks for your help
Nikki
<De nada,
Sara M.> | 
Sara... you've got to move the files... RMF
|
Cynarina lacrymalis question -02/07/08
Greetings!
I was hoping
that you could help me with what is, I believe, a donut coral, as I have
not been successful in locating much information on the Internet.
I
acquired this fellow, a relatively large donut about 4-5" across and
green in colour, from a fellow hobbyist about three weeks ago. He told
me that he did not feed the coral,
<<Needs to be fed. RMF>>
but
that it had once eaten a (dead) fish. It seemed to be doing well in his
tank, also.
It looked great in my tank for many days - reacting to
proffered foods (mysis, brine shrimp, as well as Cyclop-Eeze and various
other foods), swelling at certain times of the day, etc.
Today,
however, he sort of shriveled up, and his mouth is gaping, and I am not
sure what the problem is.
I have an established 28 gallon tank, over
30lbs live rock. 4 x 24W T5HO lighting, good flow, but no direct flow to
his area. I do not have a skimmer, but have ordered a Prizm Pro. I have
a modified AquaClear HOB filter/refugium.
The tank has many zoas,
candy canes, clove polyps, Palys, brown star polyp, and a leather coral
or two. I have a watchman goby, a Randall's goby, and a pair of false
percula clowns.
I feed roughly every other day, and do a 15% water
change every 5 to 7 days.
I had a temperature drop from 80F to 75F
over the course of the day today (from about 1 am to 6 pm), which is the
only thing I can think of, that could be the cause of his ill health.
<I wouldn't worry about it unless the condition persists. It might just
be expelling waste.>
Any guidance would be much appreciated.
Thank
you very much,
Zoe Stevens
<De nada,
Sara M.>
Blastomussa merleti health 10/25/07
Cheers Crew.
<good morning>
Someone was breaking down a tank and gave me a
small (5 or so polyps) Blastomussa Merleti frag. The polyps were
very full when I got it. Since adding it to my tank after
quarantine, however, it is not faring so well, as the polyps are not
nearly as full and portions of the skeleton/cup are visible.
<What kind of system was it in before you got it? i.e. what lighting
was it previously under?>
I have a 110g display with a 30g fuge
(4-5" DSB, Chaeto and LR) and 85lbs of LR. Lighting is six 54W T5 HO
(4 10000Ks and 2 460nm actinics). Mechanical filtration is a wet-dry
trickle filter and a Coral Life Super Skimmer. I run carbon in the
sump that I change out every 4 weeks. Flow is via a Little Giant
1345 gph return pump, 2 MaxiJet 1200s, 1 MaxiJet 900 and one cheapo
low-flow powerhead that I threw in for good measure.
<This is
still probably not quite enough water flow for a 110g reef tank.
Please see here:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/circmarart.htm
and
if you have the time/interest...
http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2007/1/aafeature>
Livestock is a
Sailfin Tang (I know . . .), Gold Stripe Maroon Clown and BTA, Royal
Gramma, Brown Comb Tooth Blenny, Yellow Canary Wrasse, Filament
Flasher Wrasse, a Citron Goby, 2 Cleaner Shrimps, a Sally Lightfoot,
2 unknown tree corals, a Lemnalia tree coral, two small groups of
Pulsing Xenia, 6 Green Hairy Mushrooms, 5 red shrooms, 2 Ricordea
shrooms, and 4 unknown shrooms. I use RO/DI for top-off and water
changes (10% per week). I dose with B-Ionic 2-part calcium/buffer as
needed with testing and Kent iodine one per week with water changes.
<No more iodine. Or, please at least test the iodine levels in your
tank first. For some further reading on iodine:
http://advancedaquarist.com/issues/mar2003/chem.htm>
Water
parameters are: ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate (SeaChem) all 0ppm,
phosphate (Salifert) 0ppm, calcium (Red Sea) 400, pH (SeaChem) 8.3,
SPG is 1.024-1.025, alk (SeaChem) is 3.5-4 meq/L, and temp is 78-80.
Based on these readings and a ton of Coralline Algae on my LR and
glass, I believe that my water quality is excellent.
<::sigh::
Well, I will agree that the results of your test kits do not raise
any alarms.>
I've read that Blasto Merleti like low flow and low
to moderate lighting, so I figured that my T5 setup would be
acceptable. Initially, I placed the coral in the lower portion of my
tank but have since moved it to the upper third to see if the
increased lighting might help. I have seen nominal improvement. I
have also read that supplemental feeding is not required, as this
coral is primarily a photosynthetic feeder, but I've also read that
target feeding with Mysis is not discouraged either.
<Hmmm,
where did you read that they are "primarily a photosynthetic
feeder"? I would have to disagree with that. Yes, these corals can
be slowly acclimated to tolerate intense light. However, usually
coming from mid-level waters, they prefer less light (or indirect
light). They extend extensive feeding tentacles at night and have
strong prey capture ability. As a side note, the phrase
"photosynthetic feeder" makes no sense. Animals do not feed
photosynthetically. If they are photosynthetic, they convert light
energy into chemical energy and store it in the form of ATP. Feeding
is when an animal metabolizes organic matter from another organism.
An animal can't "feed" on sunlight.>
I've tried to target feed
the coral, but it doesn't seem to eat the food. I target feed whole
Cyclop-eeze to my tree corals, so I would think that some of the
free floating particles are available for the Blasto Merleti for
what that's worth.
<When did you attempt to target feed the
coral? If you tried to feed it during the day, this might explain
why you didn't have much luck. You should try feeding the coral a
few hours after lights out. It might not start feeding right away,
but if you're consistent, it should start to respond in a few days
or weeks. Please see here for some coral feeding tips:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/fdreefinverts.htm>
Any ideas on what
might be going on or what I can do to improve this coral's health?
<My guess is that the coral is stressed and/or starving. I would
move it slowly back down from the light and start trying to target
feed it at night.>
The only thing I can think of other than that
maybe my lighting is not sufficient is that it is positioned near my
Green Hairy Mushrooms, but not right on top of them or anything.
When it was in the bottom of my tank, it was not near any shrooms.
<It is a good idea to keep it away from the mushroom corals. Though
they might not kill the B. merleti, they'll compete with it for
space as they grow.>
As always, I appreciate your help.
Andy
<My pleasure,
Sara M.>
Re: Blasto Merleti... fdg. 10/25/07
Dear Sara,
Sorry--"I've read that they feed primarily through photosynthesis."
I hope that makes more sense to the scientists among you--It is
clear from your response that you understood what this fledgling was
attempting to say.
<Yes, I do understand what you're trying to
say. If you'd like to say what you want to say correctly, saying
"I've read that they obtain most their energy needs through
photosynthesis" would be more accurate. :-) >
I did take biology
in 9th grade, but it's been 20 years so I am sometimes not as
accurate as I should be. I'm just going to warn you now in the event
you have to respond to any of my future questions that I never took
Latin nor did I take any classes in college of the type that would
have exposed me to the manner in which Kingdom, Phylum, Class,
Order, Family, Genus, and Species should be referenced ;-p.
<No
worries. I apologize if you found my clarifications of the science
here to be pedantic.>
Now, turning to your questions/comments.
In all seriousness, thanks for the help that is embedded in your
other comments. I see now that I was
not feeding this coral at
the right time and I will try to feed after lights-out (if I can
stay up that late).
<No need to stay up too late if you adjust
your lighting schedule so that the lights go off towards the end of
the afternoon (maybe 6 or 7 pm).>
First, prior to my acquisition,
the coral was living on the outer edges of MH lighting (probably
250W, but I must confess that I have no clue).
I'm sure some of
its issues are that it needs to adjust to my environment.
<Probably>
Second, I read that Blasto. Merleti primarily feed
through photosynthesis on:
1. Liveaquaria.com:
<Ugh,
unfortunately, this is not exactly an authoritative source of
information.>
"Its body contains the symbiotic algae
zooxanthellae from which it receives the majority of its nutritional
requirements through photosynthesis.
<Wow, this is just wrong.
Corals do not obtain their "nutritional requirements" from
photosynthesis.>
It does not require additional food to maintain
its health in the reef aquarium,
<This could be true if
the tank as a whole is well feed. In well-fed tanks, healthy
colonies of these corals can get all they need without target
feeding. For some good general information on how to feed a reef
tank, please see here:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/ca/cav1i3/Progressive_Recipe/Progressive_Recipe.htm>
but it will feed on micro-plankton or foods designed for filter
feeding invertebrates."
2. Reefcorner.com: "Feeding: Blastomussa
is photosynthetic and does not take any known foods."
<Again,
just flat out wrong.>
3. On WWM
(http://www.wetwebmedia.com/mussidae.htm): "Though all are
hermatypic, photosynthetic, most are voracious feeders of meaty
foods."
<Yes, this is accurate.>
And the same on many other
sites.
After searching again today, I found a post from Anthony
Calfo: "The real key to success with these (and most) corals is
feeding. 3-5 times
weekly ideally (or more). Use meats of marine
origin/zooplankton substitutes. Cyclop-eeze is a great choice.
Flying fish eggs (for sushi)
are great too. For smaller polyped
corals, DT's natural diet (oyster eggs). Best regards, Anthony"
<Yep, I agree with Anthony here.>
As you can see from the above,
there is a lot of conflicting advice with respect to this coral,
which is one of the reasons I posed my question
to WWM in the
first place.
<I can understand your frustration. There is a lot
of misinformation (and out-dated information) out there. Though it's
getting a bit dated, E. Borneman's "Aquarium Corals" is still a good
source for information on captive coral care. As for internet
sources, obviously, I think WWM is your best bet. :-)>
Third, by
my calculations, at least on paper, I have 2195gph of total
circulation, which is 20x total tank volume. Let's be realistic,
however, and assume that I get 2/3 of that, which leaves me with
13.3 x turnover. The info you linked suggests a 10 to 20 x volume
turnover, so
it would appear that I'm in the lower end of that
range and could stand to add another power head.
<Yep. Knowing
how to arrange your live rock helps too (make sure it stays away
from the sides of the tank and avoid building big walls of rock).
Since you're using power heads, you might find this helpful:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/ca/cav1i4/power_heads/Power_Heads.htm>
Fourth, why the "::sigh::" in response to my listing of parameters
and statement that I believed they evidence that my water quality is
good?
Is there something else that the typical hobbyist should be
looking for on a regular basis or something that I am not doing
enough of/doing
wrong, or was my comment just plain foolish (and
if so, please explain so I can learn from this)? Please understand
that I was simply doing my
best to give you as much information
about my tank, measured water quality and other factors as I could
to assist you in understanding my
problem--I was under the
impression that you guys appreciated that.
<I'm sorry if you
were offended. The ::sigh:: was because I'm playing a drinking game
with Bob involving any time someone says their water quality is
"perfect" or "excellent" based on nutrient test kit results. No, no,
just kidding!
<<Gulp! I already drank mine. Dang! B>>
Seriously now though, yes, it is very good to be testing these
things. And you have my genuine respect for being such a prudent and
responsible aquarist. However, I would advice you not to let these
test kits give you too much of a false sense of security. These test
kits don't always tell you as much as you'd really like to know. For
example, the phosphate test kits don't test for organic phosphates.
More generally, we're actually quite limited in what we can test for
(while some things are taken up before they can be detected).
Additionally, it's difficult to define what "perfect" or "excellent"
water quality even is because it's relative to what kinds of coral
you are keeping.>
Andy
<Best,
Sara M.>
Re: Blasto merleti 10/25/07
Dear Sara,
Thanks for your
genuine response and helpful thoughts.
<my pleasure>
Notwithstanding the limited amount of time that I have in my life
for this hobby, I try really hard to understand the hobby and to
keep a good tank and clean water for my pets.
<Indeed, I can
tell you care very much for them.>
Of course I have made, and
will make, mistakes in livestock selection/care despite good
intentions and research.
<It happens to us all.>
As you might
have guessed, I am no biologist or fish scientist (but do have a
B.S. in mechanical engineering, which I haven't used in 12 years),
but I do "get" scientific concepts.
<Yes, I think any kind of
science background helps. But you'll be surprised by how much
biological science you'll naturally pick up as you read and learn
more about the hobby.>
I just think you guys sometimes forget
that most of us have nowhere near the incredible background and
knowledge that you have.
<Thank you. As I said, I do apologize
if I seemed pedantic or persnickety (<--great word, isn't it?).>
Although there are a few lazy people out there, I suspect most
posters are like me--they try to research issues before asking/doing
and have genuinely good intentions when asking questions.
<We do
appreciate your questions.>
I look forward to being a pain in
your butt in the near future.
<I do too. :-)>
Andy
<Best,
Sara M.> |
What's wrong with this Scolymia? Likely nothing... but... 4/5/07
I've had this Scolymia for about 9 months now, and have seen
somewhat of a steady decline. The first symptom I think I noticed
was a gaping of the mouth, accompanied by mesenterial filaments
inside the mouth, starting about 6 months ago. There's also some
deterioration of the tissue surrounding the mouth. About 2 months
ago or so, I saw what I thought was a small rock lodged inside the
mouth.
<!?>
I got some tweezers and tried to pull the rock
out, but before I applied much pressure at all, the "rock" broke
open revealing what appeared to be sand and other debris inside.
<Likely waste>
I kind of waved the loose material around, but
didn't go digging around in there to get it all out (remember, I
thought I was pulling out a pebble, not performing exploratory
surgery ). So, for the past 2 weeks or so, I started seeing what
kind of looked like a black pebble in the mouth. A couple of days
ago, I got out the trusty tweezers again and poked at the "rock".
<... no>
It was actually more like a sack of tissue, enclosing
who knows what, so I stopped before piercing the sack.
Today the
sack had ruptured, exposing what again looks to be a pile of sand
and debris.
<Please... just leave this be>
This first
picture is with the black sack intact (apologies for the dirty glass
and actinic lighting )
And this one after the sack had burst...
Any ideas what the problem is, or what I can do about it?
<Am
pretty sure this is waste...>
Thanks for all the help.
<Mmm,
not so fast... Would like to help... but need data... Water quality
tests? Your set-up, maintenance... feeding, lighting? You have read
here:
http://wetwebmedia.com/mussiddisfaqs.htm
and the linked
files above? You should review if so, and do, if not. Bob Fenner> |  
|
Blastomussa Coral/Health 11/13/06
WWM Crew,
<Hello Chris>
I would like to report that I often search your site, and can point to
it as the main reason I got serious about my salt water hobby and
treating my tank inhabitants with respect (I even try to drop
microcrustaceans back into my tank when they come out with algae or
during overflow filter removal!)
<Nice.>
Now I go to my LFS
armed with a book or two in an effort to understand what I'm buying and
what its needs will be. I have never, in about 15 years of keeping
fish, had so much success and it's been very rewarding. I've had a very
stable system with respect to my chemistry, fish, and corals.
<Good
to hear.>
Since I've been reading your site, I've slowly gotten into
keeping some basic corals, have added a DSB refugium, and track all my
test kit readings, additions, etc. in a little spreadsheet to trend my
tank chemistry.
<Ah, excellent.>
Anyway, thanks again and on to
my question:
I have a 65 gallon display tank. In this tank, I have
a little fragment colony of Blastomussa merleti (5 little tubes with
green polyps. I have it toward the bottom of my tank, (4x96W orbit PC
for lighting).
<At least you have the easier of the two blastos to
keep, the other being the wellsi. They do well under PC lighting and
like a medium water flow along with
an occasional feeding of a
plankton type coral food. Steady calcium and carbonate levels will also
aid in the health of this coral.>
I've had this Blastomussa colony
for about 6 months, and it has always seemed to do very well. I've
watched the polyps extend further and further out until they touch and
look like one colored mat. In fact two more small polyps had started to
bud off the side of the colony.
Recently it does not want to come
out. It's not dead, because I can see the retracted polyps, but I can't
figure out what's going on. No major changes, readings have been fairly
steady as far as I have measured for the past two months (Nitrate 0ppm,
Phosphate 0 ppm, pH 8.2, alkalinity 3.5 meq/L, salinity 1.024, Calcium
450 ppm (up from about 375 over the last couple months), temp 78 degrees
F.
<All sounds well here.>
There are only two things I can think
of:
1) The only thing that is nearby is a large feather duster (one
I've had for quite some time, but one that has slowly grown bigger (It's
probably 3" in diameter when open). It's possible some of the
"feathers" could touch the Blastomussa, but they've been close to each
other (about 4" apart) ever since I got the Blastomussa. Can
featherdusters attack corals in the same way corals attack each other?
<No, the duster is basically a filter feeding worm.>
2) I flooded
my sump when topping it off (I have a nearby fill line, so I left the
valve open, got distracted, and overfilled it - absent minded, maybe I
should force myself to do it with a transfer container so I am forced to
pay attention :-). Instead of doing anything drastic, I checked the
salinity of the system and it had dropped to about 1.022. I let the
system recover via evaporation (just let the sump run high a couple of
days) until the salinity was back to my normal level.
Nothing in my
system seemed to suffer at the time. But maybe the effect could lag the
incident?
<Quite possible here, Chris. Are your PC bulbs
aging? Good idea to replace them yearly to ensure
the proper kelvin
temperature is there.>
Oh well, that's all I can think of. It's
probably been about 2 weeks that the polyps have been retracted.
<You may want to use a good iodine supplement. You didn't mention
frequency of water changes, but generally, a good reef salt will replace
the iodine and
other needed trace elements that are lost, providing
a weekly water changes are done.>
Thanks,
<You're
welcome. James (Salty Dog)>
Chris
Mussidae Family/Feeding 5/23/06
Hello guys, <Hello
Paul>
I have a gorgeous meat that doesn't look like it is doing very
well (bones showing ?) I haven't fed him anything in a few months. What
can I feed him ? Thank you for the help.
<Read here and linked files
above it. http://www.wetwebmedia.com/mussidfdgfaqs.htm
James (Salty Dog)>
Paul
Re: Brains in a nano cont. 3/28/06
Dear Mr.
Fenner,
In my last email I sent to the WWM email. I
told you about how I never received a reply when I had
sent pictures with the email. You directed me to send it to your
personal email.
<Yes, thank you for this>
In a
previous email I told you about my Lobophyllia and some odd
behavior. As I said before it I am not sure if this is just natural
or a
problem. Other than the odd behavior and some recession it
is doing well.
<I see this here>
As I mentioned before with
the recession it was there either when I bought it 4 months ago or
shortly afterwards. The recession does not appear to have gotten
much worse, but not better.
Below are pictures of the lobo
in it's 3 forms (not really the right word). When it is in it's
extra expanded state, it's "normal" state
(meaning what it
looks like most of the time.) and when it will pull in most of it's
tissue. The behavior has no pattern and varies from day to day. On
most days it will look normal all day, on other days it will go into
the pulling in it's tissue form. It does usually do it in the
afternoon and will stay like that for a few hours. It is rarely in
it's extra expanded state, usually once or twice a week. ( it only
stays like that for a few hours then will usually go into the
normal state) The fluctuations seems entirely unrelated to feeding
or water changes or anything else. Bye the way how often should
I feed it?
<A few times a week with meaty foods... Please see
here:
http://wetwebmedia.com/mussidfdgfaqs.htm>
I was thinking 3
times a week. (Or is that too often.)
Order of picture is as
follows:
1. Extra Expanded
2. Recession Extra Expanded (have
moved the rock with red algae on it since picture)
3. Recession
Normal
4. Normal
5. Recession Closed Up
6. Closed Up
7. Full View of Tank. (Daisy Polyps are closed up because I took
the picture in after 8 P.M. just when they like to close up for the
night, not a great picture of the tank either. The flash washed
everything out, but it gives an accurate representation of the
tank.)
Thank you for your help and time, (sorry if the pictures
took a long time to load)
MDM
<Likely this tank is doing
about as well as it can under your good care. The keeping of
multiple species, families, orders of cnidarians in small volumes is
problematical. Put another way, your "margin of error" increases
with increasing system size all else being equal. Bob Fenner> |    |  |
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