Oh NO! Problem with my Colt Coral!!! Help Please!

P

petcrazy213

AC Members
Nov 26, 2003
238
0
0
Michigan
saltwaterfishies.freehomepage.com
I've had this particular coral for about a year and a half and it's had it's share of run-ins with my filter intake but always bounced back within a week. This last several days has been terribly hard on the coral as I found one of it's stalk end stuck in the filter intake again Friday afternoon. Then I added a Lion to my tank (don't know if that has anything to do with it or not). This morning I found the coral laying over on it's side :eek: ... not stretching out for the light ... and it looks all wrinkeled instead of smooth. It also seems to be pulling itself (or trying) into the main stalk of it's body. I fear that maybe it got stuck by the Lionfish but I'm not sure. I did a partial water change just to be safe (I don't have any tests right now, ran out, and haven't been to the store). My big question is do you think my colt will recover or am I looking at a dying coral here? :( I've NEVER seen it look this bad! At the moment it's just slumped over on the LR. I've also noticed the 2 black and white Damselfish nipping at it and they have NEVER done that either.

Any suggestions? (don't say go get tests because it's on my to-do list ASAP)
 
I doubt that it was the lion's spines. My softies tend to pout when the temp gets too high, some aspect of the chemistry gets way out of whack, or there is some serious chemical warfare (like having a lump of dying Xenia land on them). Water change, carbon and time have always helped.
If it's really dying, there will be soft spots, or parts will fall off. The prognosis is good if the tissue is firm.
 
I haven't touched it, didn't want to make things worse, but it looks squishy and soft. It also looks purple at the ends, not pink like it use to be. It hasn't stood up all day. I fear the worst but will give it time incase it is pouting.

If it turns out to be dying, what should I do? How will I know? Should I take it out? This is my first larger soft coral and I'm not sure what it will look like when dead/dying. Also, I'm afraid it might hurt other things in the tank if it gives off anything when it dies?

Thanks.
 
If it starts to die, it will physically start falling apart. It will need to be removed quickly, because it will give off noxious chemicals. It won't cause a major tank wipeout, but will irritate the other softies in the tank.
 
Thanks for the info ... I think it's dead and will be taking it out today. It's still lumped over, is squishy and now pieces are flaking off at the touch. I'm so sad. This was my FAVORITE softie. It was always so beautiful then all of a sudden ... death! I'm so confused! Non of the other soft corals or polyps are having problems ... in fact everyone seemed to be doing better then ever. I just don't know what to think. How long do these corals usually last?
 
When you pull it out, cut it off at the base and leave a little. Sometimes a little bit of tissue can regenerate to a new colony.

What has usually killed my softies is massive stress. Fragging too enthusiatically, transportation, being attacked by nearby corals, that kind of stuff. I don't think they have a lifespan.
 
Thanks for the help. I removed the coral ... it must have been dead (or dying quickly) because even before I pulled if from the water I noticed a yucky smell, then when I took it out the smell was really gross. It was falling apart so I had to be careful when extracting it but got it out ok. Ii had to cut it off of a rock it had attached itself to but I did leave just a small (maybe nickle-size) piece of healthy looking flesh from the inside of the stump. That tiny piece of stump is actually still alive I believe! It looks as though it's trying to stretch itself up toward the light. I'm now keeping my fingers crossed that this tiny piece of the original does well and contilues to grow. If so, what can I expect to see? I've never had corals before I started this hobby and I've never fragged or anything before. What should I look for?

Thanks again!
 
If it's healthy, you should see polyps forming pretty soon. Eventually, it will become a whole colony. Corals can be incredibly tough.
 
Corals are colonies of Coral Polyps, as in many smaller organisms forming essentially a "city", as long as there is a healthy portion of the colony left, it will eventually start to recover.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
AquariaCentral.com
Top Bottom