dead coral?

[mpakiela]

What does dieing coral look like?? I've had a torch coral for about 2 weeks. It's been beautiful since day one. today when I got home from work, half of it (one whole branch) has shriveled up completely, and there were stringy brown things coming from it. Is this a sign that it's dieing, or is this something natural that I just haven't noticed before? it typically shrinks in the dark, but these brown floaty strings is something new.
thanks for the help

 

[petjunkie]

Sounds like a brown jelly infection, torch corals are kind of touchy and sometimes will get injured or sick with this. If there is any healthy part left I would try suctioning off all the brown jelly you can, putting the torch in good flow and maybe doing a water change. What are your parameter in the tank?

 

[mpakiela]

I know the general construction of a coral, food in, digest, etc, and then excrete. Does a coral produce feces like other animals?? I stood and watched the coral and its tentacles were shrunk, but not fully into it's hard stem, and then it's contracted and both of it's openings shot brown stuff out. It looked like it was pooping. It was the oddest thing I've seen in my tank yet. It's just sitting now, so we'll see what happens by morning.

 

[petjunkie]

It could have been pooping, did you feed it? It also sounds like maybe spitting out zooanthelle, does it look lighter at all? What kind of lighting is it under?