Digitata help please. (UPDATE).

[wartooth1]

Hey all I need some help with my Orange Digitata. For the last few weeks its been in my tank its seemed to be doing great but this morning I noticed something odd about it.
You see, because the way the branches are shaped, it has always casts a shadow on itself. I noticed today that the areas where the light touches are rich in color and the polyps are fully opened, but the shadowed areas are starting to lose their color and the polyps are not opened.
Is this normal? I don't see how I can get light to "touch" the shadowed areas unless I periodically turn the coral at different angles all the time.

 

[wartooth1]

Actually its not that its losing color... upon closer inspection it seems that parts of the coral are turning pinkish. Now, I've read that Orange Digitata can turn pink if its under powerful lighting, but to me it seems strange that the pink parts of the coral are specifically where the light can't reach due to the branches of the coral casting shadows onto itself.
Here's a couple of pics: In the 1st pic I put the coral on its side to the "back side" of the coral. This side of the coral faces the back of my tank and due to the branches, the pale areas are where the coral casts a shadow onto itself. The 2nd pic is the "front of the coral and the coloring there is the same as it was the day I brought it home from the store.

 

[wartooth1]

Well, I took the coral back to the LFS to have a look at it. They said it could be a parasite that is sensitive to the light, which would explain why the color loss is only occuring where the coral casts a shadow on itself. So I got some dip and hope that will solve the problem.
However, during the dipping process I chipped a 1/2 inch branch off my coral! The chipped piece is still alive though, which now leads to my next question... what can I do with the chipped branch? I know this sounds silly, but can the chipped piece be glued back on? Or perhaps would it be better to consider this chipped piece a frag and place it somewhere else in the tank and have it grow into a new colony?
As far as the dip itself goes, I will be leaving on a trip for two weeks starting tomorrow so all I can do now is keep my fingers crossed that I don't come back to a dead coral, so I hope that did the trick!

 

[wartooth1]

Well I just got back from my 2 week vacation. The digitata is still alive and kicking (even the part that I broke off has healed over). But still I'm noticing that the coloring isn't quite all there and the polyps in the shadowy recesses of the coral dont open.
If the coral did have some kind of parasite on it, the dip should have taken care of it. The only things i can think that may be going on with this coral would be that its turning slightly pinkish due to being under powerful lighting (which I've heard/read that this coral may be known to do) and the polyp issue may be either overfeeding perhaps or maybe the fact that I haven't been using gloves when I put the coral back on its perch after I find it knocked over.
In either case... I don't think that the coral is in any immediate danger... but I would really appreciate any of your thoughts.

 

[1guydude]

i would say glue it down somewhere so it dosent get knocked over! SPS grow so they block light from other corals or on themselves...only defense they have! Some coral are chemical and some sting, sps just grow tall or wide to block light. I would say ur fine as long as u have polyp extension on the side that gets light. I dont think ur light is to powerful...u only have 2 stunner panoramas correct? Deff not to powerful! SPS like constant conditions and u taking it in and out of the water and dipping it and such arent helping that much imo!

 

[wartooth1]

Yeah I've only dipped it once... but I'm sure getting knocked over constantly does help lol.
UGH... this morning I turned on the lights to find it on the sand again and it looks like it lost another branch during the fall!

I placed back on the upper rock but in a different position and the polyps that used to be in the dark opened but the ones that are now in shadow stayed closed. I'm not going to worry about this anymore until I notice polyps not opening even if they are in the light.
As far as gluing this coral so it does not get knocked over, is there a glue that is strong enough so that snails/urchin can't knock it over but weak enough so that if I need to move it I'd be able to pull it off the rock?

 

[1guydude]

any coral glue....i use i.c. gel! U can get reg superglue at the dollar tree! Its $1 and has like 3 tubes in it! U can pull it off i assure u! Just pull from the base when its glued if u want to move it or frag it!

 

[wartooth1]

Cool... I just got some epoxy and its being set as we speak... now that it won't be knocked over by snails at what not I'll have no reason to touch it and hopefully that will do the trick.

 

[1guydude]

epoxy? Do u mix it? I hope its aquarium safe! Ive never heard of an epoxy being used....just superglue or gel and coral glue!

 

[wartooth1]

Yeah its aquarium epoxy I picked up from an LFS... made specifically for sticking corals to rocks. The nice thing about it is that once its mixed it turns dark gray so it blends in with the rocks pretty good. Now that my Digitata has been secured up high in front the powerhead overnight its already starting to look better. I'm guessing the coral must have been stressing from being knocked over so much and being moved around.
I also used the stuff to mount that Duncan that was giving me trouble in another thread to a heavy shell and with the shell half buried in the sand (in the Duncan's favorite spot) the Duncan seems to be doing a lot better as well.

 

[1guydude]

good man glad to here it!

The grey epoxy will eventually be covered in coraline algae as the rocks are! So no worries....SPS like a random turbulent flow though not direct flow from a powerhead! I dont think any coral like to be directly in front of a powerhead...just food for thought!
Sounds like ur doing well! Keep up the work and ull have a wonderful aquarium down the road!

 

[wartooth1]

Ugh so aggrevating...
Its been a week since I epoxied my coral to a rock and something this morning managed to break the Digitata off its perch and knock it to the sand... and of course ANOTHER brach had to break during the fall!

Can a little tuxuito urchin or turbo snail be that strong? I had to take a chisle to the dried epoxy to get it off the rock.
I think I'm going to see if the store would take back the Digitata because something in the tank is beating it up!

 

[slice]

Quote:
Originally Posted by Wartooth1 http:///t/387386/digitata-help-please-update#post_3413624
Ugh so aggrevating...
Can a little turbo snail be that strong?
YES!!
I only "rent" Mex Turbo snails only as long as needed for HA removal because they are BULLDOZERS.

 

[1guydude]

+1 i stick the smaller snails...except the torchus which are med or bigger than the others...i like nerites cuz they are smaller! If i do get turbos they are usually the more medium ones!

 

[wartooth1]

Oh well I guess I could wait until the turbo kicks the bucket (they seem to have a pretty short lifespan anyways) and then replace it with a handful of nerites.

 

[slice]

Quote:
Originally Posted by Wartooth1 http:///t/387386/digitata-help-please-update#post_3413640
Oh well I guess I could wait until the turbo kicks the bucket (they seem to have a pretty short lifespan anyways) and then replace it with a handful of nerites.
I don't know about short lifetimes of Mex Turbo snails, never read that anywhere, but then again, you don't say which flavor of "turbo" you are talking about. Some snails marketed as "turbos"
have short lifespans (margarita) because they are ill suited for our tanks.
Take a look here for factors used for choosing CUC members:
http://www.lionfishlair.com/cuc/cuc.shtml

 

[1guydude]

+1 on the margaritas! They like colder waters than we give em...im not gonna get anymore after the last ones i got...i think i still have two left! Nerites, torchus, and the narris snails are my favs! I used to think that the torchus ones were asterias but found out otherwise LOL!

 

[wartooth1]

Quote:
Originally Posted by Slice http:///t/387386/digitata-help-please-update#post_3413643
I don't know about short lifetimes of Mex Turbo snails, never read that anywhere, but then again, you don't say which flavor of "turbo" you are talking about. Some snails marketed as "turbos"
have short lifespans (margarita) because they are ill suited for our tanks.
Take a look here for factors used for choosing CUC members:
http://www.lionfishlair.com/cuc/cuc.shtml
Great article Slice! I will keep in bookmarked for reference
Yeah, my Turbo is the Mexican Turbo I believe. I started out with 4 of them about 5 months ago but 3 have already died. I wanted big snails at the time because I figured that they would be too big for my hermit crabs to consider attacking. The last snail is the largest of the 4 that I had.