Elegance Coral (Please Help)

[skimmer]

I recently had a problem with my elegance coral.
After reading some of my books it looks like the coral was getting to much light. Here's the problem. It started to get white spider web looking stuff all over it. The book said that this is a defense mechanism because it was getting to much light (I had moved it up in the tank). The book mentioned to move it to a lower part of the tank and give it better circulation. It seems to be looking better but the white spider web stuff is not going away. It is keeping the coral from fully opening. Is there anything else I should be doing?
Here is some info on my tank.
Setup since 10/01/00
110 RR Oceanic tank
4x98 Custom Sealife Power Compacts
Wet/Dry Sump (removed have the bioballs since Nitrates started to rise)
Top Fathom Skimmer
175 pounds of live rock
2 to 3 inches live sand
Salinity 1.022
Temp 78
PH 8.2
ALK 3.5
Calcium 450
Ammonia 0
Nitrite .01 (For some reason I am see a very small amount of nitrite. I do not know why. I have done a water change and nothing has died.)
Nitrate 10
Livestock
2 clowns with carpet anemone
1 Naso tang
1 Marine Betta
1 dottyback
pulsing xerna (growing like crazy)
1 open brain
tons of snails and crabs
1 sea urchin
4 mushroom anemones

 

[slowest is fastest]

Sounds like you have things well in hand given your situation. make sure the current is blowing across the face of the elegance and DO NOT try and remove the mucas covering. As soon as the coral is sure it is just not a cloudy day and that it no longer needs the protection it should shed the spider web (good discription of what it looks like). This ca take anwhere from a couple of days to a week. By then if it is still having problems increase the current (just a little) to help it along. Your lighting doesn't sound like to much but depending on where it came from (most elegances receive indirect light)and what kind of light it was kept under at the LFS it may just need to be gradually acclimated. Hope this helps.
SiF

 

[angelfish]

I also agree as far as not trying to remove the mucus from the coral. I know that they are one of the most hardest to keep in a reef tank unless you are well experience with hard corals. Unfortunately, I had one myself and within a week it was a goner. The lfs owner said it was possible that it came from a bad shipment and that he would not sell another piece of coral like that to me. So far every other piece has done well so my only theory is it was a bad one. Anyway, good luck and I hope he recovers soon.