Torch Dead???

rossim

rossim

Member
I just got this torch coral yesterday. It seemed to be doing fine all night, but now that I got home from work I noticed that one of its heads are almost completely missing. What could have happened? Am I safe leaving the coral in the tank (I can't remove one head without the other)? All my water parameters are fine and there are not traces of the tentacles anywhere in the tank.
:help: :help: :help:
 
C

caryn_ia

Guest
I recently got on via the internet, it was mostly doa. Is yours sliming or smelly? I would take it out if it is. But if it's not, you could Probably leave it. Just my opinion.
 
rossim

rossim

Member
It has two heads on the same rock. One head is fine and doing great. The other one has 60-70% of its tenticals missing (nothing but a skeleton showing). And the tenticals that are on it don't look dead. There is no slime and I haven't taken it out to smell it.
Does anyone know why it could have died? Stress? I have two emerald crabs and a CBS (along with the usual hermits and snails) and two percs in the tank. I've heard of the CBS eating coral, but I've never seen him go near it.
 
blue dew

blue dew

Member
I had similar problems with a couple Hammer corals, which are in the same family as your Torch. One of them died back almost completly and I thought it was lost. I kept the piece in the tank anyway and after about 6 months it came back. Its not as big as it was, but it is growing. I've heard that some tanks do well with this family of corals and others don't. Whatever the coral didn't like in my tank, it does now. Another Hammer I placed in about 3 months ago is a third bigger now. I'd wait it out, especially if one of the other heads is fine.
 
reefraff

reefraff

Active Member
Looks like you will end up losing the one head but the other looks OK. I wouldn't take it out, see what happens. I have a torch skelaton in my tank for the reason listed, you never know what might sprout in a few months.
 
S

sebae0

Guest
was the coral added at night lights time? if so it might not have adjusted to your lighting. what kind of lighting do you have and what kind did it come from? i would leave it because it looks like the other head is doing okay, the one that is dieing might have succumbed to shock.
 
rossim

rossim

Member
Well, the other head is not officially dead. I expect to see nothing but two skeletons when I get home from work. I wonder what could have caused this though. Could have it just been stress from the move? I did notice my emerald crab eating the decay out of the skeleton parts, but it didn't bother any living tenticals the whole time I watched him.
 
stuckinfla

stuckinfla

Active Member
Give it time, could be stress from the move. Im not an expert on torch, but that looks like frogspawn.:notsure:
 
jaf78

jaf78

New Member
I have Green Torch Coral and it does not look like that. The tentacles (if thats what you call them) are longer and thinner. Also, Torch coral should have anywhere from 4-6 branches... I only see two. I would first determine with some certainty what that is exactly.
 
rossim

rossim

Member
The LFS said it was a torch. I guess it might not be. Doesn't really matter though. Its just a skeleton at this point. I tried to get it out of the tank, but it seems to be stuck in a grove in my LR. I'm gonna have to dive into the tank to get it out.
It was my own fault though. I went to the LFS looking to get an xenia and maybe ricordi (sp), but they just had a huge midnight party/sale and were out of just about everything. Instead of waiting a week, I went ahead and spent $150 on two corals. Now both are dead and I'm left with nothing. Oh well, I guess I had to learn the hard way.
 
dburr

dburr

Active Member
That is def a torch. It is just not expanded all the way. It will in time once it settles it.
Could be your lights if they are alot briter than your LFS or it could be it was already on it's way out. Leave it in low to moderate flow. What type of lights do you have?
Oh, I just reread your last post, it's dead? Sorry to hear. Corals must be acclaimented to light. I always put new corals on the sand for a week.
HTH, sorry for your loss.
 
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