What's wrong with my trumpets?

tjohnson139

Member
Hi, everyone
I hope this hasn't been covered before. I couldn't find an answer.
I have some trumpet corals in my tank. They've been doing great for awhile, but recently, about 1/4 of them have something on them that I can't identify and it looks like it's killing them.
I'm worried there might me something in the tank that could impact other corals as well.
Tank:
29 gallon bicube w/ LED lighting, Phosphate, Nitrate, Nitrite, Ammonia: 0. 1.024 salinity.
Thanks in advance!
 

meowzer

Moderator
Can't tell, but is it brown and jellyish? IF SO...Look up brown jelly disease
can you get a pic of the top of the heads?
 

tjohnson139

Member
That actually might be it. I image searched it and I think that could be it. I also read ways to cure it.
I'm thinking of putting it in my quarantine tank, dosing it with iodine (without overdosing it) and moving it in front of the flow in the tank. I will also do fresh ro water dips tonight.
Any other thoughts about what to do with it or the main tank? Thanks again. I've never seen this in my tank before.
Here's another pic from the top. Maybe it'll show it better.
Thanks again!
 

snakeblitz33

Well-Known Member
Just frag off the affected head and leave the rest alone... It will be just fine to be minus a head or two.
Freshwater dips and iodine dips and all of that just stresses it out even more. It's better to literally cut off your losses and let it all grow back in.
By the way, these corals love water with a little nitrate and phosphate. It's also possible that you are starving them. They feed regularly on phytoplankton and zooplankton at night when they release their tentacles.
Good luck. Wish yah the best.
 

tjohnson139

Member
Thank you for your help. I fragged them tonight. We'll see how it does.
I usually feed them phytoplankton but while the lights are on. I never fed them at night. I'll start doing that.
Thanks again for your help! I really appreciate your advice.
 

novahobbies

Well-Known Member
What's that coral next to it...is that a Galaxea (Tooth coral)?
If so, remember that Galaxea can be VERY aggressive, and they put out some powerful sweeper tentacles at night. I just don't think it's a coincidence that the affected heads look like they're the closes to that neighbor coral.
 

tjohnson139

Member
I'm actually embarassed to say I don't know what that coral is.
I bought a bunch of corals off someone from Criagslist. Both the trumpets and that coral were part of his tank.
I've seen the sweeper tentacles. I didn't know they were the aggressive, though.
Thank you both for your help. I fragged the trumpets. The others look great and I moved that other coral away from everything else. Things you learn the hard way, huh?
Thank you both again for your help!
 

novahobbies

Well-Known Member
Heheheh, I'd say shame on you, but I think we've all been guilty of that at one time or another. Judging from the picture, the corallites and the pronounced septae definitely look like a galaxea coral to me. Very beautiful, relatively easy to keep, but one of the more aggressive corals out there. Their sweepers have been documented to reach 12+ inches! Do a google search when you can and let us know. Glad you were able to fray off the sick heads...hope the rest of the colony does well!
 

snakeblitz33

Well-Known Member
I wonder why I didn't catch that before!
Looks like Galaxea to me as well. Definitely one of the more aggressive corals out there with it's sweeper tentacles and stinging nematocysts. Definitely one of the more interesting specimens.
I had one at one point about the size of a football. Started out the size of my palm!
 
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