unhappy yellow soft coral: help??

[JeremyAN7]

So I have a coral which was once happy, and now not so much..

FIRST: look here www.neuringer.com/fish.htm 5th picture down you'll see the yellow soft tree coral on the sand looking all happy. now scroll up to the top pic (non moving) you'll see in the center a green blob. that's the same one (to the right of the orange fungia) all balled up and not open at all.

The water in the tank is in great shape. 0-/0/0 with about 15 nitrates (i'll take care of it. temp is 79 dep. alk is on the high side 3.1 - 4ish mql ca is good at 400ppm po2 is under .1 everything else is nice.

There are some hermits and a couple brittle stars that may occasionall "touch" the piece, but otherwise it's in a medium light / flow area..

What gives? Everything else pretty much looks top top!

 

[fanaglethebagle]

could the fungia be stinging it?

 

[OceanGuy]

Green tree coral

The Green Tree Corals like medium light, good to heavy flow and a bit of iodine in the water occasionally. They need that for growth. Mine turns green when it closes up and more whitish yellow when it opens fully. Mine is right in the direct flow of the return and waves around in it. It grows very fast and I am fragging it almost as much as the xenia in my tank. The more I frag it the bigger it grows.

My temp is between 77 and 82 depending on the time of day and I have it about 12" down from 3 175w 10,000K metal halides and two actinics. It likes the light.

Down on the sand may be too low for it. Start moving it up gradually.

This is what Liveaquaria.com say about it:
The Green Carnation Tree Coral originates from the reefs of Fiji, and under the right conditions, can attain a very bright yellow coloration. It is within the Neospongodes genus, and identifying the exact species is very difficult due to the similarities within this genus. This species of tree coral will develop many branches as it grows giving it a beautiful bushy appearance in the reef aquarium.

The Green Carnation Tree Coral does best in an aquarium with moderate to bright lighting with moderate water movement. The coloration of this species is highly dependant upon lighting. The more intense the light, the more intense the yellow coloration will become. Take plenty of time to acclimate this coral to intense lighting. When the coral arrives, it will be tan to light yellow in color. Place the coral in the bottom of the aquarium and only move the coral towards the light after it shows full expansion. This process should take approximately two to three weeks in an aquarium with metal halide lighting. For continued good health, it will also require the addition of iodine, strontium, and other trace elements to the water.

The symbiotic algae zooxanthellae hosted within its body provides most of the nutritional needs via the light driven process of photosynthesis. It will also benefit from regular feedings of food such as phytoplankton, baby brine shrimp, or foods designed for filter feeding invertebrates.

Good luck.

So I have a coral which was once happy, and now not so much..

FIRST: look here www.neuringer.com/fish.htm 5th picture down you'll see the yellow soft tree coral on the sand looking all happy. now scroll up to the top pic (non moving) you'll see in the center a green blob. that's the same one (to the right of the orange fungia) all balled up and not open at all.

The water in the tank is in great shape. 0-/0/0 with about 15 nitrates (i'll take care of it. temp is 79 dep. alk is on the high side 3.1 - 4ish mql ca is good at 400ppm po2 is under .1 everything else is nice.

There are some hermits and a couple brittle stars that may occasionall "touch" the piece, but otherwise it's in a medium light / flow area..

What gives? Everything else pretty much looks top top!

 

[JeremyAN7]

well it's def in medium light. the fungie isnt close enough to sting.. but maybe more flow is key? i'll try..

 

[Greg Hiller]

How much light are we talking about in this tank? Any fish that might be eating it? What's the yellow fish in the photo?, hard to tell since it was moving. Magnesium levels? Salinity? Any new supplements? Change salt mix? Sometimes green tree corals shed. I know it's pretty rare for the 'standard', old favorite green tree coral, but I do have a different form of green tree coral that sheds once in a while. When it does so it will look poor for 4-5 days or so, never more than a week.