jackthestrat
DON'T PANIC
Hi everyone.
I'm looking for some help or suggestions on what I should do about my Tort. It was purchased as a Cali Tort.
This coral has been in tank(s) of mine for going on two years. When purchased, it was healthy, strong, great color, and had two branches. It was beautiful.
The coral grew well for quite a while, grew to be very thick, a chunky tort style. Probably 4" tall with an encrusted base. Then spontaneously one day about a year ago one of the branches started to melt. The tissue just fell away from the skeleton. From the growth tip down about ahalf an inch or so.
There was not a jump or change in chemistry or temperature on this first incident. I could find no single thing that should have triggered this.
I fragged that tip off, and within a few days the coral had healed over and formed a new growth tip. I chalked it up to bad luck. The tort grew more and more, and just when that branch reached approximately the same length as it had been previously, it melted again.
Rinse wash repeat - fragged the tip, it healed over very quickly, started to grow.
The I had some major events go on, my corals were babysat for a few weeks (thanks!), then came back to my tank bigger and healthier than ever. The coral colored up, right back to that pretty color it had been originally. It started to grow quickly again, reached the same height as it had been previously in about 4 weeks.
5 days ago the coral spontaneously melted, this time on both branches. It melted down about halfway to the encrusted base, then stopped. I have not yet fragged it. The melting appears to have stopped. I am convinced that if I fragged it, I would have a new growth tip within a week.
I know you will ask, so here are params - these have not fluctuated significantly in a couple weeks.
Temp : 81
dKH: 9
CA: 450
pH: 8.1
Nitrates - 0
Phosphates - unknown
Mag: 1400
There is good flow, all of my other SPS are growing and are beautiful, no hiccups anywhere else in the tank. It is only this coral, and seems to be triggered when the coral reaches a certain size. The tort is located approximately 8" below 250w Phoenix DE.
Please help.
I'm looking for some help or suggestions on what I should do about my Tort. It was purchased as a Cali Tort.
This coral has been in tank(s) of mine for going on two years. When purchased, it was healthy, strong, great color, and had two branches. It was beautiful.
The coral grew well for quite a while, grew to be very thick, a chunky tort style. Probably 4" tall with an encrusted base. Then spontaneously one day about a year ago one of the branches started to melt. The tissue just fell away from the skeleton. From the growth tip down about ahalf an inch or so.
There was not a jump or change in chemistry or temperature on this first incident. I could find no single thing that should have triggered this.
I fragged that tip off, and within a few days the coral had healed over and formed a new growth tip. I chalked it up to bad luck. The tort grew more and more, and just when that branch reached approximately the same length as it had been previously, it melted again.
Rinse wash repeat - fragged the tip, it healed over very quickly, started to grow.
The I had some major events go on, my corals were babysat for a few weeks (thanks!), then came back to my tank bigger and healthier than ever. The coral colored up, right back to that pretty color it had been originally. It started to grow quickly again, reached the same height as it had been previously in about 4 weeks.
5 days ago the coral spontaneously melted, this time on both branches. It melted down about halfway to the encrusted base, then stopped. I have not yet fragged it. The melting appears to have stopped. I am convinced that if I fragged it, I would have a new growth tip within a week.
I know you will ask, so here are params - these have not fluctuated significantly in a couple weeks.
Temp : 81
dKH: 9
CA: 450
pH: 8.1
Nitrates - 0
Phosphates - unknown
Mag: 1400
There is good flow, all of my other SPS are growing and are beautiful, no hiccups anywhere else in the tank. It is only this coral, and seems to be triggered when the coral reaches a certain size. The tort is located approximately 8" below 250w Phoenix DE.
Please help.
