Elegance Coral Question

[bayondai]

Within the last week my elegance coral has detached 3/4's of its body from its skeleton. The strangest part is that the coral still looks pretty good. It is a little shriveled but it doesn't look like it is decomposing. It almost looks like the tank lights just turned on and it hasn't completely opened yet. My water parameters are just about perfect. My ph is a bit low from my calcium reactor. It is 7.9 morning to 8.1 at night. It is in a medium water flow with good lighting. It is on the bottom of my tank under 3 x 400w mh and 4 x 55w actinics. The tank is 125 gallons. I have had this coral for about a year with no problems until now. What could cause this?

 

[Anonymous]

What have you been feeding it?

 

[reefland]

While very uncommon this has been reported before. After it fully detaches you'll have to weigh it down somehow back to the substrate to stop it from floating around or into powerheads. If you are lucky it will create a new skeleton otherwise it will likely die.

The previous question is very valid, what have you been feeding it?

 

[bayondai]

The section that was detached started to die so I cut that part off. The little section still attached to the skeleton seems to be ok so far. I guess I'll see what happens.

 

[reefland]

Still waiting to hear what you have been feeding it.

 

[bayondai]

Sorry for the slow delay... I feed it some frozer prime reef or fomula one every once and a while, but that is about it. I got it from fishsupply about a year ago and on their website it says "Thrives with additions of Calcium, strontium and trace elements.", which it is definitely getting plenty of. I also give the tank 1/4 tsp of golden pearls every other day. The coral is at the bottom of my tank where it gets medium current and I have 3 x 400w mh and 4 x 55w pc's. Did I do something wrong?

 

[Anonymous]

Everything sounds right to me. Was it growing in the past? Chunkier food may or may not help. They can eat a lot but I think you're doing everything right.

 

[bayondai]

I give it the frozen food once in a blue moon. It never really grew since I hade it. Right now it is only about 1 inch long since the part that detached from the skeleton died. That one inch piece looks fine. It opens up like the other part of it was never there.

 

[reefland]

I don't think you were feeding it enough. "once in a blue moon" typically is not enough to keep corals like an elegance alive. I would suggest feeding it directly once a week to twice a month at least. Chopped cocktail shrimp from your local food store is great. Feeding at night about an hour after lights out.

I've had my elegance for just under 4 years now.

http://www.rl180reef.com/pages/corals/lps/elegance.htm

 

[Anonymous]

I agree with Reefland. When you said once in a while I thought you were feeding a couple times a week. These animals need to eat to grow. If they are not growing then they are dying. I hope yours settles down again. Good luck.

 

[bayondai]

I had no idea I was starving it. I wish some of these online stores would give you a bit more info instead of "Thrives with additions of Calcium, strontium and trace elements." I'll start feeding it tonight. Thanks for the advise.

 

[bayondai]

Since I should be feeding the elegance coral, should I also feed the closed hard brain? I have had the brain for about a year without it growing either.

 

[reefland]

Yes, I would feed that one as well. Chop the foods very fine, kill the pumps so it doesn't blow off. If you have shrimps or seastars feed them first so they won't bother the coral for food.

 

[reefkeeper]

I have had my eleagance coral for 5 years and have never fed it. It has quadrupled in size.