Long Tentacle plate coral needs help

[Mal]

I have a long tentacle plate coral in my reef tank for about 2 months. It is has not ben looking very good for about 1 week. I am looking for some help in what may be wrong with it and what I can do to bring it around.

It is about 5" by 3". Its tentacles were about 2-3" long when open. It was full bodied. Now the tentacles are not extended, and a part of the coral looks like it is just plates. It has not extended its tentacles for several days. It is definitely not doing well and fading.

The PH in my tank was low 7.4 for about 1 week. We have now got it back at 8.2. The calcium is at 300 to 320. We are working on getting it up, but it has not been above 320. Ammonia is 0. Nitrite is 0. Nitrates are at 17-20 ppm. We have not been able to get the nitrates below 17-20 ppm. We do water changes about every 2-3 weeks of 20% to work on the nitrates. I have MH lights, 300 watts; and 365 of VHO for a total of 765 watts. VHO is on 12 hrs, MH are for 7hrs. We have about 175lb of live rock in a 125 gallon tank. 8 fish, no real large fish, yellow tang at 4-5" is the largest. The other corals and anomeone are fine and growing.

Do you have any experience with these? Can you offer any help?

Thanks

Mal

 

[monkeyboy]

Now the tentacles are not extended, and a part of the coral looks like it is just plates. It has not extended its tentacles for several days. It is definitely not doing well and fading

Unfortunately, when long tentacle plates are damaged like yours apparently is, they rarely survive do to some sort of infection. The damage could have occurred at any time, at the store, during shipping, or in your tank. It doesn't take much to hurt these guys. My guess is that it will continue to receed until it is completely gone.

 

[Anonymous]

I would agree with monkey. I had LT plate for about a year, then moved it haphazardly one day while doing some maintenance and damaged its flesh. Within a couple of weeks it withered away, even with Lugo's dips. Their skeletal structure is very sharp and unfortunately easy to damage their flesh.