Alleopathy?

[JT101]

Could this be my problem?

As I posted on another thread, my newest coral - a branching hammer - was slowly dying. Well, last night there was only half of it left. Today when I looked at the tank it was essentially gone, and my tang and even my black & white clown were munching away. However, something even MORE disturbing is going on (as if it could get any worse). My prized plate pagoda coral is losing tissue! This coral was about 3" across when I got it about 5 years ago. Now, it's the size of a small dinner plate. A few months ago the bottom right portion was being touched by my torch coral and the polyps retracted for a while. I moved the torch, and the plate's retracted polyps all came back to life in about a week or two. However, NOW it looks like that area is dead, because there is nothing but skeleton there.

I have attached pics for you to see the damage.

My title - allelopathy - is tied into my thinking that there's a coral in this tank that doesn't "like" these two corals, and is killing them.

BTW, all other corals are 100% fine.

I assume I should just toss out the hammer coral because it looks like a goner, but what can I do about this beautiful plate? It's a dark green but when all its polyps are open it shimmers a bright green and it's a really nice specimen...

 

[al0ha]

Corals do emit chemicals into the water if thats what ur talking about

 

[JT101]

Corals do emit chemicals into the water if thats what ur talking about

Yes, I do know, my post was more along the lines of: What kinds of coral tend to be agressive in this way? Right now I have:

Kenya tree, plate pagoda, favia, torch, zooa colony, finger leather, two hammer corals (1 dying, 1 going strong), a pink goniopora and a bunch of mushrooms scattered about.

 

[al0ha]

Is your torch anywhere near the hammer? I know some species tend to have a more aggressive sting. Possible that the sweeper tentacles touched it?

 

[fishman1069]

All the leathers have the capability to engage chemical warfare and so do the zoas. The hammers and torch can sting things as you already know but so can mushrooms. I'm thinking the pagoda cup will be ok except for where of got stung by the torch. Make sure it is away from all the stinging corals and run some carbon to try and cut down on the chemical warfare. Good luck

 

[andylee]

Torches and hammers are compatible, even if touching (these have sweepers).

If it's alleopathy, it doesn't make much sense that your other hammer is doing fine and one has completely disintegrated.

 

[JT101]

Is your torch anywhere near the hammer? I know some species tend to have a more aggressive sting. Possible that the sweeper tentacles touched it?

No, opposite ends of the tank. There's a lot of space around the torch because I have seen its tentacles extend as much as 6".

 

[JT101]

If it's alleopathy, it doesn't make much sense that your other hammer is doing fine and one has completely disintegrated.

Excellent point. I think the reason the one hammer is "melting" is because I had it in an area of too high flow and it injured itself on the blades of the skeleton. Actually now I am more worried about my plate pagoda. As mentioned it did get "burned" earlier this year by the torch but after I moved the torch to the other side of the tank the pagoda seemed to heal, but now it's melting in that same area. Almost like a relapse of sorts.

Does it matter which specific species of hammer when it comes to the allelopathy thing? My good one is the type where the polyps extend out of a narrow opening, the dying one is the "bladed skeleton" type.