Heliofungia actiniformis Problems

[Spidermanna]

:?:

Hello all. First Post.

I have a bad habit of being a coral's worst nightmare. I have a 75g tank that I've been operating since last October.

Most of the fish and about half (maybe less) of the corals I put in survive.

I have a Heliofungia actiniformis (Long Tenticle Plate Coral) that was doing well on top of a rock for a few days until I noticed that part of him was torn and receeding, showing his skeletal structure. He still inflates, so I moved him to the substrate near the front of the tank where there isn't a great deal of water flow and my Flower Pot Coral has thrived for the last 7-8 months.

What is doing this to him? Will he recover? How do I feed him? Do the fish/sea urchin/crabs chew on him? What type of water conditions is he looking for (pH, NO3, etc)? Is he a gonner and am I in denial? I like this guy and want him to live.

I have similiar questions about anenomies, since they don't seem to last either. The pathology would lead me to believe that the same problem is killing the inverts/corals in my tank.

I just did a water change so i have to wait a bit to do the checks, but they are usually normal except that the PH is negligiably high and the Nitrates are usually higher than they should be (I haven't figured out how to get them down).

If you can help, please let me know!

Jim :?

 

[david252]

I'm not an expert but it sounds terminal . I also have a heliofungia doing exactly the same thing. My water conditions are all fine & it was doing very well for about 1 week. From what I've read, once they start becoming detached from the skeletons, their demise is only a matter of time.

I haven't the heart to take mine out yet as there is only about a 10 degree arc of the skeleton showing & I guess I'M hoping for a miracle but expect the worst.

They do need to be on the bottom apparently & on some sort of soft substrate, on which they can in fact move slightly by inflating/deflating. Require low - moderate water flow & similar lighting. Need v high water quality (ammonia, nitrites, nitrates zero).

How's yours doing?

 

[pmarkel]

I'm not an expert either, but I've had mine for 3 years and it is still going strong. At one point it started to show 2 "ribs" of the skeleton at the outer edge. I also thought this was the start of a slow painful end for this coral. It's been at least a year since it first started showing and now the skeleton is completely covered again. Note red circle in the attached image. I made sure to feed it regularly with Kent Marine Phytoplex, Zooplex, and Microvert. I change up which additive I use once or twice a week. I also give it a small piece of shrimp when I feed my open brain coral at night once a week. The solid food I feed the corals get the same vitamin C additive I use for my fish feeding. Supposedly vitamin C is good for corals, especially if they are healing. I also add Lugol's Solution once a week to the tank to keep up the Iodine levels, though there are varying opinions on adding iodine that way versus relying on replenishment via your weekly water change. My last regular additive is Strontium and Molybdenum which is supposed to promote better coral adhesion to their skeletons. I can't tell you which specific item was the most critical, but both my open brain coral and heliofungia healed their visible wounds and are doing well. Good luck.