Torch Coral Sweeper Tenticles

[Mouse]

Basically my torch coral has developed sweeper tenticles about 8-9 inches long and its stinging allot of other stuff, move it or trim them????

BTW its only a 20 gallon tank and this torch is probably in the only place it can go, so to move it would mean breaking down the whole tank. Its my favorate coral and i would do this, but only if completely neccessary. Its a red long tentacled torch with pink tips from the solomans, it has about 5-6 heads on it and they split and branch quite often. Very nice coral. P.S. has anyone else got a red one, when i bought it it was white but i fixed it up again. I have allways thought red was rare.

Cheers

 

[Carpentersreef]

Mouse,
If your coral is sending out sweeper tentacles, it's sensing another coral in the vicinity and attacking. If you trim it, it will only develop more and send them out again. You'll have to move it or whatever it is stinging. As a second to last resort, maybe try adding carbon to reduce the chemicals that may be causing the sweepers.
Or, as always - how about a bigger tank? We always need a new excuse for that!

Mitch

 

[-JB]

I would move it, don't trim the sweepers. Are there soft corls near the Torch? Maybe it is reacting to some chemicals being put of by them.

 

[Mouse]

The only new corals added since the development of the sweepers is an Orange Gorgonia and a pink pussy (no pun intended).

Both of which are fairly close. The coral im most worried about is a red and green moon coral directly below the torch, the moon has been there all along and is now attached to the rock that is supporting the rest of the structure in which the Torch is sitting. Bigger tank idea sounds good though, mmmmm new tank!!!

 

[shawnz28]

I used to have a realy nice green one, and I would occasionaly trim the sweepers because of a leather that was getting too close for comfort. The only problem I would get is the would regro somtimes with seemingly twice the vengance meaning with two tips one them. I ended up fragging the torch in two to gain more room between them, but one day I found my leather hunched over and only became worse as time went on and I had to remove it(the leather)so apparently it was still not enough room and it got ahold of it. So I would have to agree and move it far enough away from everything so it can't reach.

Shawn

[ October 26, 2001: Message edited by: shawnz28 ]</p>