Candy Cane massacre

[Mattie H.]

First order ever from Liveaquaria, a colony of candy cane. This is what I received. There is a bit of green color in the mouths, and a little bit of brown tissue here and there... but not much. The white you see is exposed skeleton, the brown blotches around the head is what's left of the tissue. I was thinking of putting a plastic bottle over them and feeding daily to help save what's left, but I'm not sure if it'll do any good at this point. Is it a lost cause?

 

[Flippers4pups]

No, there is tissue still covering the skeleton, it's just thin. Clear sign of stress. Should recover in time. I would not try feeding it until it puffs back up.

What's your water pramameters?

 

[Mattie H.]

No, there is tissue still covering the skeleton, it's just thin.

I hope you're right. It's hard to see in the pic, but there's no visible tissue on the white parts. It looks very bare.

Watet params are very clean, bordering on too clean. No problems with candy cane growth in my tank. Here's a frag I've had for two months, already doubled the amount of heads.

So you think I should just leave it be?

 

[coil1002]

Leave it be. It will be fine. If I stress mine out enough they pull back so far I can see the skeleton just like yours. They are just stressed out.

 

[Mattie H.]

Here is another closeup after a day in the tank. I'll leave it be and cross my fingers. I've never received a piece of coral that looks anything like this.

 

[reeferfoxx]

Make sure they are in a low flow spot. Even in the off chance only one head recovers, they colonize pretty fast.

 

[Flippers4pups]

I hope you're right. It's hard to see in the pic, but there's no visible tissue on the white parts. It looks very bare.

Watet params are very clean, bordering on too clean. No problems with candy cane growth in my tank. Here's a frag I've had for two months, already doubled the amount of heads.

So you think I should just leave it be?

Yes, don't try to feed it right now. There's tissue on the outside of the heads, though it's thin, is a good sign.

It should recover, it's just stressed.

 

[Flippers4pups]

I had been given a dying couple of heads of neon green candy cane back in 2010 as a father's day present by my stepdaughter. Looked WAY worse than yours does now. I felt bad because I wouldn't have bought it and would have easily have just called it dead and thrown it away. But it was a present and I felt obligated to place it in my tank.

Seven years later, it's the size of a cantaloupe and has been fragged numerous times since. Even on deaths door, it came back more than I would have ever imagined! Lol

 

[Mattie H.]

I had been given a dying couple of heads of neon green candy cane back in 2010...

Seven years later, it's the size of a cantaloupe and has been fragged numerous times since. Even on deaths door, it came back more than I would have ever imagined! Lol

Wow, that's awesome. You give me hope!

 

[BigHildy53]

I had been given a dying couple of heads of neon green candy cane back in 2010 as a father's day present by my stepdaughter. Looked WAY worse than yours does now. I felt bad because I wouldn't have bought it and would have easily have just called it dead and thrown it away. But it was a present and I felt obligated to place it in my tank.

Seven years later, it's the size of a cantaloupe and has been fragged numerous times since. Even on deaths door, it came back more than I would have ever imagined! Lol

What do you feed and how often?

 

[Flippers4pups]

What do you feed and how often?

I broad cast feed the tank LRS reef frenzy once a day, but they get most of what they need from the light and N03, P04. No spot feeding in my tank.

 

[Mattie H.]

I broad cast feed the tank LRS reef frenzy once a day, but they get most of what they need from the light and N03, P04. No spot feeding in my tank.

What levels are your nitrates and phosphates?

 

[Flippers4pups]

What levels are your nitrates and phosphates?

I have to say this: "what works for me, may not work entirely for you"

With that said........

Run down as follows:

SG: 35
Calcium: 450
Alkalinity: 9.6 dkh
Magnesium: 1350
N03: 10-20ppm
P04: trace
PH: 8.0

ATO 16 gallon, 1 1/2 teaspoons of calcium hydroxide per gallon of RO/DI water. (Kalkwasser)

 

[BakedLano92]

I had some of these that I got from the LFS. They were in their 5$ frag tank. Just sitting in the sandbed with really bad lighting. They gave them to me for free with another purchase of zoas looked similar if not worst than what you have. Full recovery in my tank and they about to split and form new heads. Been in the tank for about a month.