Cotton Candy Torch...deflated?

[SuperReefNoob]

Ive had this guy in my tank for about 2-3 weeks now, has been looking great until day before yesterday when i moved him because it was too close to my growing Elegance....

Salinity: 1.025
Ammonia: 0
Nitrites: 0.25
Nitrates: 5
Phos: 0.5
Mag: 1400
Calc: 450
Flow = mild/medium
2x Ai Prime 16's running the Saxby/BRS schedule

I dose all for reef liquid and Coral Love 2x week

 

[SuperReefNoob]

So i may have found the/a problem....ive been using an ancient refractometer to test salinity and just tested using a friends refractometer and hanna tester and they are both saying salinity is 1.033....how can i lower this quick? suck out some water and just add fresh RODI water with no salt?

 

[BanZI29]

Don't do it TOO fast, It could shock everything.
I recommend removed like 5% of the water, (depending on how big your tank is ) and add the same back in RODI, keep that up till your salinity is where it needs to be.

 

[SuperReefNoob]

Corrected my salinity down to 1.026 as of yesterday morning, Torch still looking horrible and deflated....dosed some Coral Love and some AB+ but no help....i really like this specimen and would rather not lose it....thoughts? ideas? should i give it a dip? or am i just panicking and should let it ride for a few days?

 

[Nate Chalk]

Corrected my salinity down to 1.026 as of yesterday morning, Torch still looking horrible and deflated....dosed some Coral Love and some AB+ but no help....i really like this specimen and would rather not lose it....thoughts? ideas? should i give it a dip? or am i just panicking and should let it ride for a few days?

Work on salinity. Stop moving, dipping, feeding that stuff. You are making the tank dirty and stressing it out more.


in my humble opinion

 

[SuperReefNoob]

So...im all messed up here, ive been testing nitrates with an API kit that consistently tests 0 nitrate and i borrowed a Red Sea test kit from a friend and its saying i have 60+ nitrate and about .8 phosphate...

 

[Naekuh]

To be honest that last pic is not too bad compared to the first.

Like Nate states, stop messing with it, and let it acclimate back to the new salinity.

Also if you have 60+ nitrate... id double check that result.
If its 60+ my magic 8 ball says, you have several 40% water changes coming to you pretty soon.

 

[SuperReefNoob]

So i tested again to be sure and its definitely in the high range PURPLE purple....but the test card slightly confuses me...do i have 60+ or 14+?

 

[slingfox]

You could do a big water change since dropping phosphate by 0.5 in one day is max recommend add by the lanthanum products which is a proxy.

More importantly, get some good test equipment. Specifically, VeeGee refractometer and either Hanna or Salifert test kits for Alk, Phosphate and Nitrate. Throw away your API tests. Red Sea people seem to say is okay.

 

[Liftoff]

Did you in general check the temperature?
Also, since you moved it:
1) Is there a different flow at the location it doesn't like?
2) Do you have a temperature gradient at the new location?

Best regards
Liftoff

 

[SuperReefNoob]

Did you in general check the temperature?
Also, since you moved it:
1) Is there a different flow at the location it doesn't like?
2) Do you have a temperature gradient at the new location?

Best regards
Liftoff

Both locations have similar flow and no temp change, i keep the tank at 77-78f
only moved it because i had it on the sand and it kind of started to bend over so i moved it to a somewhat horizontal hole in the rock so i t would still point up.

 

[SuperReefNoob]

Welp....game over.

 

[Sophie"s mom]

Welp....game over.

So I saw and responded to your other post about pods and “ something else “ which I am sure are hydroids. They really tend to irritate the crap out of corals. Just FYI here.

 

[Sophie"s mom]

Welp....game over.

Sorry for the loss of the torch, for sure. As another said, maybe get some solid test equipment first. Get your water right before trying any more corals. And try to get rid of the hydroids. If you can afford Hanna tests, they rock! I bought mine a couple at a time because they are pricey, but well worth it.

 

[SuperReefNoob]

So I saw and responded to your other post about pods and “ something else “ which I am sure are hydroids. They really tend to irritate the crap out of corals. Just FYI here.

Well the thing is i have an Elegance, 2 different mushrooms, xenia, green star polyp and a zoa colony that all look fantastic...just the cotton candy looks horrible out of all of them

 

[Naekuh]

oh dayam.. sorry to hear about that loss....

I would do a 40% water changed spaced out 3-4 days, until you repeated it 3 times..

Every 40% you reduce your nitrates and phosphates by almost half unless your not using RODI water.

So 3 should in math and chemistry flush out most of your nitrates, as well as store water chemistry to salt mix parameters.

 

[SuperReefNoob]

Sorry for the loss of the torch, for sure. As another said, maybe get some solid test equipment first. Get your water right before trying any more corals. And try to get rid of the hydroids. If you can afford Hanna tests, they rock! I bought mine a couple at a time because they are pricey, but well worth it.

I went nuts last night pulling my hair out with testing i ended up buying all the Hanna colorometer testers

I still have hope the torch will bounce back but pretty bummed.

 

[stewy14]

well, it is cotton candy torch(sorry, pun intended) there are still branches alive so... take some time and stuff. leave it be, lower salinity slowly

 

[Sophie"s mom]

I went nuts last night pulling my hair out with testing i ended up buying all the Hanna colorometer testers

I still have hope the torch will bounce back but pretty bummed.

It may I wouldn’t give up on it yet

 

[Naekuh]

I still have hope the torch will bounce back but pretty bummed.

at least it wasnt a banana.... i think id cry if i lost a banana torch.