Duncan coral, long stringy tentacles?

[b-o-b-s]

Just wondering if this is a bad thing? I recently lost two heads and a third appears to be detaching. I bought a frag with about six heads approx 8 months ago and the only growth has been the tentacles elongating. I target feed mysis a couple times per weeak and it is placed towards the bottom center of the tank. The mother Colony have very short plump tentacles and are very nice looking. ..... mine are just plain ugly. Any thoughts and opinions would be great thanks.

 

[Connie]

Do you have a pic available?

 

[_Alex_]

Pics, and water parameters would help


-Alex-

 

[uall8up]

Yes, a pic would help to identify the issue.

 

[b-o-b-s]

 

[b-o-b-s]

Spg 1.024, temp 78, ph 8.1, kh 12, nitrogen cycle is all 0, calc 400-420, ammonia 0, unsure of phosphates.

 

[uall8up]

Doesn't look bad. Mine did that from time to time.

 

[b-o-b-s]

 

[_Alex_]

What's magnesium at? Kh little on high side.


-Alex-

 

[b-o-b-s]

I actually don't have a magnesium test should I pick one up?

 

[_Alex_]

Also I have Duncan's that get 6" long tentacles and twist up into little balls. And there are kinds with short tentacles and a kind with short

Long ones in first pic and short ones in second

-Alex-

 

[_Alex_]

Yea magnesium levels need to be 1350 and up to stabilize calcium and alk. It is also used on skeletal growth of Lps and Sps corals.


-Alex-

 

[b-o-b-s]

Any thoughts on heads receding and falling off?

 

[NanaReefer]

How's the flow? Duncan's don't do well in high flow/hight light. Your's does not look good at all. I've been keeping Duncan's for 4 years and have never seen anything like that.
I agree that your Alk is a bit high. What test kit are you using?


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[_Alex_]

I've had my Duncan's in high flow and
Light and they loved it. Went from 2 heads to wha you see on the pics in about 6 months. Directly under LEDs, so I think it's just a matter of acclimation


-Alex-

 

[b-o-b-s]

Api drip test kits. I try to keep them in lower flow but its hard to keep everything neutral with the koralias.

 

[b-o-b-s]

Radions are in acclimation mode for the next few weeks btw. But the have looked like this since after the first month I owned them.

 

[NanaReefer]

Api drip test kits. I try to keep them in lower flow but its hard to keep everything neutral with the koralias.

Those strips are very unreliable, and not very accurate. Any chance of taking a water sample to your LFS for testing?


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[b-o-b-s]

They are not strips they are one and two party liquid drip test kits. I hate dip strips and honestly eIther one is what My lfs would use.

 

[markalot]

Can you temporarily move them to a darker area to see if anything changes? Heads falling off is not good. When mine are unhappy they close up, when they are reproducing they might close up for a day or two. I've read others have the stringy tentacles but no conclusion as to why.