Duncan frag staying closed in quarantine

[Bthomas]

Been meaning to post about this for a few days now..
I've got a 2 head duncan frag in my quarantine tank. I've had it probably a month or so now and it's been closed up pretty much the whole time. When first introduced to the tank it opened a bit for a few days but then closed up and has been ever since.
I have other coral in the tank that are doing just fine.. hammer, candy cane, mushrooms, zoas
I've tried moving it to different locations but no luck.
I'm hoping that maybe it just isn't liking the quarantine tank but any other ideas?
I'll get a pic tomorrow if needed

 

[Big G]

Well, Duncans like low light and medium-ish flow. Any visible damage? Have you checked it at night when the lights are off?

 

[HB AL]

Why not go ahead and put it in your dt? If it hasn't opened in a month it's definetly being affected by some condition in the quarantine take

 

[Bthomas]

Well, Duncans like low light and medium-ish flow. Any visible damage? Have you checked it at night when the lights are off?

This is a pic of him now with lights off.. and this is pretty much what it looks like with lights on as well
No visible damage that I can tell although it does have a slimey coating all over it if that means anything..
Lighting is just a cheap led and I've tried moving it all over the tank for different flow options

 

[Bthomas]

Why not go ahead and put it in your dt? If it hasn't opened in a month it's definetly being affected by some condition in the quarantine take

Quarantine period is 76 days for coral. Hasn't been that long yet

 

[Big G]

Has the QT tank had any chemicals or copper in it?

 

[Bthomas]

Has the QT tank had any chemicals or copper in it?

No

 

[Big G]

Can you post your water parameters?

 

[Bthomas]

Can you post your water parameters?

I havnt even been testing it because it's just a quarantine but I can do that now.

 

[Bthomas]

Salinity 1.024
Nitrate 50
Calcium 410
Alk 6.1
Ph 8

So may have some issues here.. I have not been doing water changes. Should i start with weekly water changes? See if that helps

 

[JoshH]

Most definitely a WC, QT tanks need as much, if not more care and testing as our DTs do.

 

[HB AL]

Quarantine period is 76 days for coral. Hasn't been that long yet

I don't quarantine fish or corals so I'm curious what the 76 days for coral does?

 

[JoshH]

76 days will ensure any trophonts (Ick) have hatched and died off due to lack of a food source ensuring you can't add Ick to your system. Because dipping corals will not kill Ick in the trophont stage.

BTW probably spelt trophonts wrong lol

 

[HB AL]

Glad my fish eat ick for lunch!

 

[PhreeByrd]

I frequently frag Duncan's corals. Once I fragged and moved one from a growout tank to the display tank and it stayed closed for a full year. Then it suddenly opened. There were no issues with the water quality in either tank, and in fact all parameters between the two tanks were identical. Lighting of course was somewhat different, but not drastically.
I kept an eye on the Duncan's while it stayed closed. Color was always good, no tissue loss or recession, and I just left it alone until it decided it was happy. That was ten years ago, and it's still in the DT, healthy and happy (and large). I've taken several frags from it, and it recovers very quickly and without issue.

My advice to the OP is to be patient, and leave it alone. Don't move it, adjust it, or play around with it. Just let it acclimate to its environment. The color in the photo seems pretty brown, so it has likely been under too low a light level or too high a nutrient level (or both). Stop touching it to see if it's slimy (it is, trust me). It might look dead, but if it still has tissue on the stalk, then it is alive even if the polyps stay closed. Seriously -- leave it alone, and it will either die or recover on its own. These are very tough, hardy corals.