Dying Trumpet Coral

[JojoM]

Hey there i got a trumpet coral today, before i bought it i tested my water and everything checked out but an hour after it being in my tank it shrunk a lot and white slime started coming out
8hrs later it looks like they are starting to erode or something as brown parts are coming on the fleshy part or the coral
please if anyone can let me know what i can do or check that will help a lot.

picture included

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

Do you have other corals in your tank? Trumpet coral is an extremely hardy coral, for it to die so fast after going into your tank indicates a water quality issue or poor acclimation.

Maybe post your test results, we need more info to be able to offer help.

 

[JojoM]

Do you have other corals in your tank? Trumpet coral is an extremely hardy coral, for it to die so fast after going into your tank indicates a water quality issue or poor acclimation.

Maybe post your test results, we need more info to be able to offer help.

I have a Green star polyp thats been in here for a week or so, i forgot to mention my tank is 1month old

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

1.Where did you buy the coral?
2.How long did you float the bag to temperature acclimate, and what is your tank's temp?
3.What was the salinity of the water in the bag, and what is your tank's salinity?
4.Same question as 3 but for alkalinity?

 

[JojoM]

I have a Green star polyp thats been in here for a week or so, i forgot to mention my tank is 1month ol

1.Where did you buy the coral?
2.How long did you float the bag to temperature acclimate, and what is your tank's temp?
3.What was the salinity of the water in the bag, and what is your tank's salinity?
4.Same question as 3 but for alkalinity?

1. my local fish store they sell corals and all seem to be in good condition
2. i floated it for 30mins at get the temp right
3. salinity of my tank is 35 PPT
4. KH was recording at 13

i dipped the coral before putting it my tank, then after it went in within an hour slime started coming out of it

 

[Tbg299]

1. my local fish store they sell corals and all seem to be in good condition
2. i floated it for 30mins at get the temp right
3. salinity of my tank is 35 PPT
4. KH was recording at 13

i dipped the coral before putting it my tank, then after it went in within an hour slime started coming out of it

Trumpet corals are very resilient lps. You must be having spikes in ammonia or nitrites. This is most likely what killed it given that your tank is only 4 weeks old.

 

[JojoM]

Trumpet corals are very resilient lps. You must be having spikes in ammonia or nitrites. This is most likely what killed it given that your tank is only 4 weeks old.

Is there a change a polyp could come back to good health after a water change?

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

Trumpet corals are very resilient lps. You must be having spikes in ammonia or nitrites. This is most likely what killed it given that your tank is only 4 weeks old.

This is completely wrong. Corals actually use ammonia as food, so having ammonia/nitrites in the tank would not kill it.

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

1. my local fish store they sell corals and all seem to be in good condition
2. i floated it for 30mins at get the temp right
3. salinity of my tank is 35 PPT
4. KH was recording at 13

i dipped the coral before putting it my tank, then after it went in within an hour slime started coming out of it

Kh is very high. I don't know if that would affect the coral immediately, but it is a possibility. Ask your LFS what they keep their alk at. The reason I asked about the salinity and alk of the water in the bag (that the coral was in) is because a large difference from your tank water *could* cause stress to the coral.
I generally don't acclimate coral besides temperature, but with your Alk so high, you might consider it in the future.

What did you use for your dip?

Also, please share all the test results you have... That may help identify other possibilities for the coral responding as it did.

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

@Tbg299 , a little reading for you...

Ask Reef Builders #3: How Long Should I Cycle A Reef Tank Before Putting Corals In? | Reef Builders | The Reef and Saltwater Aquarium Blog

You don’t. The short answer is that technically, there is no evidence that you need to cycle an aquarium before putting corals in. Now before you start pulling out your proverbial pitchforks and burn…

reefbuilders.com

 

[JojoM]

So the coral was completely dead by the morning so ive removed it from my tank
My Results
Ca- 420
Mg-1300
Ammonia- <0,05
Nitrites- 0,2
Nitrates- 1
temps- 26c
Salinity 35PPT
KH- 13

once i got home i temp acclimated the coral and from that i put in in Dipx by redsea for 15mins, i them attached it to a rock and put it in my tank.
after that the coral started to Die
im new to the hobby so i expect i made some mistakes and this is my first LPS
i have a green start polyp for a week already but that one is doing fine
Anything extra i can add is that i didnt get any coralline algae yet and im currently getting diatoms in my tank

 

[((FORDTECH))]

So the coral was completely dead by the morning so ive removed it from my tank
My Results
Ca- 420
Mg-1300
Ammonia- <0,05
Nitrites- 0,2
Nitrates- 1
temps- 26c
Salinity 35PPT
KH- 13

once i got home i temp acclimated the coral and from that i put in in Dipx by redsea for 15mins, i them attached it to a rock and put it in my tank.
after that the coral started to Die
im new to the hobby so i expect i made some mistakes and this is my first LPS
i have a green start polyp for a week already but that one is doing fine
Anything extra i can add is that i didnt get any coralline algae yet and im currently getting diatoms in my tank

I’m not familiar with that dip but I do know if left in dip to long this can happen to a coral. I use revive and only dip for 4-5 mi

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

So the coral was completely dead by the morning so ive removed it from my tank
My Results
Ca- 420
Mg-1300
Ammonia- <0,05
Nitrites- 0,2
Nitrates- 1
temps- 26c
Salinity 35PPT
KH- 13

once i got home i temp acclimated the coral and from that i put in in Dipx by redsea for 15mins, i them attached it to a rock and put it in my tank.
after that the coral started to Die
im new to the hobby so i expect i made some mistakes and this is my first LPS
i have a green start polyp for a week already but that one is doing fine
Anything extra i can add is that i didnt get any coralline algae yet and im currently getting diatoms in my tank

I'm sorry you lost the coral
Hopefully once your tank is a couple months older you'll have better luck. Looks like you aren't ready for fish yet since you still have ammonia and have barely any nitrates. Did you cycle with bottled bacteria? If not, it can take a little longer, but you're getting there
I would check on that Alk level though... That's pretty high by most standards.

 

[davidcalgary29]

15mins, i them attached it to a rock and put it in my tank.
after that the coral started to Die

How do you check your salinity? If it's with a refractometer, make sure that it's a) not a refractometer meant for alcohol (I did this!) and b) it's calibrated properly ( I did not do this!). Before you buy any more coral, be sure that you match your salinity levels with those at your LFS. Use your refractometer with their water so that you can determine optimal levels with your equipment. It'possible that the coral suffered some type of osmotic shock in your system.

I would also not affix new frags to your aquascape until they've acclimated to your lighting. Many reefers use eggcrate glued to magnets (use a cheap algae scraper for a DIY holder) so that they can manually acclimate corals without adjusting the lighting for the entire tank by moving the entire crate up or down as required.

 

[Tbg299]

Is there a change a polyp could come back to good health after a water change?

Check the rest of your parameters first to see if one is needed, although a small water change can never hurt. Ammonia nitrites, nitrates, and phosphates most importantly. I don't think alk Is the issue and I wouldn't lower it too quickly. Use an iodine based dip every 48-72 hours; this will help stop tissue necrosis, and you might be able to salvage some heads. With healthy and stable water parameters they should regrow. Just wondering, did you do a fishless cycle?

 

[Tbg299]

Is there a change a polyp could come back to good health after a water change?

Also I would lower the lighting for a while if you haven't yet or put it in a shaded spot. Make sure it gets moderate flow.

Here is my neon green trumpet/candy cane. It was the first coral I got in my latest reef about 1.5 years ago. Got it as a 0.5" frag with 2 heads. Now it is about the size of a baseball. Consistent NO3 of 5-10 ppm, PO4 0.5 , pH 8.2-8.4, dKH 9.5, Ca 400-450, Mg 1500-1600, approximately 150 PAR (it does like moderately high lighting) and moderate flow: just enough to slightly keep the heads moving. Best of luck.

 

[JojoM]

Thanks for all the replies, i will get to work on my tank parameters and allow a few months for it to settle
I do have Fish, i have 2 clown fish a Tang
i used bottled bacteria and at the moment use tapwater and put it throught my britta filter jug (takes a long time but i think its safer than just tapwater) i plan to get a RO/DI system put in soon which i think will also help with the alk

 

[JojoM]

How do you check your salinity? If it's with a refractometer, make sure that it's a) not a refractometer meant for alcohol (I did this!) and b) it's calibrated properly ( I did not do this!). Before you buy any more coral, be sure that you match your salinity levels with those at your LFS. Use your refractometer with their water so that you can determine optimal levels with your equipment. It'possible that the coral suffered some type of osmotic shock in your system.

I would also not affix new frags to your aquascape until they've acclimated to your lighting. Many reefers use eggcrate glued to magnets (use a cheap algae scraper for a DIY holder) so that they can manually acclimate corals without adjusting the lighting for the entire tank by moving the entire crate up or down as required.

i have the Hanna salinity tester and used the solution it came with to calibrate it

 

[JojoM]

Check the rest of your parameters first to see if one is needed, although a small water change can never hurt. Ammonia nitrites, nitrates, and phosphates most importantly. I don't think alk Is the issue and I wouldn't lower it too quickly. Use an iodine based dip every 48-72 hours; this will help stop tissue necrosis, and you might be able to salvage some heads. With healthy and stable water parameters they should regrow. Just wondering, did you do a fishless cycle?

I did a fish in cycle with clownfish

 

[JojoM]

I’m not familiar with that dip but I do know if left in dip to long this can happen to a coral. I use revive and only dip for 4-5 mi

id did seem a little long it was a 10ml solution with a litre of water to get hitchhikers off, i did use tapwater while doing that