Elegance Coral Help

[NewbReefer3451]

Hi there,

Recently added this elegance coral to my tank about 7 days ago. It seemed to be doing very well and I have fed it twice over the last week. It ate the target fed Mysis shrimp no questions asked.

I just notice have this morning (wasn’t like this yesterday) that the left side of the coral is not looking very good, droopy, and the tentacles are a lot smaller then the right side and a darker color. On the skeleton it looks like something has torn or is growing on the base. I’ve taken pictures for help diagnosing the issue. Thanks!

Tank Parameters (6 months old):
Salinity: 1.026
Alk: 8.3
Ca: 450
Mg: 1425
Nitrate: 1-2
Ammonia: 0
Phosphate: 0.05
Temp: 78.5-79
pH: 8.1

Running carbon/GFO 24/7
Running pellet reactor 24/7
Running compact roller
7 gal refuge with chaeto
91 total gallons (Reefer 350)

The coral sits in the front middle of my tank at the bottom on a flat rock that is in the sand about 17inches (top of the coral) below the water level, relatively low to medium-low flow and I have 3 kessil 360xs mounted 8 inches above the water spread out (post a full tank picture so you can see where it sits) - the kessils are running at max intensity of 50% for 4 hours of the light cycle with a ramp up and ramp down towards the end of the cycle the cycle starts at 8am 15% intensity and ends at 8pm. The intensity from 5-8pm is at 30%.

I am a little worried if the coral is getting too much light and if I should move it under the bridge for shade. Please let me know your thoughts. Thanks!

Sorry for all the pictures and the weird flash. Tried to get the best angles and views to help diagnose the issue. Let me know if the pictures aren’t good enough. Thanks!

 

[Mal11224]

It looks fine to me. Just make sure nothing is nipping at it from that side. Elegance can be tricky but yours seems fine. Just keep an eye on it.

 

[NewbReefer3451]

It looks fine to me. Just make sure nothing is nipping at it from that side. Elegance can be tricky but yours seems fine. Just keep an eye on it.

Ok thanks - some times the emerald crab posts up under there and I worry about it nipping. Should I put it further down into the sand to cover the skeleton?

 

[VSVP bet]

I have an elegance, it is around 3 years old now. They like med light on the sand bed. The best way to tell if there is a problem is with the tissue is around the rim of the skeleton. There is a distinct line where flesh ends, and the skeleton starts. From the pictures, I dont see that tissue is disappearing.

There is something called elegance coral syndrome ( a bacterial infection), however, your elegance is showing no signs of that. I would monitor it, changes in 'fullness' are common for my elegance. If my clown brushes against it or a hermit crab is near by, the coral expels water from its tissue around the point of contact, giving it a deflated appearance in areas, but it usually 're inflates' in an hr or so after. Just be careful and look for tissue recession, if you see no real signs of this, youre fine.

As far as feeding goes, I give mine a chunk of a silverside once a week. My elegance is almost Frisbee sized.

 

[NewbReefer3451]

I have an elegance, it is around 3 years old now. They like med light on the sand bed. The best way to tell if there is a problem is with the tissue is around the rim of the skeleton. There is a distinct line where flesh ends, and the skeleton starts. From the pictures, I dont see that tissue is disappearing.

There is something called elegance coral syndrome ( a bacterial infection), however, your elegance is showing no signs of that. I would monitor it, changes in 'fullness' are common for my elegance. If my clown brushes against it or a hermit crab is near by, the coral expels water from its tissue around the point of contact, giving it a deflated appearance in areas, but it usually 're inflates' in an hr or so after. Just be careful and look for tissue recession, if you see no real signs of this, youre fine.

As far as feeding goes, I give mine a chunk of a silverside once a week. My elegance is almost Frisbee sized.

Thank you!! Struggling to get a good picture of what may be sometime of bacteria or tissue recession as I’m not sure what this fleshy chunky is on the lower left side.

 

[VSVP bet]

Thank you!! Struggling to get a good picture of what may be sometime of bacteria or tissue recession as I’m not sure what this fleshy chunky is on the lower left side.

Here is ECS info.. (http://theaquarium.club/the-elegance-coral/)

ELEGANCE CORAL SYNDROME (ECS)
Beginning sometime in the late 1990s, specimens entering the trade were doomed by a condition that had no known cause or cure, ECS, characterized by the following:

1. Colony’s oral disk swells, sometimes with excessive mucus production from the mouths
2. Tentacles do not expand
3. White opaque mucus-like webbing may present itself across the oral disk, originating between the coral’s tissue and skeleton. This stage typically lasts from days to nearly a month.
4. Coral bleaching or colour change
5. Tentacles lose their stickiness and so the coral does not feed
6. The coral’s tissue eventually shrinks
7. Secondary infections may occur, but are not common
8. Colony dies despite all manners of experimental intervention that have been attempted

I have never had issues with ECS (knock on wood) however it is pretty serious. I would not just to conclusions right away, but if not caught early. It is fatal.

I do not want to provide this info and create a sense of paranoia, rather let you know what to look for just in case. That being said, the elegance looks ok to me, but I do see what you mean about the tissue recession. I would look to see if inhabitants are picking at it, but if you notice any additional symptoms similar to ECS, Id dip it, because that would be grounds for an infection.

 

[NewbReefer3451]

Here is ECS info.. (http://theaquarium.club/the-elegance-coral/)

ELEGANCE CORAL SYNDROME (ECS)
Beginning sometime in the late 1990s, specimens entering the trade were doomed by a condition that had no known cause or cure, ECS, characterized by the following:

1. Colony’s oral disk swells, sometimes with excessive mucus production from the mouths
2. Tentacles do not expand
3. White opaque mucus-like webbing may present itself across the oral disk, originating between the coral’s tissue and skeleton. This stage typically lasts from days to nearly a month.
4. Coral bleaching or colour change
5. Tentacles lose their stickiness and so the coral does not feed
6. The coral’s tissue eventually shrinks
7. Secondary infections may occur, but are not common
8. Colony dies despite all manners of experimental intervention that have been attempted

I have never had issues with ECS (knock on wood) however it is pretty serious. I would not just to conclusions right away, but if not caught early. It is fatal.

I do not want to provide this info and create a sense of paranoia, rather let you know what to look for just in case. That being said, the elegance looks ok to me, but I do see what you mean about the tissue recession. I would look to see if inhabitants are picking at it, but if you notice any additional symptoms similar to ECS, Id dip it, because that would be grounds for an infection.

Ok - this is great advice. Thank you, I will monitor for any of these other ECS symptoms. I have done a quite a bit of research on ECS and the difficulty with maintaining elegance prior to getting this one, which is why i stuck to Aussie from a very reputable dealer. If i noticed any additional symptoms I will treat accordingly. Thanks again - I think my pesky emeralds may be picking at it I may put it further down into the sand.

 

[VSVP bet]

Ok - this is great advice. Thank you, I will monitor for any of these other ECS symptoms. I have done a quite a bit of research on ECS and the difficulty with maintaining elegance prior to getting this one, which is why i stuck to Aussie from a very reputable dealer. If i noticed any additional symptoms I will treat accordingly. Thanks again - I think my pesky emeralds may be picking at it I may put it further down into the sand.

And honestly, that is the more likely scenario. I have removed all my emrelad crabs after they ripped tissue off my stylo colony. And yesterday, I noticed my hermit crabs ripping at my purple cap. colony.... needless to say, crustaceans can be the culprits when it comes to random tissue loss if caught in the act.

 

[James w Lewis]

Here is my experience with elegance corals. I killed a shot ton of them and I mean a bunch. Finally I did two things. One was I turned the lighting way down for a couple weeks and gradually built it back up. Two, I added nothing to my tank. They are very sensitive when it comes to adding chemicals to the tank. I still don’t add anything but kalkwasser a little at a time. I just change the water once a month. Here are two elegance corals that starter out with one or two mouths.