First Torch - is this receding?

[PotatoPig]

So a little over a week ago I posted and my torch looked like this (in tank two weeks):

YouTube Link

The last couple days it seems less extended, when I looked around the rear side I found what you see in the photo below. Is this normal or bad?

Video link - tentacles fully retracted when I moved it for the video, have not touched it in any way otherwise

Photo and video under whites only.

Note that this rear side gets a more flow than the front side.

If this is bad, am I giving it too much flow? Or is this a symptom of something else?

 

[yellow tang lover]

noted I am a new reefer so this might not be true. But from my experience that is a bad sigh. Because my torch was like that when I was neglecting my tank and a few weeks later the tissue just came off and it died…

 

[yellow tang lover]

You should test your parameters to see what’s wrong

 

[yellow tang lover]

You should test your parameters to see what’s wrong

I also think it’s to much flow

 

[OctaviusBrine]

It’s not looking to good once the flesh recedes it’s not a good sign. What’s your parameters ima go on a hunch and say your no3 and po4 are super low.

 

[PotatoPig]

Alright Parameters hot off the press:

Calcium: 380
Alkalinity: 8
Nitrates: Very Low. See photo.
Phosphates: I make about 0.25. See photo.

Other items:

I currently have a green cyano battle going on. None appears to be on the torch at all, possibly due to the high flow, but I recently lost two zoa frags and attributed it to the Cyano, but maybe it’s the very low nitrates. OTOH - my GSP seems to be doing fine and is slowly spreading across the back wall at a visible pace each day, so it’s feeding on something…

The torch appears to have two mouths. See photos, one taken with all pumps off so still water, the other with it fully retracted after lights out.

A couple weeks ago I also posted about my Alk being 24, this turned out, to my great embarrassment, to be tracable to a dirty test tube... This time around I washed everything in rodi, rinsed fully between tests with rodi, and tested each parameter twice.

 

[Kasrift]

Alright Parameters hot off the press:

Calcium: 380
Alkalinity: 8
Nitrates: Very Low. See photo.
Phosphates: I make about 0.25. See photo.

Other items:

I currently have a green cyano battle going on. None appears to be on the torch at all, possibly due to the high flow, but I recently lost two zoa frags and attributed it to the Cyano, but maybe it’s the very low nitrates. OTOH - my GSP seems to be doing fine and is slowly spreading across the back wall at a visible pace each day, so it’s feeding on something…

The torch appears to have two mouths. See photos, one taken with all pumps off so still water, the other with it fully retracted after lights out.

A couple weeks ago I also posted about my Alk being 24, this turned out, to my great embarrassment, to be tracable to a dirty test tube... This time around I washed everything in rodi, rinsed fully between tests with rodi, and tested each parameter twice.

Calcium is too low and you'll need to know your magnesium. 1450 is ideal for keeping these happy.

 

[OctaviusBrine]

you’re going to want to get those nitrates up. All coral need some nitrates at the minimum atleast detectable. You can do this by feeding your fish more or dosing something like neo nitro. Im not trying to be mean but you really need a pretty accurate test kit that po4 has a very large window to try and figure out. There expensive but are worth it when you start spending 100s if not thousands on coral. like kasrift said your going to want to start testing your mag as well.

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

Don't worry about the phosphate until you get a better test kit, API always shows .25. I keep my phosphate at about .1, as you see on your API test kit, you can't measure .1. You need a good test kit that can measure between 0 and .25, hanna tester is very popular.

Judging from the green sand, something seems off in your tank.... either nutrients are off, or not enough flow

 

[kevgib67]

As mentioned 3 things stand out. Nitrates need to be raised 10-15, get Calcium up over 400 and as mentioned above, get magnesium over 1400. All is not lost. Last June asked me I wanted to try to save a torch that was on its way out, no flesh band. It is now double it’s size.

 

[PotatoPig]

Thank you all.

I have a scheduled trip to the LFS today (picking up a PAR meter for rent to actually confirm what these corals are getting).

Already done:
Added generalized flow, but lightened flow slightly around the torch as recession is predominantly on the side getting more.

Plan of action:
Get Mg test kit. Add Mg if needed.
Get more accurate phosphates test kit.
Get some nitrate supplement.

Have a 20% water change scheduled for this evening, as part of a green cyano battle. I’m doing this every ~4 -5 days.

Adding a couple of conches this weekend to help get the sand bed turning over.

Question 1 for raising nitrates - it looks like the Cyano is sucking up any nitrates in there. I’m worried if I try to raise them then it’ll just cause the stuff to bloom. Is there a good way to avoid this?

Question 2 for raising nitrates - can this be achieved via dosing limited ammonia?

 

[PotatoPig]

Update:

So, I got my parameters in better order:
Calcium 400
Alk 8-9
Magnesium 1400
Nitrates ~10

Other parameters:
Lights: Rented par meter, torch is in about 80-100 par. LFS Keeps theirs in about 80 par, so this is what it grew in.
Temperature: 79 degrees
Ph: 8.2

I think this is not bad. My torch disagrees… initially it was more visibly feeding, mouth open more than I’d seen recently. But the last few days it’s been bleaching. Also, I think a third mouth has opened.

Any suggestions, or just wait and see?

Photos, under blues and whites:

 

[OctaviusBrine]

Parameters are looking better did you get a different po4 test kit? What is your Alk at? How often do you feed and what are you feeding it?

Soooo many questions lol

 

[PotatoPig]

Parameters are looking better did you get a different po4 test kit? What is your Alk at? How often do you feed and what are you feeding it?

Soooo many questions lol

Same phos test. Phosphates are detectable with it, but not high. I don’t have an accurate number, but not excessive or non existent.

Alk is about 8 to 9

The feeding was more that it’s mouth has been open rather than closed, but I have been upping my fine fish food (TDO pellets, no idea if this is good, bad or neutral for it) that gets broadcast and I’ve seen it apparently snag pieces.

Mag test was with the Red Sea kit.

 

[OctaviusBrine]

Same phos test. Phosphates are detectable with it, but not high. I don’t have an accurate number, but not excessive or non existent.

Alk is about 8 to 9

The feeding was more that it’s mouth has been open rather than closed, but I have been upping my fine fish food (TDO pellets, no idea if this is good, bad or neutral for it) that gets broadcast and I’ve seen it apparently snag pieces.

Mag test was with the Red Sea kit.

Since it’s struggling I would feed it mysis one day a week and either reefroids or benepets another day in the week. Be careful with the roids it will raise po4 benepets does not raise po4. I use roids to help raise my po4 and the coral love it. I mix it thick and use a syringe
To feed without the needle.

 

[kevgib67]

Update:

So, I got my parameters in better order:
Calcium 400
Alk 8-9
Magnesium 1400
Nitrates ~10

Other parameters:
Lights: Rented par meter, torch is in about 80-100 par. LFS Keeps theirs in about 80 par, so this is what it grew in.
Temperature: 79 degrees
Ph: 8.2

I think this is not bad. My torch disagrees… initially it was more visibly feeding, mouth open more than I’d seen recently. But the last few days it’s been bleaching. Also, I think a third mouth has opened.

Any suggestions, or just wait and see?

Photos, under blues and whites:

I’m liking the parameters much better, try to get phosphates up to .05-.1. This is going to take time, this torch has been struggling as can be seen by a lack of flesh band. Just keep doing what you’re doing it is going to take months not weeks. You’ll get there!