Is my gorgonian shedding or dying :(

[Zoe’s Reef]

Do you have snails/clean up crew? I dont have an exact number for you as all reefers run a bit different depending on their corals/system. But the general consensus is that 0 is bad.

Yes, I do. Right now in my 32g biocube I have 3 blue legged hermits, 2 carlet hermits, 1 emerald crab, 3 nassarius snails.

 

[Dr. Dendrostein]

Don't forget, super strong flow

 

[Pistondog]

I’m a newbie- do you have a recommendation as to how much above 0?

Nitrates 2 to 10 ppm, phosphates 0.05 to 0.1 are reasonable stable targets.

 

[Uncle99]

Light, light, light......gorgonians love light, flow, and iodide running in the 0.03-0.06 range is helpful.
A good basis of nutrients in a tank less than one year old is
Nitrate 2-5ppm
Phosphate 0.03-.1 max
Stability is king......in all 8 parameters.....less flux possible.
Salinity is critical and is the base for all other parameters.
Alk is next, you want to keep these rock solid.

 

[andrewkw]

My gorgonian goes through this about once a year. I would just gently wipe it down.

I just use a paper towel to gently wipe it down. I've had this coral for many years and the first time it happened I freaked out as it stayed closed for quite some time but the last couple of times as soon as it happens I'll clean it off and it will bounce back in a few days.

 

[Zoe’s Reef]

Don't forget, super strong flow

Thank you, added a powerhead and it seemed to perk up! Ordered one more too that will be delivered on Monday.

 

[Zoe’s Reef]

Nitrates 2 to 10 ppm, phosphates 0.05 to 0.1 are reasonable stable targets.

Thank you, I appreciate it!

 

[Zoe’s Reef]

Light, light, light......gorgonians love light, flow, and iodide running in the 0.03-0.06 range is helpful.
A good basis of nutrients in a tank less than one year old is
Nitrate 2-5ppm
Phosphate 0.03-.1 max
Stability is king......in all 8 parameters.....less flux possible.
Salinity is critical and is the base for all other parameters.
Alk is next, you want to keep these rock solid.

Thank you! This is extremely helpful. I will aim for those numbers.

 

[Zoe’s Reef]

My gorgonian goes through this about once a year. I would just gently wipe it down.

I just use a paper towel to gently wipe it down. I've had this coral for many years and the first time it happened I freaked out as it stayed closed for quite some time but the last couple of times as soon as it happens I'll clean it off and it will bounce back in a few days.

Thank you for the advice and photos! I definitely need more flow, it seems like yours is moving around a ton from the photos. I used a turkey baster to blow off the junk and it perked up the next day. Going to add another powerhead to the tank to increase flow too.

 

[Slaviak]

Shedding. Mine doing the same at the moment.