Is there hope for these corals?

vanguard · Sep 5, 2023

I bought a pair of acros. The LFS owner said we needed to dip them because he knew he had flatworm issues. My wife and I are new to SPS this year and we dipped poorly. A freshwater/H2O2 seemed to really hurt them. We didn't add them to the display tank because we could see flesh coming off. (Lesson learned)
The corals under white light:

White light with an ultraviolet flashlight to help you see the polyps.

Generally we subscribe to the "if there is flesh there is hope" philosophy but I'm interested in your feedback. They look like white skeletons.

My question: Can these bounce back?

BanZI29 · Sep 5, 2023

what do they look like under your tanks lights? that would be a better indicator how much flesh is left I think.
do you see any polyps coming out from the tips?
I would say, put them in your tank and see what happens. maybe keep them under slightly lower light intensity for a bit. give them time to heal.

Dburr1014 · Sep 5, 2023

Ohhh, no fresh water.
Idk. Just leave them and see

Mr. Mojo Rising · Sep 5, 2023

You should buy yourself a bottle of coral dip, freshwater will hurt or kill most corals.

vanguard · Sep 5, 2023

Mr. Mojo Rising said:
You should buy yourself a bottle of coral dip, freshwater will hurt or kill most corals.

We have several dips but iodine doesn't kill flatworms. We bought more options since then but haven't dipped again with the thought that, "They are already suffering. We should let them heal for a bit before additional treaments."

Epic Aquaculture · Sep 5, 2023

I can't tell if there is any flesh or polyps, but if there is, then there is a slight chance on recovery. That being said the best dip to kill Flatworms is a Potassium Chloride dip. 2 Tbs in 1 Gallon of tank water for 7 minutes. Did the LFS owner say they were Acro Eating Flat Worms (AEFW)? If so, I would never purchase any Acropora from them again as you will end up with them in your tank. I can't state that strongly enough. If these had AEWF then this is a blessing in disguise as you do not want to deal with those. If it is something like red planaria which are very common, then those are a harmless nuisance.