Micro lord bailout. Anything I can do?

[Lyss]

So I woke up to this sadness

It’s still partially attached to the skeleton, but looks like by a thread. It also has its feeders out like normal before lights on — looks perfectly normal except for off the skeleton (oh, just a small detail, I know).

Only thing different is I did a WC y’day, but params all matched up, and this coral looked plump and juicy up until I went to bed.

Anything I can do to help it? I haven’t touched it for fear that would make it worse.

 

[Lyss]

Anything I can or should do? The coral has begun to puff up w/lights on, and it is eating. But it’s halfway off its skeleton.

 

[elysics]

Do you have one of these floating guppy nurseries? Or some kind of plastic basket that'll let flow through but not the polyp? Something to make sure it doesn't end up in a pump when it separates.

Polyp bailout is survivable, chances aren't great though, worse if it gets chewed up by a pump

 

[Lyss]

Do you have one of these floating guppy nurseries? Or some kind of plastic basket that'll let flow through but not the polyp? Something to make sure it doesn't end up in a pump when it separates.

Polyp bailout is survivable, chances aren't great though, worse if it gets chewed up by a pump

I do. I’ll keep an eye on it and intervene to move it there if it lets go further. RN it’s fully puffed up like nothing even happened.

 

[Lyss]

So this afternoon was when it decided to finally let all the way go. I have it in the little acclimation box now but it’s frustrating—this was one of my OG corals that had always been doing really well. It was one of my first cheap-o corals that turned out to be really pretty.

After observing it for a few days, it appears it was being bothered by CUC. Big Trochus snails passing over it, conch climbed over it, hermits sitting on it, cleaner shrimp picking at it. This really stinks — I guess having these animals in there is sometimes just a risk? The coral was on a prominent spot lower on the rocks that tends to get a lot of traffic.

 

[Shirak]

How long have you had the one above it? There isn't much left on that one Has it always been in that state?

You mentioned a water change and parameters matching up but you don't mention your parameters.

 

[Lyss]

How long have you had the one above it? There isn't much left on that one Has it always been in that state?

You mentioned a water change and parameters matching up but you don't mention your parameters.

That one arrived nearly dead in shipping and I’ve kept it in hopes it would open up more. Some days it does but mostly it’s never truly recovered.

Alk: 8.5
Cal: 430
Mag: 1350
Nitrate: 25
Phosphate: .06 - .08
Temp: 77.6

 

[Harold999]

Bailout doesn't happen overnight but is a long process. Parameters can be good now but something was off for a longer time in the past.

 

[Lyss]

Bailout doesn't happen overnight but is a long process. Parameters can be good now but something was off for a longer time in the past.

I had a salinity drop a couple months ago when my refractometer fell out of calibration — sg dropped to 1.020 before I realized. Fixed that over a period of a few weeks and has since been steady at 1.026.

Also as I’ve said it was getting constantly walked on by CUC. I didn’t think to move it b/c I didn’t think that could be an issue.

 

[Lyss]

So this guy is doing well in the acclimation box, as if nothing ever happened. I’m seeing a bit of new calcification to I’m hopeful it will recover. I guess the thing to do is leave it in the box until, hopefully, there’s enough new skeleton to glue it back to the rock?

 

[Cell]

CUC does not cause polyp bailout. I'd look elsewhere for a cause.

 

[Lyss]

CUC does not cause polyp bailout. I'd look elsewhere for a cause.

Thanks but I’m not asking for help with cause. I’ve also mentioned the salinity issue, and my current params that are now steady.

I’m looking for advice on the way forward as it stands now.

Edit: I also found this video that does list harassment from a fellow tank mate like a fish or invert as one possible cause, among others:

 

[Shirak]

Your parameters seem good as long as they remain stable. I have tons of snails urchins and hermits and never had an issue with the corals getting ticked off.. aside from that. I find my Acans love to be feed at least a couple times a week. Preferably something meaty. Low light, medium flow and fed regularly. They should puff up and extend outward from the skeleton by quite a bit when happy.

 

[Lyss]

Your parameters seem good as long as they remain stable. I have tons of snails urchins and hermits and never had an issue with the corals getting ticked off.. aside from that. I find my Acans love to be feed at least a couple times a week. Preferably something meaty. Low light, medium flow and fed regularly. They should puff up and extend outward from the skeleton by quite a bit when happy.

Yeah, this guy never didn’t puff up like mad so it was a surprise. It’s still puffed up and feeding in the box as if nothing happened.

 

[Lyss]

So, my Q from above was, since I’m seeing positive signs in the box: Do I just leave it be until enough skeleton regrows to be able to attach it to the rocks again?

Additional Q: Do I need to put rubble in, or is just leaving it by itself in the box fine?

And for what it’s worth, the coral never ever showed even one sign of being stressed until I woke up one morning at it was hanging 3/4 of the way off it’s skeleton. It is what it is, I’m worried about doing the best things I can to help it succeed in recovering now.

 

[Shirak]

We are talking about the bailed out polyp that is no longer attached to any skeleton and currently housed in the acclimation box? If so I would leave it be. Some small bits of rubble might help? Maybe it will attached to something. I have had some Acan lords wither away slowly and then bail as small polyps. They usually don't last long

Question on the photos you posted. In both sets the feeder tentacles are out on all three Acan polyps visible. What time of day did you take the photos? Usually only see them after lights out. Sometimes will see them during the day if feeding the fish etc but If they are out all day long without any food going into the system they are really hungry.

 

[Lyss]

We are talking about the bailed out polyp that is no longer attached to any skeleton and currently housed in the acclimation box? If so I would leave it be. Some small bits of rubble might help? Maybe it will attached to something. I have had some Acan lords wither away slowly and then bail as small polyps. They usually don't last long

Question on the photos you posted. In both sets the feeder tentacles are out on all three Acan polyps visible. What time of day did you take the photos? Usually only see them after lights out. Sometimes will see them during the day if feeding the fish etc but If they are out all day long without any food going into the system they are really hungry.

I took those at around 8 am I believe, as the fish were being fed. I can try target feeding them more vs broadcasting if that would be helpful. I also add live phyto every day, 2x per day. The fish get a variety of Rod’s original and easy masstick that the whole tank tends to partake in at feeding time.

And yes, talking about the one off it’s skeleton in the box — that was always the one in question. It still puffs up every day like normal, and never didn’t. I guess that’s why it was so surprising to me, b/c I would expect to see signs of stress prior to something so extreme.

 

[elysics]

I'd just leave it in for a few months or until you have a comfortable amount of skeleton.

I don't think it will attach to anything, its not an anemone, best to just leave it be and spot feed generously

 

[Zoa_Fanatic]

So this afternoon was when it decided to finally let all the way go. I have it in the little acclimation box now but it’s frustrating—this was one of my OG corals that had always been doing really well. It was one of my first cheap-o corals that turned out to be really pretty.

After observing it for a few days, it appears it was being bothered by CUC. Big Trochus snails passing over it, conch climbed over it, hermits sitting on it, cleaner shrimp picking at it. This really stinks — I guess having these animals in there is sometimes just a risk? The coral was on a prominent spot lower on the rocks that tends to get a lot of traffic.

CUC shouldn’t cause bailout. I have two micros bigger than that one in a 16G biocube. One of which is nearly on the sand bed and gets trampled by the conch sometimes. It’s been there for almost a year no problem. Usually when a torch of hammer nails it’s from flow. Idk what would cause a micro lord to bail though since I didn’t even know they could.

EDIT: I know the green and yellow one is hungry. I feed it every day and it’s always out like that.

 

[Lyss]

Well, I loathe target feeding corals b/c I have a lot of inverts, and that’s why I broadcast now. For example today I target fed benepets and the cleaner shrimp and fish were stealing from them, and then I found a Nassarius snail on top of some zoas, smooshing them and stealing the food. It’s a zoo in there. So I get that some folks don’t believe harassment can cause an issue like bailout, but I’ve found various resources that list it as one possible cause. I wouldn’t rule it out. Now and then crawling over a coral is different from constant harassment.

I do plan to continue target feeding the micro lord in the box — it’s still looking very positive in terms of recovery, so I’m hopeful.