Newly purchased open brain dieng Help!

[Ms. Mermaid]

I just recently purchased an open brain the other day looked fine the first day 12-1 then the second day some skelton started showing there was sand on it but I got it off put it in a container to feed it but would not eat. That was yesterday. Today when I came home for lunch there is more skelton showing and I can no longer see the mouth. Is it a lost cause or can it be saved?
I read to dip it in revive or lugols iodine but I have neither one. I do have the drugstore iodine and kents iodide can I use them in place of the first two?

 

[glb]

What are your water parameters?

 

[Ms. Mermaid]

Day 1 - 12-1

Day 2 - 12-2

Day 3- 12-3

 

[Tab28]

Sorry but i think it is too late. Hopefully you can figure out what the cause was in case you decide to try another.

 

[goodtimes]

It didn't look good on day one.

 

[slate744]

The bad spots look to be where the sand was. I'm not an expert by any means, but when I got my lobo the skeleton was showing a little as well and with some light and food it picked up. I think the sand sitting on it is what hurt you. Here's a pic of my lobo on the first day and a few weeks later.

 

[miyags]

It didn't look good on day one.

Thats what I thought.

 

[Tab28]

The bad spots look to be where the sand was. I'm not an expert by any means, but when I got my lobo the skeleton was showing a little as well and with some light and food it picked up. I think the sand sitting on it is what hurt you. Here's a pic of my lobo on the first day and a few weeks later.

The trachy is too far gone. When the mouth goes it is too late. Trachy is not as hardy as a lobo. Others noted the way it looked on 1st day. The edges of skeleton are showing which in itself does not mean doom. But the sunken center and gapping mouth add the state.

Did it look like that when you bought it? If not it does not look as though it took to your aquarium very well. Water perimeters, or acclimation may have been off.

 

[Bridgewood]

I purchased a trachy with skeleton showing like that one and it was dead in a couple weeks. When it is in it's final stages, it will release a paper like jelly that will fall apart all over the tank and smell awefull. I think yours has a small chance of being saved but you would need a quarentine tank and from what i've read, to remove the exposed skeleton (as it is much harder for them to grow tissue over exposed skeleton rather than just regenerate a new skeleton with tissue) and super glue the receding tissue to the edge of the freshly cut skeleton. Then you then need to feed twice a day and hope the thing starts to eat. But yeah, a gapping mouth is definetly not a good sign. Reefcentral has a whole thread about people saving corals and there are far worse looking corals that have recovered so you never know.

 

[Ms. Mermaid]

Thanks guys yep the tissue just kept melting away.... I will not be buying these guys again.. I just wasted $50.
But to answer the very first question my water parms are:
Salinity – 1.024
PH – 8.0
Am – 0
Ni – 0
Na - .40ppm
Cal – 450
Alk – 9
Phos - .5ppm
Do not know about Mag it had been around 1300ish

 

[Tab28]

Were you nitrates 0.40 or 40? If you can read 0.40 i would like to use the same tester.

 

[Ms. Mermaid]

API tester & LFS store test my water too. Get same readings. Whatever that card reads 40 mark on it.
I did look at it but to me it did not look bad but I am not good at determining if it is dying or not at times only when I can see the white skeleton which on that day I did not see any white on it and left it at the store for a day or so because I was extremely sick that day and went back to pick it up when I was feeling a little better...
So are the Lobos much better and hardier for open brains?

 

[Bridgewood]

yeah, if your nitrates are 40ppm that would be the issue as from what i've read, trachy can't tolerate over 10ppm nitrates.

 

[Tab28]

API tester & LFS store test my water too. Get same readings. Whatever that card reads 40 mark on it.
I did look at it but to me it did not look bad but I am not good at determining if it is dying or not at times only when I can see the white skeleton which on that day I did not see any white on it and left it at the store for a day or so because I was extremely sick that day and went back to pick it up when I was feeling a little better...
So are the Lobos much better and hardier for open brains?

Ok 40 is way different. I thought you txt .40. That is very high. When you have a coral already in the tank. It is use to the high nitrates. A new coral this will be a shock. Even a coral use to the hight nitrates it will not flourish and may eventually perish. Yes a lobo is hardier than a trachy.

 

[Ms. Mermaid]

I have an idea and correct me if I am wrong….
I have a 10 gallon tank not being used right now since..
Future coral purchases….. Especially for Open Brains…..
When I buy the new coral put it in the 10 gallon tank make it like a QT tank..
Buy 10 gallons of the store water since the coral is use to their water put it in the tank and each week take out ½ gallon of their water and put in ½ gallon of my tank water for about 4 weeks.
Or should it be 1 gallon for 4 weeks instead?
Then that way the coral will slowly get use to my tank water.
Lighting would be my next issue since I just have the PC light that came with the tank any thoughts????

How does the plan sound any thoughts or suggestions will be greatly appreciated.

 

[Tab28]

Well all you would be doing is getting a coral use to bad water. It would be better to get the main tank better. Getting a grip on your nitrates is a long process. But your existing corals will be happier. What ways are you renewing your water quality? Water changes, skimmer, bio-pellets? High nitrates can be toxic to a coral.

A quarantine tank should not be for getting a coral use to water that is worse. If your main tank is better than you would not have to ho through all that process.

 

[Ms. Mermaid]

Well all you would be doing is getting a coral use to bad water. It would be better to get the main tank better. Getting a grip on your nitrates is a long process. But your existing corals will be happier. What ways are you renewing your water quality? Water changes, skimmer, bio-pellets? High nitrates can be toxic to a coral.

A quarantine tank should not be for getting a coral use to water that is worse. If your main tank is better than you would not have to ho through all that process.

Well I do 35 gallons water change two times a month, skimmer rated for a 250 gallon tank, I am in the process of hooking up a gfo reactor, I have those di-nitrates pellets hanging in a bag in the sump to help with the nitrates but not helping much.
If these guys don't like my tank I don't think they would be this big....

 

[Tab28]

Sorry i did not get the size of your tank. Only one pix link worked but it shows two tangs. One being a sailfin tang, i think. So you have a big bio-load, unless your tank is very large. With the square inch of fish per square inch of tank it will be almost impossible to keep your nitrates in check. Your tank does not look unhealthy. But you may be limited to corals that are hardy. Even if you got a non hardy coral use to the high nitrates it will not thrive but exist. I had a tank with large fish and always had high nitrates. I loved the fish and did have some corals, but just avoided the less hardy ones.

GFO is for phosphates and will not control your nitrates. Water changes, bio-pellets or de-nitrater will control nitatres.

 

[Ms. Mermaid]

No problem but I do need to do some major water changes starting when I get home from work today.. I noticed that the other two pictures did not post for some strange reason...
My tank is 125 gallon plus a 75 gallon tank - sump/refug so I am only guessing total water volume would be around 150-165.
I will be adding more De-nitrate pellets this evening.

 

[Ms. Mermaid]

Here are the other two pictures...