Rainbow trachy help needed

[Chriscrna]

55 gallon mixed reef tank with LEDs.

Ca 429
Alk 7.22
Sal 1.026
Temp 79
pH 8.2
Mg 1300
Phosphates neg
Ammonia neg
Nitrites neg
Nitrates neg

I use Hanna checkers for Ca and Alk......and Salifert for everything else.

I bought a beautiful rainbow trachy on Sept. 17. It looks like a box of melted crayons and has been fully inflated, fully colored, with great response to feeding since I've had it. It sits on the sand and gets low to medium flow. This is the first one I've had.

On Tuesday night, it was inflated with its tentacles out.....just like normal. I spot fed its usual meal of mysis which it promptly gobbled up. Again, just like normal and nothing out of the ordinary.

Wednesday morning, it looked happy as could be. However, when I came home from work on Wednesday evening, it was deflated and shriveled. In addition, my skimmer was overflowing and smelled worse than ever. Water parameters were as above. I emptied and cleaned the collection cup, and after talking to some club mates, performed a 30% water change and put a big fresh bag of BRS Rox carbon in the sump.

Thursday, it remained deflated and shriveled. I tried spot feeding it with no response.

Today (Friday), it remains deflated and shriveled. I can now see some white skeleton showing through the center......not much, but it's there. Tried to spot feed again with no response. The skimmer has not overflowed any more, and smells "normal" again.

Livestock:
Pair of clowns
RBTA
Firefish
A small hippo
Green Mandarin
Red banded coral shrimp

Coral:
Multiple zoas, acros, montis, and acans
I also have a single torch, frogspawn, plate, chalice, and a psammacora

All other corals are as happy and colorful as can be. Tentacles are out and the PE on my acros are great.

I am out of ideas. I really want to save this trachy. It is my favorite coral in this tank. Does anyone have any other recommendations?

Thanks!

 

[California Reef Co.]

Move the trachy to an area with lower light and lower flow.

They are photosynthetic and do not require feeding everyday. The rainbow trachypyllia I have at home, I only feed once every two weeks and it only gets food scraps which the fish miss.

I recommend not feeding it for a couple days since it sounds like it's been getting a lot of food prior to this episode.

I do want to add that some corals have their off days and will shribble for a while but you should not be seeing skeleton. That is no bueno.

 

[Chriscrna]

Ahhhh, I should have clarified......I only feed it once every 10 days or so.

I will move it to the side of the tank and hold off on feeding and see what happens.

Anyone else?

 

[Tab28]

Your skimmer overflowing. Was it because of irate adjustment or some something is food? Trachys are weird about lighting. They will look fine when in a new tank. Then a few days later decide they can not take the new lighting. When this has happened to my new addition trachy. I place it in a low light low flow area. It seemed to respond in a couple of days. Very slowly acclimate to medium light where i want it to be. Some fish nip trachy, but none of yours fit the bill. But still keep an eye out. Some older fish do not like chances in their area.

 

[Chriscrna]

Well, he was inflated last night with tentacles out. Woke up this morning and he's still inflated, looking very happy like nothing ever happened.

I believe I jumped the gun a little. LOL.

Thanks for the advice anyhow.

 

[miyags]

Good to hear!!! When mine do that I check my alk. When my alk hits 7 they start to shrink up on me. I try to keep my alk 9 to 10.Do you have any shrimp in your tank?

 

[Tab28]

If it deflates later in the day. It may be your lighting. Early morning and evening lights just came on or off. On a long term. Try to get nitrates around 5 for lps

 

[Chriscrna]

Good to hear!!! When mine do that I check my alk. When my alk hits 7 they start to shrink up on me. I try to keep my alk 9 to 10.Do you have any shrimp in your tank?

This is my first experience with a trachy, and this was the first time I've seen it deflate. Just got a little nervous. Interesting info about the alk though. Mine usually runs around 7.5. I think I will work on raising it just a bit. Thanks.

And I have one red banded coral shrimp. I've never seen it pick on anything, but that doesn't mean it's not.

 

[miyags]

I just want to give you a heads up on shrimp.I have a cleaner shrimp,that tore the mouth out of one of my wellso's,to get the food I gave it. Now I hand feed that shrimp first.The wellso didnt make it. I feed my trach's 1/4 in pieces of raw shrimp.

 

[steve&mari]

Glad it's turned around for you you've been given good advice above and agree watch the shrimp when feeding.

 

[Tab28]

I just want to give you a heads up on shrimp.I have a cleaner shrimp,that tore the mouth out of one of my wellso's,to get the food I gave it. Now I hand feed that shrimp first.The wellso didnt make it. I feed my trach's 1/4 in pieces of raw shrimp.

Shrimp are opportunistic feeders. They will try and remove food from lps. Never had one injure the coral. I do put enough pellets in tank before feeding corals. It gives the shrimp something to do.

 

[miyags]

Ya man,it killed neon red/neon green rim wellso. Turned my lights on in the morning,their it was tearing the mouth apart,to get the food out.I couldnt belive what I was seeing.