Schroedinger's Kenya Tree

Annahra · Jun 4, 2017

Is it both dead and not dead until I give up and throw it out?

Added all four frags on Fri. Star polyps and mushrooms look great--xenia was a fresh frag out of a display tank so it's still a little grouchy but recovering.

The Kenya tree fell over, partially melted, then tried to stand back up. Is there any chance it might live? I keep reading how these are weeds and people hate them so if I managed to kill one I'm going to develop a complex, lol.

1.025sg
0 ammo/nitrite
10ppm nitrate
80°
450ppm calcium
2x36 watt 50/50 PCs

Thanks!

Mr. Bill · Jun 4, 2017

I've never owned a kenya, but in my experience with leather and tree corals, they're fairly resilient and will simply close and cover themselves with a thick slime coat when disturbed. When placed into a new environment, they will lie down in that fashion if the flow isn't strong enough to rid them of the slime when they're ready to open. They'll also do that if they're not comfortable with the lighting. You may want to place it lower in the tank and provide a strong current, then slowly move it up once it shows signs that it's acclimating to your tank's conditions.

saltyfilmfolks · Jun 4, 2017

The cat is dead. Period

saltyfilmfolks · Jun 4, 2017

But the leather will probably live. Whats your po4 at?

Annahra · Jun 4, 2017

saltyfilmfolks said:
But the leather will probably live. Whats your po4 at?

Have not been testing it as I've read no kits are reliable. I assume there's some because I have micro and macro algae but I've been running Phosguard for a couple of weeks to keep the levels reasonable and algae growth has slowed.

saltyfilmfolks · Jun 4, 2017

No it's not true about the tests. I use API it's fine. I'm not going for any awards.
It's quite possible your stripping the phosphates out of the water so the tree can't feed. You may have heard leathers like dirty water. It's also why folks say it's a good beginner coral. Nutrints are usually high.
But that's also old school cuz now with dry strike rock nutrints are actually quite low.

radiata · Jun 4, 2017

Great title for your post!

Annahra · Jun 4, 2017

I feed pretty heavily twice a day for my sponges and all my live rock fauna. Coral Frenzy blended with mysis and Reef One and phytoplankton from Algae Barn.

Annahra · Jun 4, 2017

radiata said:
Great title for your post!

Thanks, that's really how I feel about the dang thing right now!! Like I have never been more sure something was dead, but then it stood back up?! But then it shed some more?! At least I can be confident in the fact that it hates me, lol.

saltyfilmfolks · Jun 4, 2017

Yup. But they don't eat like that.

Pola0502ds · Jun 5, 2017

Just an fyi, kenya trees are great to use for water quality indicator

MaryEldo · Jun 5, 2017

Pola0502ds said:
Just an fyi, kenya trees are great to use for water quality indicator

My little Kenya Tree bunches up so small that im sure he'd invert himself if he could. But just at night. Pops right back when the light get turned back on. Wondering if this is normal and hoping the tree doesn't need therapy.

Annahra · Jun 5, 2017

Pola0502ds said:
Just an fyi, kenya trees are great to use for water quality indicator

Other than checking phosphate, what looks off to you?

I did a 15% water change later Thurs after he looked so angry and I'm doing another tomorrow on my day off (pre-mixed and aged in a bucket with a powerhead for minimum 24 hours and usually several days). I use tap treated with Prime but my tap has no measurable nitrogenous compounds. I know it has silicates and phosphates but I WANT those since I'm building a system around filter feeders so I haven't been worried about switching to RO/DI. I use Reef Crystals.

Pola0502ds · Jun 6, 2017

MaryEldo said:
My little Kenya Tree bunches up so small that im sure he'd invert himself if he could. But just at night. Pops right back when the light get turned back on. Wondering if this is normal and hoping the tree doesn't need therapy.

Mine does the same at night. Along with most of my soft coral

saltyfilmfolks · Jun 6, 2017

Annahra said:
Other than checking phosphate, what looks off to you?

I did a 15% water change later Thurs after he looked so angry and I'm doing another tomorrow on my day off (pre-mixed and aged in a bucket with a powerhead for minimum 24 hours and usually several days). I use tap treated with Prime but my tap has no measurable nitrogenous compounds. I know it has silicates and phosphates but I WANT those since I'm building a system around filter feeders so I haven't been worried about switching to RO/DI. I use Reef Crystals.

Do you have cloramines in your water?

Annahra · Jun 6, 2017

saltyfilmfolks said:
Do you have cloramines in your water?

No, it's chlorine as of our last water quality report. I still treat with Prime and aerate all new water a minimum of 24 hours.

http://sales8978.wixsite.com/water-quality/savannah-main

The Kenya tree didn't make it. :-( Finished melting yesterday. Other frags and inverts are doing great--something spewed a bunch of eggs out of my live rock yesterday AM. Am hoping maybe it was mishandling before I got it as it was a frag someone had brought to the store to trade in.

saltyfilmfolks · Jun 6, 2017

Yea that does happen. Bummer ever time it does.
I hope it was stomatellas Spawning for you. It looks like little volcanos.

Annahra · Jun 6, 2017

I went back to the LFS and told them what happened. Ater the obligatory "I didn't think you could kill a Kenya tree," she gave me this beautiful frag that is several times as big as my old one and seems to be doing well!

I noticed they didn't have any more in the frag tank like the one I got so I do wonder if those didn't transition well.