Scoly looks terrible

[Rpc07]

i came home from work today to a scoly that looks terrible. The past few days the side that looks like the tissue is missing hasn't been opening fully and today it's gotten worse.

I'm going to test the water now and will post the results in a bit. In the meantime what can I do to nurse this scoly back to health.?

 

[reeferfoxx]

Alk, Cal, and PO4 need to be tested right away. Magnesium too... i guess..

 

[LetItReef]

Try feeding it and move it to lower flow.

 

[Rpc07]

That's what I did. I just fed it nls pellets and it is accepting food, I also moved it under an overhang with less light and flow.

 

[DeniseAndy]

Anything bothering it? crab, fish? Poor baby. I hope it recovers for you. Maybe want to build a box around it to make sure no fish are getting at it. Egg crate to the rescue again.

 

[Rpc07]

A month or so back I had a flame tail blenny bothering it but that fish has been removed for weeks and the scoly has been fully open since then until this happened.

Here are the results from 2 weeks and from tonight, my alk is slightly higher may be due to adding to much kalk to my ato but for some odd reason my mag is much higher, I don't dose anything for mag so maybe it was user error on the test. All tests were done with Red Sea pro tests.

8/29 results

Sg 1.025
Amm 0
Nitrite 0
Nitrate 5
Phos .03
Alk 9
Cal 430
Mag 1360

9/15

Sg 1.025
Amm 0
Nitrite 0
Nitrate 8
Ph 8.2
Alk 10
Cal 430
Mag 1420
P04 .04


I am preparing water for a 20% water change other then that I'm not sure what my next step should be.

 

[reeferfoxx]

A month or so back I had a flame tail blenny bothering it but that fish has been removed for weeks and the scoly has been fully open since then until this happened.

Here are the results from 2 weeks and from tonight, my alk is slightly higher may be due to adding to much kalk to my ato but for some odd reason my mag is much higher, I don't dose anything for mag so maybe it was user error on the test. All tests were done with Red Sea pro tests.

8/29 results

Sg 1.025
Amm 0
Nitrite 0
Nitrate 5
Phos .03
Alk 9
Cal 430
Mag 1360

9/15

Sg 1.025
Amm 0
Nitrite 0
Nitrate 8
Ph 8.2
Alk 10
Cal 430
Mag 1420
P04 .04


I am preparing water for a 20% water change other then that I'm not sure what my next step should be.

Like others have said, check lighting, flow and if fish are bothering it.

 

[Oldsofty]

I would do water changes since it sounds like it has been in that place awhile and apparently happy. I would probably do several water changes to make sure u have not got any toxins in the tank. Then feed it if u can and a variety of foods if possible then keep an eye out. I am not a disease expert but maybe one on here can chime in and offer up any advice on an iodine dip? Good luck.

 

[Rpc07]

Thanks for all the replays. As of now I have moved the coral under an overhang with lower light and lower flow, I also fed it and placed a cut Gatorade bottle over it so nothing bothers it while it eats. it did accept food into the mouth and now the mouth is open again.

I am also preparing water for a 20% water change. Only thing I can think of it I added to much kalk to my ato which spiked alk since it's a bit higher then normal. I don't see any fish or inverts bothering it or even close to it.

 

[AwildcatsZ]

It also wouldn't hurt to do a coral dip incase there is any infection or pests causing it. I had a scoly that was damaged by a hermit crab. Dipped him and then put him in a low flow/low light area and he recovered fairly quickly!

Best of luck!

 

[Rpc07]

Thanks for the advise. I'm going to let the scoly settle for the night and I'll dip it tomorrow after work. I really hope this piece recovers it was my favorite part of my tank.

 

[Oldsofty]

You know, when u get up tonight to use the bathroom, or 5 times like me, maybe go look in the tank and see if anything is messing with your coral at night.

 

[Rpc07]

Good idea oldsofty. I will take a peak for sure

 

[Rpc07]

All bad news today. Came home from work and another half inch of tissue is gone. Doesn't look good.

 

[reeferfoxx]

Only thing I can think of are alk swings.

 

[Rpc07]

Yeah that's what I think did it also. It's really the only parameter that moved. Is it normal for a scoly to react this way to an all jump from 9 to 10?

 

[reeferfoxx]

Yeah that's what I think did it also. It's really the only parameter that moved. Is it normal for a scoly to react this way to an all jump from 9 to 10?

We have limited info on your tank. What are you using for nutrient export?

 

[Rpc07]

A mini refugium and water changes. I was dosing nopox but has some issues with sps bleaching.

 

[sil40sx]

Similar thing happened to my scoly, I caught my lemonpeel angel red handed couple of times (but it was already too late when I found out).

I hope yours still recovers.

 

[reeferfoxx]

A mini refugium and water changes. I was dosing nopox but has some issues with sps bleaching.

Was this your only scoly? In the future, I'd hate for this to happen again. Your water parameters shifted between dates? Appeared as if nutrients increased as well as alkalinity? Not to say my tank wouldn't do the same at times. And I would like to think my test kits are reliable and no other narratives could intervene. What are you using to test po4 and no3? Any other algae present? What salt mix are you using?