Someone help me save my elegance!

DrewBrees713 · Feb 18, 2014

My Aussie elegance is not expanding like it did at the LFS and I can assure you my water quality is 10x better than where it came from. It opened half way the first week. Fast forward 3weeks later all tentacles retracted. I moved it to a shaded area of my tank but there's no improvement. I know EC are not the easiest corals to keep but my color sticks are thriving. Please help!,,,,

90g with 6 ATI x54watt.
Alk 9.5 steady
CA 45pm
Po4 .oo1 via Hannah checker
Trates 5ppm
Dosing Acropower, baking soda, seachem ca.

jdl513 · Feb 18, 2014

If your sticks are keeping color then does not sound like a water quality issue.
Possibly a pest or bacterial infection, but I am by no means the expert on aussie elegances.

Anyone out there with experience keeping these have some suggestions??

NC2WA · Feb 18, 2014

for Ca, you mean 450ppm not 45?
whats Mg?

the issue is stress...esp if the tank water it went from was poor to (10X,you said) better water quality...

how long did u acclimate it before adding it to the tank?

DrewBrees713 · Feb 18, 2014

Like you stated only thing I surmise is a possible bac infection as I can almost guarantee my system is pest free. It's a big specimen too, 6 inches across when not extended and I'd hate to lose such a beautiful piece.

I added 1/4 cup of BRS Gfo could that be the culprit? Even so my sps would be the first ones to sound the alarm I would think.

Oops meant to say CA @ 450. I'm guessing my Mag is in line since Alk/ca are rock solid?

Drip acclimate for an hr. Wouldn't chance it any other way with something this sensitive.

Funny thing is it opened a tad then went down hill from there. If it was water quality I wouldn't think it open from the get go?

Was feeding too but I haven't tried feeding it the last few days as to not stress it. Will try a small piece of raw shrimp later tonight.

bct15 · Feb 18, 2014

Post a pic of it, is it in the sand?

DrewBrees713 · Feb 18, 2014

Bare Botay ...I meant bare bottom

NC2WA · Feb 18, 2014

did it get stung by something?

in general they are temperamental and very hard to keep...could it be just it needs time to acclimate?

bigkai · Feb 18, 2014

Theirs alot of these dieing my died do to pest I'm thinking we are getting them putting them in our tanks we keep spot on for sps lps zoas and any thing that we want to have. than in turn makes eggs hatch or maybe to clean of water and they die. If like mine eaten from the inside out. My mom keep one for 3 year no problem ever. so not sure what's going on with them now. should have a buyer's beware on them.

Ladysaber · Feb 18, 2014

Are you feeding it? If it's a definite Aussie, it should do well once it passes it's acclimation period. Make sure it's in sand and not rock. It does like water movement. Too much though will cause it to close up. I've seen stores pass off Indo ECs as Aussie.. Post a picture please..

bigkai · Feb 18, 2014

Like I said in other thread check it at night with with a dem light very small crabs are hard to see and are fast

DrewBrees713 · Feb 18, 2014

Here's a picha. Don't know how to post it on here.

http://s384.photobucket.com/user/spongebob281/media/image.jpg.html?filters[user]=82942731&filters[recent]=1&sort=1&o=0

Moderate flow on sitting on bottom pane of my tank

DrewBrees713 · Feb 18, 2014

http://s384.photobucket.com/user/spongebob281/media/image.jpg.html?filters[user]=82942731&filters[recent]=1&sort=1&o=0

Ladysaber · Feb 18, 2014

It's not posting the pictures..

DrewBrees713 · Feb 18, 2014

what the heck

http://s384.photobucket.com/user/spongebob281/media/image.jpg.html?filters[user]=82942731&filters[recent]=1&sort=1&o=0

Dang you to hell photobucket !!!!!!

DrewBrees713 · Feb 18, 2014

http://s384.photobucket.com/editor?...et.com/user/spongebob281/media/image.jpg.html

Try this one should work.

bct15 · Feb 19, 2014

Can't see the picture, but here are some tips for elegance coral.

They don't mind light (don't need to be shaded)

Moderate to low flow

Feed often

They MUST be kept in the sand away from rockwork and rough surfaces. The rough surfaces damage the flesh, and ultimately kill the coral.

Also, if it was exposed to indo elegance or is an indo elegance it could have the desease that kills elegance corals. If that is the case there isn't anything you can do.

Other than the elegance syndrome, the only other pests to elegance are hungry fish and inverts.

NC2WA · Feb 19, 2014

bct15,

good point...Aussie elegance are hardier than Indo...Indo tend to live 1 yr and then perish for unknown reason (well that was my experience)...I have kept an Aussie elegance well over 1 yr.

DrewBrees713 · Feb 20, 2014

image.jpg Photo by spongebob281 | Photobucket

Best I can describe it is that it shriveled up. Some white string/webs on where the tentacles used to be. Probably the dreaded ECS Ive been hoping to avoid.

Ladysaber · Feb 20, 2014

You probably have a tiny crab that's living inside your EC. I've had one that did that and I was able to pick it off with tweezers after it came out of it. Damage was done, but it did recover within 6 months.

Have you used a turkey baster to remove the slime/webbing? Just try to blow the slime off of it. There's a guy on another forum that goes by EC, and he was able to help me with this issue. His specialty is elegance. I'm not sure if he's a poster on here..

Jenn

Manolo_mp · Feb 20, 2014

Do a hydrogen peroxide dip for two min. I thought mine was a goner until I attempted this last ditch effort. Mine shriveled up for two days after the dip but has been opened up beautifully ever since. It's been two months. Also check it's body for vermetid snails they also irritate it. If you have them scrape them off well.