Torch Coral is bumpy and lumpy

[troutman]

Sometimes we don't know why the coral is not happy in the tank. I know some people that cannot keep GSP alive but his LPS are thriving.
1 other reefer cant keep some zoas but some other type of zoa is good. On my tank, my blasto wellsi is doing very well and puffing out good. BUT my blasto merletti is just living.. I don't see any growth at all.

That's why we need those parameters to start. I just got my ICP test and found out that my tank has a high tin and aluminium levels. Maybe that's why my favia, war coral, and candy are dead. But my zoas are triving, able to frags couple of them. My torch and hammers are looking pretty good.

After I get my test kits, what resource can I use as a guide for appropriate levels of nutrient/minerals?

 

[Philly Reefer]

After I get my test kits, what resource can I use as a guide for appropriate levels of nutrient/minerals?

Check out BRS youtube channel. They have some suggestions.

Then all you need is to keep them steady.

 

[RobertTheNurse]

Your tank MAY be still in the early phase. Still maturing maybe, that's just a thought. Also, perhaps you could have just a poor frag. This happened to me before the torch I have now, I bought a frag that melted away in a few days. Happens.

 

[redeyejedi]

This is good to know, is instant ocean better in this sense?

Ive always used coral pro so i cant answer that.

 

[Pau Hana Reefer]

I’m following along as I have the same exact problem with my Aussie torch. I’ve googled the heck out of this over the past 6 months and still have no answers. Maybe together, we can get some insight from the R2R community.

Some really great points already mentioned in this thread. While you may not have to dose Alk and calcium right now and can maintain them with water changes, it is still important to know your levels to help triage.

Below is what my torch looks like. I’ve had it for over a year. It started as a single head and now has at least 6-7 heads. It was smooth at first but something happened during these last 6 months as it grew. Now every single single tentacle is lumpy/bumpy and have some multiple tips. Otherwise the torch seems perfectly healthy with really nice extension.

My parameters:
Salinity - 1.024
Temp - 78
Phosphate and Nitrate - trace (I have an ULNS tank)
pH - 8.3
Alk - 8.1
Calcium - 435
Magnesium - 1310
Par at torch - approx 120-150

 

[redeyejedi]

I’m following along as I have the same exact problem with my Aussie torch. I’ve googled the heck out of this over the past 6 months and still have no answers. Maybe together, we can get some insight from the R2R community.

Some really great points already mentioned in this thread. While you may not have to dose Alk and calcium right now and can maintain them with water changes, it is still important to know your levels to help triage.

Below is what my torch looks like. I’ve had it for over a year. It started as a single head and now has at least 6-7 heads. It was smooth at first but something happened during these last 6 months as it grew. Now every single single tentacle is lumpy/bumpy and have some multiple tips. Otherwise the torch seems perfectly healthy with really nice extension.

My parameters:
Salinity - 1.024
Temp - 78
Phosphate and Nitrate - trace (I have an ULNS tank)
pH - 8.3
Alk - 8.1
Calcium - 435
Magnesium - 1310
Par at torch - approx 120-150

Apart from the funky shaped tentacles your torch looks great.

 

[Pau Hana Reefer]

Apart from the funky shaped tentacles your torch looks great.

Thanks! It's perfectly healthy and continues to grow, which is the only reason I haven't dug more into this.

The OP's video looks exactly like how the lumps started in my torch. New younger tentacles look normal and start out smooth (look at the bottom right hand corner of the torch in my picture above), but then they start looking like the OPs and then eventually like what you see above.

 

[redeyejedi]

Thanks! It's perfectly healthy and continues to grow, which is the only reason I haven't dug more into this.

The OP's video looks exactly like how the lumps started in my torch. New younger tentacles look normal and start out smooth (look at the bottom right hand corner of the torch in my picture above), but then they start looking like the OPs and then eventually like what you see above.

Unless there is a issue just keep doing what your doing. As they say if its not broke dont fix it.

 

[troutman]

I’m following along as I have the same exact problem with my Aussie torch. I’ve googled the heck out of this over the past 6 months and still have no answers. Maybe together, we can get some insight from the R2R community.

Some really great points already mentioned in this thread. While you may not have to dose Alk and calcium right now and can maintain them with water changes, it is still important to know your levels to help triage.

Below is what my torch looks like. I’ve had it for over a year. It started as a single head and now has at least 6-7 heads. It was smooth at first but something happened during these last 6 months as it grew. Now every single single tentacle is lumpy/bumpy and have some multiple tips. Otherwise the torch seems perfectly healthy with really nice extension.

My parameters:
Salinity - 1.024
Temp - 78
Phosphate and Nitrate - trace (I have an ULNS tank)
pH - 8.3
Alk - 8.1
Calcium - 435
Magnesium - 1310
Par at torch - approx 120-150

Wow finally someone else with the same issue, I have been searching for weeks for even a photo similar to mine!

My torches tentacles are much shorter though; with time do they grow length wise as well as new tentacles?

Mine seem to extend to about an inch or two, but didn't know if I can expect them to grow longer (literally grow, not relax and extend).

Now as far as what the actual issue is... well I have no clue, do you think we just have genetically lumpy bumpy crooked guys?

 

[Pau Hana Reefer]

Wow finally someone else with the same issue, I have been searching for weeks for even a photo similar to mine!

My torches tentacles are much shorter though; with time do they grow length wise as well as new tentacles?

Mine seem to extend to about an inch or two, but didn't know if I can expect them to grow longer (literally grow, not relax and extend).

Now as far as what the actual issue is... well I have no clue, do you think we just have genetically lumpy bumpy crooked guys?

I did notice your shorter tentacles and would recommend keeping an eye on it. Happy torches should have longer, relaxed tentacles. This is where some of the other parameters might help give us some insight. Below is what my torch looked like when I first got it last January. There were times when the tentacles were shorter like yours, but once I got lighting and flow right, it opened up after a couple days. I had another torch that never had full extension and ultimately died from stress after a peppermint shrimp decided to snack on part of it.

It’s funny you’re wondering about having a genetically lumpy torch. In my googling, I saw someone in another forum suggest this. If there are bounce shrooms, could we have a morphed torch? I’m hoping someone here on R2R has insight. I can’t imagine we’re the only ones with lumpy torches.

 

[PBnJOnWheat]

I have had this torch for almost 2 months now, in the video you can see my micromussa which is loving life.
Param: (only basic)
ph 8.2
nitrate 20 ppm
nitrite ~0
amm 0
RODI, TDS still 0
25% water change every week
Red Sea Coral Pro

Video:

Not sure why everyone is getting so heated over your missing parameters. I’ve seen this I have had a couple and from my experience they can bend back into better shape with time. 2 months is awhile for it to be there so it being not acclimated is probably not realistic this late in the game. If it wasn’t acclimated well you’d know or it would’ve died. It may not favor its location, your water chemistry, the lighting. It’s hard to say. I’d go one by one and see if anything fixes it.

 

[troutman]

I did notice your shorter tentacles and would recommend keeping an eye on it. Happy torches should have longer, relaxed tentacles. This is where some of the other parameters might help give us some insight. Below is what my torch looked like when I first got it last January. There were times when the tentacles were shorter like yours, but once I got lighting and flow right, it opened up after a couple days. I had another torch that never had full extension and ultimately died from stress after a peppermint shrimp decided to snack on part of it.

It’s funny you’re wondering about having a genetically lumpy torch. In my googling, I saw someone in another forum suggest this. If there are bounce shrooms, could we have a morphed torch? I’m hoping someone here on R2R has insight. I can’t imagine we’re the only ones with lumpy torches.

here is mine this evening, as you can see the "body" is fully extended and the tentacles are about 1 inch maybe 2 inches.

When I first got it I watched it slowly come out more each day, now it fully extends outwards but the tentacles haven't really changed

 

[troutman]

here is mine this evening, as you can see the "body" is fully extended and the tentacles are about 1 inch maybe 2 inches.

When I first got it I watched it slowly come out more each day, now it fully extends outwards but the tentacles haven't really changed

I should note that when I feed it, it does grab the food

 

[troutman]

Quick video of my flow and setup, I think I have placement of everything somewhat okay

 

[Pau Hana Reefer]

here is mine this evening, as you can see the "body" is fully extended and the tentacles are about 1 inch maybe 2 inches.

When I first got it I watched it slowly come out more each day, now it fully extends outwards but the tentacles haven't really changed

@PBnJOnWheat nailed it with going through the possibilities one by one. The fact you haven’t had any polyp bailout is good.

I’m curious to see if your lumps go away once your torch starts to stretch out.

 

[troutman]

@PBnJOnWheat nailed it with going through the possibilities one by one. The fact you haven’t had any polyp bailout is good.

I’m curious to see if your lumps go away once your torch starts to stretch out.

This is still not stretched out? Do the existing tentacles grow longer over time... I am a Torch noob

 

[Philly Reefer]

How high is your light from the water surface?


This is mine.
Lights out

Lights on

Disregard the title. Its not a pest

 

[troutman]

How high is your light from the water surface?


This is mine.
Lights out

Lights on

Disregard the title. Its not a pest

10 inches above my water

 

[Pau Hana Reefer]

This is still not stretched out? Do the existing tentacles grow longer over time... I am a Torch noob

It doesn’t look like yours are fully extended. Too much lighting or too much/little flow affects the extension of the tentacles.

The tentacles on my recently split heads are shorter, but they do lengthen over time. You can see some of these shorter tentacles in my original picture above at the bottom right hand corner of the torch. The tentacles on yours look really short and stubby. I had to take another look to make sure it wasn’t grape coral.

 

[Pau Hana Reefer]

@troutman coincidentally another recent torch coral thread talking about tentacle extension.

What affects torch Coral polyps extention?

I've had a few torches for 2 years and I would say they are fairly acclimated to my tank. Mine curious why they have short polyp verse the long polyp I saw they had in the store. What parameter would affect them? Would lowering/raising par help? I'm also running a waterbox 135. Have 2 mp40...

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