Torch coral not growing

[ndz98]

I've had what I think is a torch coral for over 2 months now and it looks worse than it did when I got it. Its gotten darker and it stays closed pretty much now except for a few parts. What could be wrong? it gets plenty of light. My tank params have been pretty consistent too.

 

[Shep]

What kind of lights? I had mine under LEDs for months and while they looked amazing, they did not grow at all. A few months ago I made the switch over to T5s and the single head has now split into 3.

 

[TheHarold]

Flow is important, as is phosphate and nitrate. If the tank has too low nutrients it might not grow

 

[ndz98]

What kind of lights? I had mine under LEDs for months and while they looked amazing, they did not grow at all. A few months ago I made the switch over to T5s and the single head has now split into 3.

I've got them under LEDs. I've seen other people have great growth with LEDs. My zoas have really good growth with them.

 

[ndz98]

Flow is important, as is phosphate and nitrate. If the tank has too low nutrients it might not grow

I have good flow all around. I target feed the coral reef Roids a few times per week.

 

[Shep]

On a side note, I do not think that your coral is a torch, it looks like a maybe a pipe organ or goniopora of some kind. Not really sure as it is hard to tell in the photo but I would bet money that it's not a torch. [HASHTAG]#reefsquad[/HASHTAG] ID?

 

[Diesel]

On a side note, I do not think that your coral is a torch, it looks like a maybe a pipe organ or goniopora of some kind. Not really sure as it is hard to tell in the photo but I would bet money that it's not a torch. [HASHTAG]#reefsquad[/HASHTAG] ID?

You might be right.
CAL and ALK aren't that important as No3 for this coral.
What are your Po4 and No3?

 

[ndz98]

@Shep @Diesel here is what it originally looked like.

 

[Diesel]

WOW, you wouldn't say it's the same coral.

 

[kireek]

Looks like a Galaxea.It could be a real tiny irregular torch frag.

 

[ndz98]

WOW, you wouldn't say it's the same coral.

Yea it really has me pretty suprised.

 

[ndz98]

I kind of feel bad because my gf got it for me for Christmas and she has been giving me flak about it not looking the same lol.

 

[melypr1985]

That doesn't look like a torch coral to me. From the skeleton I can see in the first picture it looks like something else, like a galaxia or something similar.... though the second picture looks closer to a torch, it still doesn't seem quite right.

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

Define "Plenty of light" do you have a or get it tested with meter? or a factory program
?

 

[ndz98]

That doesn't look like a torch coral to me. From the skeleton I can see in the first picture it looks like something else, like a galaxia or something similar.... though the second picture looks closer to a torch, it still doesn't seem quite right.

Well in the first picture it's hard to see how detailed it is because I took it with my phone and it doesn't filter that blue light very well. I promise it's the same coral as the one in the picture lol. I'm not sure exactly what to call them so I'll call them the tentacles. The tentacles on the plug now are retracted and look like they have deteriorated.

 

[ndz98]

Define "Plenty of light" do you have a or get it tested with meter? or a factory program
?

I have used the galactica app on my phone and it reads about 40k just off the top of the water.

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

I have used the galactica app on my phone and it reads about 40k just off the top of the water.

i do love to hear that. There is par to consider too. some led could be considered junk food.
no problems with other corals?

 

[ndz98]

i do love to hear that. There is par to consider too. some led could be considered junk food.
no problems with other corals?

All the other corals look fine. My zoas have been growing new polyps and my Acan looks good too. The only one I can never tell a difference in is my montipora. I was thinking I could turn the light intensity up a bit and see how the coral reacts to it.

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

All the other corals look fine. My zoas have been growing new polyps and my Acan looks good too. The only one I can never tell a difference in is my montipora. I was thinking I could turn the light intensity up a bit and see how the coral reacts to it.

your probably at a good intensity to rule it out without double checking PAR.
One odd thing to keep in mind in reefing, sometimes "it doesnt like your tank". In my current 55 i put xenia in a couple times in the first year and they melted. ??????
it was a transfer, it was the same rock, it was the same water, they were my xenia. It led me to keep buying $5 frags to see what would happen over the course of the year.
seems esp dependent Imo on age. weather its a diverse matured bacterial population or constant dissolved organics from micro algae production and rotten food etc .
I talk to my friends at the LFS's about this quite a bit and try to pay attention to it here commenting or not. One friend has 6 frag tanks. and he has the same problem. Coral does bad, move to next tank, it does great.
He built them all at the same time, LR came from the same batch. weird.

With a coral like that I would look at its feeding strategy. Sweepers would indicate I believe a higher dependence on food than light. so spot feeding and plankton's as well as quality flow and light.. I could be wrong.
its weird.

 

[chefjpaul]

Two questions:

have you been moving it around a bit?

Where is it located in placement of powerheads?