Torch Coral not looking so good

[kosh]

just yesterday one of the arms of my torch closed up, it looks like it is dying, all my parameters seem to be a little low on calcium 380 but not horribly low. does anyone have any idea why it is closing up like this?

 

[homegrowncoral88]

It looks like that head has a bacterial infection. I would frag that head off and dip it and the colony in iodine to try and kill the bacteria. Maybe it and the other euphillia got in a fight. Lol

 

[kosh]

I have never fragged before, so I am a little hesitant, should I give it a day or 2 just to make sure? or is it something that needs done right away.

 

[Z06-Hec]

I had to do it to my Hammer. Take a pair of cutters and cut it at the base, where the bad head attaches to the other base. Do it soon cause it could spread. It should snap off in one cut.
I then dipped both pieces in iodine and placed the bad one separate to see if it would recover, it did not, but i saved the rest of them.
Do not wait long.

It looks like 2 heads would need to be cut there from your pic.

 

[homegrowncoral88]

If it starts getting that brown jelly look like stuff on it I would cut and dip it. The bacteria could spread and kill alot of your colony.

 

[clownfitch]

The culprit may very well be that frogspawn next to it in the picture. You may want to separate them.

 

[kosh]

z06, why do you say 2 heads?

clownfitch, was I told wrong that I can have euphillia all next to each other? I can certainly separate them a little.

 

[clownfitch]

z06, why do you say 2 heads?

clownfitch, was I told wrong that I can have euphillia all next to each other? I can certainly separate them a little.

Torches don't always play well with others. It's best to keep them separated IMO. I've lost a couple this same way.

 

[3Twinklets]

It does look injured. You can gently blow it off with a turkey baster and see what happens or you can cut it , (I use a small pair of bolt cutters)
Perhaps put some distance between this one and its neighbor.

 

[Z06-Hec]

z06, why do you say 2 heads?

clownfitch, was I told wrong that I can have euphillia all next to each other? I can certainly separate them a little.

It looks like those 2 heads are attached and dont have their own stems. The 2nd picture, close up, that looks like 2 heads that are starting to separate. I would cut those two as 1 piece off of the rest right at their base. Also you can put them together, i have my torch next to my hammer and I have seen many pictures of gardens of them together.
This below looks like 2 heads to me, cut at the point it meets the stem.

 

[kosh]

agh yes bad picture, it is only one head, defiantly going to move it tonight.

I don't have any iodine on hand, do you guys recommend any that can picked up at rite-aid or walmart? If so How much iodine to water, and how long do you normally dip?

 

[Z06-Hec]

When i did do an iodine dip for my hammer, same issue, i cut the bad heads off and dipped both pieces and returned to the tank separate.
The dip did nothing to the dying piece, it died. the healthy heads survived.
In the past before i had Lugols i had brown jelly on one of my Goniopora, i dipped in peroxide, regular home peroxide for when you get a cut or something. This saved my Goni !
Since I now have Lugols, one of my other Goni got brown jelly. I dipped it 3 times in Lugols because it kept returning. Finally I dipped in Peroxide to try something different and i have not seen brown jelly since.
I know this may just confuse you a bit, but I am just giving my experience with Lugols vs experience with Peroxide....
If you dont have Iodine you can go to pharmacy and get some, just have to check the concentration. Lugols is a much higher concentration. You can google what is needed for an Iodone dip, not sure off top of my head.
My point is with the Hammer, who is to say the lugols did something vs just cutting off the bad heads....

 

[Z06-Hec]

 

[Z06-Hec]

double

 

[Roty]

Clownfish has the right idea. If it continues after u deprecate them. Then zo6- hec has the next best advise here great job guys

 

[Roty]

Separate* is what I ment

 

[clownfitch]

Also you can put them together, i have my torch next to my hammer and I have seen many pictures of gardens of them together.

It is a known fact that while some may have no problems mixing certain euphyllia together others have lost euphyllia when placing different types in a close vicinity. Even more specifically, I lost two torch colonies at different times in different tanks. Both times the torch was in close proximity to a green with purple tipped frogspawn. so where perhaps in your case you have yet to have an issue doesn't necessarily mean some species are actually in fact incompatible.

I am just giving some advice based off of personal experience and the experiences of others that I have read about.

 

[Z06-Hec]

OP have you taken any action yet?

 

[kosh]

I moved it yesterday. So far it looks better, although I don't think it likes the new spot as much. I may end up moving it again.

I took the one pic, and put arrows on it. It looks to me and I want your thoughts, that this head has or had 2 mouths. I am not sure about that white one. It is very hard like it is calcified, but I noticed it was kinda breathing for lack of a better description.

 

[Roty]

Looks like it could be a filter feeding worm of some sort or a type of barnacle look close to see if there is a feather like fan or any type of stringy webing looking stuff that might come out during a water change or feeding