Torch coral spliting but not expanding?!

[marcosnano]

Hello reefers,

I have this torch coral for almost 3 months and he never fully expanded. Coral had some periods with thick tentacles up to 1.5 inches but never fully expanded.

I tried all positions and all lighting and flow options.

I took him out of sand recently for the first time and placed him up at the shelf, but not too high.

And now few days ago I have noticed 2nd mouth on both heads have appeared. He is spliting right? How come coral is splitting which means he loves the tank, but not fully extending?

4 months old tank.
8.7 dKH
1.025 saltinity
78.7f
Nitrate 5ppm
Calcium 520

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

It looks like a cristata ("short torch")

 

[marcosnano]

It looks like a cristata ("short torch")

It was fully extended in LFS.

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

It was fully extended in LFS.

4 month old tank.
Just give it time... and keep the tank stable.

 

[marcosnano]

4 month old tank.
Just give it time... and keep the tank stable.

Yeah I'm patient. But how come it's spliting before extending?

 

[Townes_Van_Camp]

Yeah I'm patient. But how come it's spliting before extending?

My cristata retracts a bit while it forms a new mouth. All the other heads look great, but the one will be kinda ugly for a while. Then it perks up right after the mouths fully heal and the splitting of the head begins.

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

Yeah I'm patient. But how come it's spliting before extending?

Could be many things... Some corals split as a survival mechanism even when conditions are bad, in hopes that even if some heads die off, others will live. Other times it's a matter of energy conservation. Splitting and extending are not necessarily related... A coral uses its polyps for things other than our viewing enjoyment

 

[marcosnano]

update: this is not torch coral at all.

I was scammed by owner of LFS, he noticed that I was unexperienced with corals, I have picked up a torch coral in their tank with long tentacles, and moved out to different section of store, and he packaged me something different, this is the coral with very short tentacles. I paid this $150.

This is the price when you are unexperienced, but also shame on the guy for scamming his customers like this.

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

update: this is not torch coral at all.

I was scammed by owner of LFS, he noticed that I was unexperienced with corals, I have picked up a torch coral in their tank with long tentacles, and moved out to different section of store, and he packaged me something different, this is the coral with very short tentacles. I paid this $150.

This is the price when you are unexperienced, but also shame on the guy for scamming his customers like this.

This is a torch - it's called a cristata, aka "short torch".

 

[James M]

update: this is not torch coral at all.

I was scammed by owner of LFS, he noticed that I was unexperienced with corals, I have picked up a torch coral in their tank with long tentacles, and moved out to different section of store, and he packaged me something different, this is the coral with very short tentacles. I paid this $150.

This is the price when you are unexperienced, but also shame on the guy for scamming his customers like this.

It is a torch coral though just not your typical indo torches

 

[marcosnano]

This is a torch - it's called a cristata, aka "short torch".

I see now, but anyways not the one I bought. LFS seller put another coral in bag.

It's a shame what people will do for few bucks, but he lost a customer now..