Torch coral tip loss

[Brian1f1]

Anyone ever experience a torch coral losing the tip (the ball at the end) of a tentacle? Mine seems to have lost one recently, on a larger tentacle, the tentacle is still there, looks like a healed amputation, for lack of a better description.

Any thoughts on that? No fish in the tank. There is a small CB shrimp and some snails.

Also, the tissue seems to be receding (or possibly was this way, I can’t be sure) up the stalk towards the head on just one side of it (about a 5th of the diameter of it). It’s pretty close to the edge of the top where the tentacles start there, and the tentacles just above it don’t seem to be expanding fully the last couple of days. Is this a bad sign? I changed the flow yesterday, it was hitting it right on that spot. Other head and other torches appear healthy.

Weird stuff.

 

[cristata.reef]

How high is your flow? I've had one of the tips detach in very high flow, went around and stung a bunch of corals before getting sucked up by the filter. And the tissue receding could be a bad sign. I just lost a torch two days ago to Brown Jelly Disease and it happened really fast; flesh receded and within 24ish hours the tentacles were falling off and the rest was disintegrating

 

[Brian1f1]

That’s not comforting. Lol

The head may have stung some of my corals. I have another thread going about a mysterious hole in a toadstool I have.

The flow wasn’t too high, but I think too direct, which may have caused the detachment and maybe the tissue recession. I also whipped it pretty good once while stupidly moving the gyre with it running a random program...

The skeleton has a bump where the tissue is short, it could be natural... I guess nothing much I can do now but watch and wait. You can kind of see it in the photos I have with me.

That head has never really “crowned” out like the one next to it, even though it did open some, but neither side has ever opened like the gold to it’s right.

 

[cristata.reef]

I don't think a torch head could make a hole in a leather coral, it would cause necrosis no doubt but a single head lacks enough nematocysts to drill into tissue (It's probably just growing abnormally). Can you move your torch to a different area and see if it likes it better?

 

[Brian1f1]

I don't think a torch head could make a hole in a leather coral, it would cause necrosis no doubt but a single head lacks enough nematocysts to drill into tissue (It's probably just growing abnormally). Can you move your torch to a different area and see if it likes it better?

I could move it to the sand bed, I totally redid the flow yesterday, and changed the lighting program today. Was going to see how it responded first.

The hole in the leather started out as a white spot, and it’s been deepening and growing since. Thread in the softie section. Very strange. Some people think a floating stinger, some that it’s self fragging. It still opens up!

How it looked a week ago

 

[cristata.reef]

Well as the leather grows the hole will grow by default as well since their growth is similar to stretching clay. But yeah see how the new flow works out and be sure to let us know your results

 

[Brian1f1]

It’s down three tips now... flow way down. Bizarre.

 

[cristata.reef]

It’s down three tips now... flow way down. Bizarre.

Alright if it loses anymore tips pull it and quarantine it

 

[Brian1f1]

Alright if it loses anymore tips pull it and quarantine it

I moved it and in doing so could better inspect the underside/edge tentacles. I’m 99% sure now it’s a flow injury. Probably from when I was moving the gyre and stupidly forgot it was on random and whipped it. Didn’t think much of it at the time. It’s still alive, in low flow, with some damage to the tissue on the stalk and some damaged tentacles. Still opens , just not fully.

So mystery (probably) solved.

So can torch heads survive trauma? I guess we are about to find out.

 

[cristata.reef]

I moved it and in doing so could better inspect the underside/edge tentacles. I’m 99% sure now it’s a flow injury. Probably from when I was moving the gyre and stupidly forgot it was on random and whipped it. Didn’t think much of it at the time. It’s still alive, in low flow, with some damage to the tissue on the stalk and some damaged tentacles. Still opens , just not fully.

So mystery (probably) solved.

So can torch heads survive trauma? I guess we are about to find out.

Yeah I mean like one of my branching hammers go the head crushed by a rock and it recovered after like a few months

 

[Brian1f1]

Update:
It has looked like it was improving. Actually polyp expansion overall is better today than it had been, but I was able to get a good picture of the damage today. I also noticed the flesh on the stalk is looking fuzzy and clear. Anyone know what’s up with it? Is this the beginning of the end for this guy? Should I still leave it there to heal? Photos attached. Thanks!

You can see one really ugly tentacle in that last pic.

 

[kaduozores]

You tried to dip it with coral rx or something like that?

 

[Brian1f1]

You tried to dip it with coral rx or something like that?

Actually I didn’t. I lowered it in the tank, turned the wounded side to where the flow is least, and I’ve been watching. Expansion has been steadily increasing. The polyp itself seems to be healing. You can see some big tentacles that have healed over without a rip now. The flesh around the base remains very near the cusp of the skeleton. It’s been holding steady, but definitely eroded. I don’t have any great pics of the wounded area, I’ll try to get some. For now here are some newer of it open (non-wounded polyp is front facing, but about 3/4s is about as open as the front).

 

[kaduozores]

You've done right to put him in this area, think if it is not better to position him in a place like that.

 

[Brian1f1]

Too many of these threads just die, so when this is googled, yes, flow can shred a torch, and yes, they can heal from being shredded.

All healed now! Some polyps just healed over, forever shorter. Base seems to be growing a bit. Good advice on this forum absolutely saved it, no question, so thanks!

I can’t stop doing dumb things though, today my thumb slipped while positioning a rock, and tore a single hammer tip right off! Thing barely cared, half closed to fully back open in 15 minutes smh...

 

[Brian1f1]

This is a very strange torch. It partially bleached after these pics. It’s since regained its color. One polyp now has far skinnier tentacles than the other, and the tips have gone from big and round to smaller and kind of pointed.

How strange is that??

 

[Semper.Reefing]

Any updates on your torch? Mine is looks awful. All tentacles are skinny and pointy, lost a few heads.. I don’t know what to do..

 

[Bgmrc]

Creazy older thread! I have a tourch that detaches 2 heada of the 8 or so yesterday...my flow is pretty low so i assume it my halide i jus extended the ON time...going to do a re vamp of my frag tank to lower everything....ill get some pics...jus for me if not here

 

[PeterEde]

A fish bit off a tip from my torch in a feeding frenzy and promptly spatit back out. The tip dropped inside my live rock. Any chance it will grown anew?
The torch looks otherwise fine

 

[Duncan62]

Too many of these threads just die, so when this is googled, yes, flow can shred a torch, and yes, they can heal from being shredded.

All healed now! Some polyps just healed over, forever shorter. Base seems to be growing a bit. Good advice on this forum absolutely saved it, no question, so thanks!

I can’t stop doing dumb things though, today my thumb slipped while positioning a rock, and tore a single hammer tip right off! Thing barely cared, half closed to fully back open in 15 minutes smh...

While blowing off rocks with a baster I've accidentally blown tips off hammers and torches. Never seen any adverse affects. It looks fine in the last pic. It should just wave in the current enough to keep clean and bring nutrients. Loosing a tip is minor. If you tear it loose from the skeleton it's more of a problem. Good luck. Torches are my favorite lps.