Torch losing tissue

[Andrewk5018]

I noticed a hermit crab sitting on my torch and appeared to be eating it. I knocked the crab down right before the lights went off and this morning there was a stringy bit of tissue hanging off of it. I immediately popped it off the rock and put it in an iodine dip. Now that i’m looking at it close up i’m wondering if its just the heads splitting and the crabs just wanted the dead/dying tissue?

 

[Andrewk5018]

This is how it looks probably 8 hours later

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

Does the lower part of the colony have ANY flesh left? It looks like bone-white skeleton...

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

(the upper part looks fantastic)

 

[Andrewk5018]

Does the lower part of the colony have ANY flesh left? It looks like bone-white skeleton...

between the heads is straight skeleton but flesh and polyps on the heads

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

between the heads is straight skeleton but flesh and polyps on the heads

That's a very bad sign. If it were mine, I would frag off the bottom part. If you want to try to save it you can but it's in rough shape and you don't want it to affect the healthy half if it gets BJD...

Fwiw, when corals split, there is no "dead tissue" for crabs, etc to eat.

 

[Uncle99]

Does look maybe slightly tasted.
Damage in only one area, rest fine.

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

These corals, along with hammers and frogspawn, usually still have extending tentacles/polyps even on their deathbed.

 

[Andrewk5018]

I’m going to keep an eye on it to see if it spreads at all, if so I’ll just clip the bad side off. I’m going to do a few more iodine dips on it too. Thanks for the opinions

 

[Andrewk5018]

This is what it looks like today before another iodine dip. I think its looking better. Some polyps look deflated but the void that was there yesterday seems to have more polyps in it now

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

This is what it looks like today before another iodine dip. I think its looking better. Some polyps look deflated but the void that was there yesterday seems to have more polyps in it now

I'm glad you feel it's doing better. I hope it makes a full comeback. But don't be deceived by the number of tentacles or how far they extend... as I said previously, these are often the last part of the coral to die and may continue to "look ok" until the day are completely gone. The part I'm looking at is the flesh beneath the tentacles. One head looks like the skeleton is showing completely, even the septa (thin ridges of skeleton inside the head).

 

[Andrewk5018]

I'm glad you feel it's doing better. I hope it makes a full comeback. But don't be deceived by the number of tentacles or how far they extend... as I said previously, these are often the last part of the coral to die and may continue to "look ok" until the day are completely gone. The part I'm looking at is the flesh beneath the tentacles. One head looks like the skeleton is showing completely, even the septa (thin ridges of skeleton inside the head).

can they not recover once the flesh has receded??

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

can they not recover once the flesh has receded??

It's possible but unlikely once it reaches the stage the one head is in.