What in the world?!?! :(

Christopher Davis · May 2, 2017

I've got a weird thing happening to one of my torch corals in my 25 gallon rimless cube. From what I can describe, basically the skeleton of my torch has disappeared as if it was almost splitting into two pieces. I am not sure what happened to this piece as I have many other torches as well in my tank. They are just fine. I figured my lighting was too intense so I lowered it but the skeleton disintegrated in my hands. So as a result I now have three pieces of torch that I'm not sure I'm going to survive. Have any of you experienced this before the tissue still looks healthy.

Maritimer · May 2, 2017

How long has this guy been in your care?

I'm wondering if his (their?) skeleton was formed in ... marginal ... water conditions for skeletal formation, or if perhaps something is in there eating away at it?

~Bruce

Christopher Davis · May 2, 2017

Over 4 months, it was happy and healthy with no new additions and stable parameters!

Maritimer · May 2, 2017

Hmmm ... I wonder if other members of the #reefsquad can offer any thoughts?

~Bruce

saltyfilmfolks · May 2, 2017

It was in or from a tank with very very low calcium.

Sabellafella · May 2, 2017

saltyfilmfolks said:
It was in or from a tank with very very low calcium.

Also could be from crabs and such. All my hermits and emrald crab always go at the skeletons every so often

saltyfilmfolks · May 2, 2017

Sabellafella said:
Also could be from crabs and such. All my hermits and emrald crab always go at the skeletons every so often

Yup could be. I can't see the base well.

Way Back when I had montis do that to me. A fried dropped off an acro bigger than my hand onnce that was so soft I don't know how he got it in the bag.

Christopher Davis · May 3, 2017

Sabellafella said:
Also could be from crabs and such. All my hermits and emrald crab always go at the skeletons every so often[/QUOTE

Man this really has me puzzled... I do water changes pretty frequently on the tank so I'm not sure how low calcium would be a result.
I haven't seen the hermit crabs go anywhere near any of my other toarchs, hammer Or frogspawn'.

I tried to get a better shot of the base of the coral as best I could blue lights are on making it hard... I will try again in the morning.
All of my corals have been dipped with coral Rx as well, I'm looking for anykind of critters but cannot see any.

It started about a week ago and it progressed to the point where I stepped in and basically pulled the toarch into three pieces with the slightest pressure.

All other skeletal structures are hard as rock...
As you can see everything else is happy as can be

Zack K · May 3, 2017

What are your water parameters? You said they are "stable" but they could be stable at the wrong value. I have seen another LPS skeleton like this and it was an issue with "The Big 3"