Here's something to pick your brain!

Saltwater Fish & Invertebrates Discussion
User avatar
Sandy
Discus Member
Posts: 772
Joined: Mon Jan 10, 2005 11:25 am
My SetUp: 180gal saltwater reef, 6-80watt T5 lights, 2 powerheads in tank, 2 return pumps in a 40gal sump, uv sterilizer, gfo and carbon reactor.

Here's something to pick your brain!

Post by Sandy » Tue Jan 05, 2010 10:30 pm

So for the last 2 weeks this leather has been going down hill. Everything else in the tank seems to be doing fine. New growth here and there. What so you think the problem is, do corals just get too old, do they get sick, what's the deal? Anyone have any ideas. It has been dropping pieces off and they seem to be trying to grow. Is it in a dying/survival mode? Everyone feel free to chime in. Oh, I have had no huge temp swings. Temp staying around 78.
Pictures in the beginning what is looks like now, the last two pics are what it use to look like.

phisher
Discus Member
Posts: 165
Joined: Fri Oct 23, 2009 5:27 pm
My SetUp: Custom profile field not completed.
Location: Saucier

Re: Here's something to pick your brain!

Post by phisher » Wed Jan 06, 2010 11:29 am

I have had leathers "shed" periodically, basically going limp for a week +/- and shedding a top layer of skin/mucus/whatever then recover completely. If its not turning to jelly and falling to pieces I would just watch it for a few more days.

User avatar
Sandy
Discus Member
Posts: 772
Joined: Mon Jan 10, 2005 11:25 am
My SetUp: 180gal saltwater reef, 6-80watt T5 lights, 2 powerheads in tank, 2 return pumps in a 40gal sump, uv sterilizer, gfo and carbon reactor.

Re: Here's something to pick your brain!

Post by Sandy » Wed Jan 06, 2010 12:28 pm

I have them go through shed periods also, but this one is just limp, turning brown in places, and dropping pieces. Some of the pieces that are falling off are actually trying to live.

phisher
Discus Member
Posts: 165
Joined: Fri Oct 23, 2009 5:27 pm
My SetUp: Custom profile field not completed.
Location: Saucier

Re: Here's something to pick your brain!

Post by phisher » Wed Jan 06, 2010 5:19 pm

Possibly getting stung by another coral at night or something?

User avatar
Sandy
Discus Member
Posts: 772
Joined: Mon Jan 10, 2005 11:25 am
My SetUp: 180gal saltwater reef, 6-80watt T5 lights, 2 powerheads in tank, 2 return pumps in a 40gal sump, uv sterilizer, gfo and carbon reactor.

Re: Here's something to pick your brain!

Post by Sandy » Wed Jan 06, 2010 6:14 pm

Nothing around it to possibly sting it. Only bad coral near it is the frogspawn and it is really not close enough to touch it. I don't know, this one has me baffled.

User avatar
Gerwin
Discus Member
Posts: 1498
Joined: Tue Nov 30, 2004 3:41 pm
My SetUp: Custom profile field not completed.

Re: Here's something to pick your brain!

Post by Gerwin » Wed Jan 06, 2010 7:31 pm

make sure it has good current,
also have you checked all your parameters?
the last time you did a water change?
he may be just having a bad week or its a sign of things coming, anytime you have specimen not looking right its a orange flag to start checking everything, just a precaution to make sure all known are in check , then we can start to think of the odd.

jimbob21123
Guppy Member
Posts: 20
Joined: Sat Nov 21, 2009 6:29 pm
My SetUp: Custom profile field not completed.
Location: lucedale, ms but from biloxi

Re: Here's something to pick your brain!

Post by jimbob21123 » Wed Jan 06, 2010 9:01 pm

sounds like molting to me, when my leather molted it dropped off a bunch of pieces to and i had to go through and pick a bunch of pieces off of rocks cause they were growing everywhere. hope everything turns out good whatever it is.

Archie
Discus Member
Posts: 159
Joined: Tue Nov 30, 2004 3:29 pm
My SetUp: Custom profile field not completed.
Location: biloxi, ms

Re: Here's something to pick your brain!

Post by Archie » Wed Jan 06, 2010 9:47 pm

i would suspect parasites, as most leathers are prone to it.
i would remove and inspect very closely for small worm like parasites
cut off brown decaying matter with razor knife
and as gerwin mentioned place in strong current to keep decomposing matter off

User avatar
Sandy
Discus Member
Posts: 772
Joined: Mon Jan 10, 2005 11:25 am
My SetUp: 180gal saltwater reef, 6-80watt T5 lights, 2 powerheads in tank, 2 return pumps in a 40gal sump, uv sterilizer, gfo and carbon reactor.

Re: Here's something to pick your brain!

Post by Sandy » Wed Jan 06, 2010 11:21 pm

Gonna dig out a old powerhead and see if that helps. Sure can't hurt.

User avatar
Gerwin
Discus Member
Posts: 1498
Joined: Tue Nov 30, 2004 3:41 pm
My SetUp: Custom profile field not completed.

Re: Here's something to pick your brain!

Post by Gerwin » Thu Jan 07, 2010 7:11 am

and your parameters?????? :wink:

User avatar
Sandy
Discus Member
Posts: 772
Joined: Mon Jan 10, 2005 11:25 am
My SetUp: 180gal saltwater reef, 6-80watt T5 lights, 2 powerheads in tank, 2 return pumps in a 40gal sump, uv sterilizer, gfo and carbon reactor.

Re: Here's something to pick your brain!

Post by Sandy » Thu Jan 07, 2010 9:54 pm

Nitrates - 0
phosphate - 0
calcium - 540
KH - 8dkH

water change, less than a month ago
temp. average 78
Gerwin, I have gotten better with my water changes. :mrgreen:
Did add powerhead last night, but I don't think it is strong enough. May have to go digging for a larger one.

User avatar
Gerwin
Discus Member
Posts: 1498
Joined: Tue Nov 30, 2004 3:41 pm
My SetUp: Custom profile field not completed.

Re: Here's something to pick your brain!

Post by Gerwin » Fri Jan 08, 2010 7:33 am

have you been adding that Vibrance?

User avatar
Sandy
Discus Member
Posts: 772
Joined: Mon Jan 10, 2005 11:25 am
My SetUp: 180gal saltwater reef, 6-80watt T5 lights, 2 powerheads in tank, 2 return pumps in a 40gal sump, uv sterilizer, gfo and carbon reactor.

Re: Here's something to pick your brain!

Post by Sandy » Fri Jan 08, 2010 11:53 am

Yep, bout once a week.

Redfish
Discus Member
Posts: 983
Joined: Sun Oct 25, 2009 6:49 am
My SetUp: AGA 150g 48x30x25, Reef Octopus Skimmer, Bio Pellet, Phosphate, Carbon reactor. Mostly a SPS coral tank with a few zoas a Green Polyp Toadstool, a Chalice or two and a couple of Scollys thrown in there. Top Off System and dosing pump system for Calcium and Alk.
Location: D'Iberville Mississippi

Re: Here's something to pick your brain!

Post by Redfish » Sat Jan 09, 2010 6:20 am

Any updates? The only thing that I could add here that others havn't, with the info you have given is: to try and maybe do a water change once a week for awhile and see if that helps, not saying it will but you could give it a shot. When you said you did a water change a month ago, what was the % water was changed out of your tank? When you say it has dropped pieces that have tried to live, everything that I have read says this is common. Just a thought here about the more flow, I am not sure about this, I have the same coral, although not as big as yours 8) , I moved it one time into an area with to much flow and it started looking just as yours looks now, and it kept shrinking, I moved it back and it perked right back up in a week or so. I am putting my money on it will get better by itself, that being said, :( it looks pretty bad, so I don't know, I would give the flow thing a shot, but don't blast it with flow.

Archie
Discus Member
Posts: 159
Joined: Tue Nov 30, 2004 3:29 pm
My SetUp: Custom profile field not completed.
Location: biloxi, ms

Re: Here's something to pick your brain!

Post by Archie » Tue Jan 12, 2010 6:39 am

have you even attempted my theory??????????????

Post Reply