Brown Jelly Euphyllia paradivisa... actually chem. starvation, allelopathy... iatrogenic errors      3/16/16 Good Evening, <And you> I am looking for your wisdom on saving a large neon Euphyllia paradivisa from the dreaded brown jelly disease. This event is spreading quickly so please advise and I will jump into action. <Likely expedient> 150 gallon, 6 year established mixed reef, skimmer, LifeReef CO2 reactor & sump & refugium, LEDs, MP 40s, constant pH 8.06 (due to CO2 reactor?), <Maybe... What is your RedOx? > CO2 reactor pH 6.5, no phosphates, no nitrates, <... all photosynthetic; make that all life requires some measurable HPO4, NO3... See, as in READ on WWM re> 415 calcium, alkalinity 12 dKH, magnesium 1300, 1.026 salinity, 80.8 degrees F, 20% water changes weekly, softies, few SPS, many LPS, 10 fish, hermits, starfish, snails... I noticed a small Aiptasia on the disc of a large toadstool leather a month ago. <So; in addition to chemical/food starvation, allelopathy may be an issue> Yes, I should have addressed it but didn't. This Sunday, I used a small dab of Aiptasia X on the anemone and noticed a ring of dead/loose tissue the size of a quarter around the pest. So I turkey basted up the dead tissue and the melted anemone. When I did this it revealed a deep tunnel of dead tissue coming from inside the trunk of the toadstool. Anyhow, I turkey basted up more dead tissue and then... proceeded to gently turkey baste the new tunnel through the toadstool...when I did this dead tissue spewed into the water column. I turned on the media reactor <... what is in this reactor?> to run carbon and did the 25% water change. Everything looked great in tank. Monday, toadstool was still in good recovery. Tuesday, toadstool looking still positively recovering-the tissue looks good! Polyps are thinking about opening under the normal shiny slime coat it gets when it goes through growth spurt. HOWEVER, on the other side of the 150 gallon tank, I noticed a tiny spot of brown goo on a hard to see area of a giant Euphyllia, around noon. Hoping it was waste product, I made a mental note. At 5:00 p.m., the pea sized brown goo was quarter sized. I rotated the coral to take a photo and have a clearer view. Yes, it has to be tissue from the toadstool on the opposite end of the tank landed in the far end of the frogspawn! What do I do? <Water changes, chemical filtrant (Polyfilter, GAC) use, and overdosing of iodide-ate> This is my prized (6 years with me) neon wall frogspawn. I can't loose it. <Or lose it> Panic is setting in! I have searched the internet and wet web.... Do I try the iodine dipping routine? <Not dipping, addition> (I tried this years ago to no avail.) Do I take it to the LFS with a coral saw to separate infected from good? (I think this is the only option to save part of this LPS. ?) <A possibility... but not what I'd do... see the above, use the search tool (on every page on WWM) and READ> By tomorrow morning, this could be really bad. Thanks for any suggestions. I have learned a painful lesson: turn off power heads when working around suspicious coral tissue and address pest anemones ASAP. Sincerely, Wendy <And you; Bob Fenner>

Euphyllia Brown Jelly     3/16/16 another pic of brown jelly <This looks more like BGA... do you have a microscope? Same response otherwise. BobF>

Toadstool Leather dead tissue     3/16/16 Continued: Here is a picture of the toadstool with the dead tissue and melted Aiptasia before I turkey basted up the majority of dead tissue. The tissue was powdery & fibrous grey. The tissue on the toadstool was not slimy brown. But it has to be what started the brown jelly on the frogspawn. ? <A contributing factor very likely> Thanks again. <Allelopathy by Alcyonaceans.... reading. B>

Euphyllia Brown Jelly-cautiously optimistic     3/18/16 Hello Bob, Thank you for your advice! I am cautiously optimistic. When you mentioned RedOx, I was reminded to learn more about this measurement. <A VERY useful indicator of a system's capacity to foster life> Reading through the articles in WetWeb helped me understand its importance. It will be the next addition to the system. I did a 25% water change, changed the carbon, changed the poly filter material, cranked up the skimmer, gently turkey baste away any brown jelly that forms every couple hours, raised the iodide-ate to .09 overnight, the next morning 20% water change, more turkey baste removal, iodine level now at .08 and the frogspawn is looking pretty good! <In the photo; I agree> (Tomorrow I will do a 10% water change and work on getting the iodine down to .07.) The brown jelly production is now minimal and the other 3/4's of the frogspawn is acting almost normal. <Great> (The only coral objecting to the high iodine level is a sunset encrusting Montipora, other Montiporas are looking fine.) I have been reading and will continue to read about increasing nitrates and phosphates. So the goal is NO3 a few ppm and HPO4 between .01-.05? <Yes> I looked back into the log, and Nitrates ranged between 0 - .2 (Salifert), and Phosphates ranged between 0 - .04 (Hanna & Red Sea) over the past 6 months. Most of the time the readings were 0, which is strange when the refugium is full of macroalgae, <Ah, not strange... the algae are/were scavenging most all> fish are generously fed, I target feed corals, corals are growing, and occasionally tank has a minor hair algae event. <I'd remove a good deal of the 'fuge macro-algae... only run the 'fuge lighting at night; in opposition to the main/displays> A Neptune Apex was recently installed, so the next programming I will do is to turn off the skimmer during feeding...and night? <I'd leave running at night; for DO> and add the ORP probe. Anyhow, thank you for the recommendations and hopefully this wall Euphyllia will pull through. I feel that it was in a thriving state of health before this event due to its tripling in size over the past 6 years, great polyp extension and good fleshy tissue around the calcified base. Reading, reading, reading is the only way I have gotten this far in the hobby...the chemistry part isn't natural for this art major. Thank you for trusted advice. Sincerely, Wendy <Your response, success... is exactly what I hope for in producing and making WWM available. Thank you for sharing. Bob Fenner>

Trying First Coral Addition - Green Hammer. Starved, and?       12/27/14 Hello All <Tom, Annette> Sorry in advance for the length but want to give you as much detail as possible! <Good> I have been stymied in my attempt to add the first coral to my 55g FOWLR. I have tried consulting with local experts but have not been able to get any answers. It is a small branching hammer I currently have on the bottom in the sand partially sheltered by my rock. It still has color but keeps mostly retracted. I have had it for about 3 weeks and it has never opened fully like it was at the sellers. <Mmm; could be "many" things different here. Several water quality possibilities, lighting, circulation, allelopathy, pests...> Here are my system details: 55g 4 foot tank, 2 Chinese make 120w led (taotronic or similar actinic and white) currently set at min levels - blue on 12 hours whites 10) set at 9" above water, <... see WWM re PAR/PUR and the needs of Caryophylliids... likely there's insufficient (too low intensity) light here> 40b sump in basement with SC Aquariums 302 skimmer additional rock and Chaeto, filter socks at DT drain (with bag of CupriSorb) and reactor outlet, <Uhh; do you have measurable NO3 and HPO4? Necessary> 300w heater, BRS reactor w/ carbon, 32g brute can (2nd sump in line used for additional volume and mixing sw), JBJ top off fed from 2nd brute can that holds RODI (well water run through whole house neutralizer using calcium carbonate and 4 stage RODI with TDS of 0 - also used for water changes which is 10g a week with IO), pan world 100px return pump, total volume approximately 105g. I have been set up for 2.5 years. I have a pair of B&W ocellaris (2 years now), algae blenny <Could be hassling> (1 year), six line wrasse (<year) and flame angel (<year). <This too> I had a very hard time adding the angel, taking 6 tries to get one that survived. I attribute that more to the frailties of the fish than anything else. My current flame is very healthy and the King of the tank! It and the six line are buds! I feed 1-2 times a day alternating between LRS, Hikari mysis, Hikari brine/algae, New Era pellet and some Nori once in a while. Current parameters are (they stay pretty consistent): Temp 79.3 Sal 1.023 (refractometer) <Needs to be NSW strength (1.025-6> Ammonia <.02 (salifert and SeaChem alert badge) Nitrite 0 (API) Nitrate 0 (API) <Absolutely necessary. SEE WWM RE> Copper 0 Phosphate 0 <... this too. Chemo-photosynthates can't live w/o> (I do currently have some Cyano which I am trying to siphon out) KH/Alk 9.6 / 3.42 Calcium 350 I feel like I am doing everything right but can't figure out this hammer. I am on my second attempt and they both have reacted the same way. Looks ok at first but then retracts into the skeleton. I have not seen any picking by my fish. I do not direct feed the coral. I have been cleaning my filter socks by soaking them in a water/bleach solution but I also run them through the washer with AmQuel. So perhaps low levels of chlorine? I also thought some heavy metal from the well water but it gets pretty well filtered I think. Here is a photo, not the best but gives you an idea of how retracted it is. This is pretty much how it has been. Help! I am at a loss. Tom Myers <What's that saying? At least some of your/its problems are obvious. Keep reading. Bob Fenner>

Re: Trying First Coral Addition - Green Hammer      12/28/14 Bob, <Tom> Thanks for the quick reply. Oh and happy holidays! I can work on increasing the lighting. I guess I thought it was not opening due to too much lighting. <Not just this, but yes; move this "specimen up" on the higher rock> I will also get the salinity up. I just recalibrated the refractometer and it was running high so I will adjust with my next water changes. That and I will work on dirtying up my water I guess! I will stop the CupriSorb and carbon and see if that helps. <Good> I really don't think it's any of the fish. I have never seen any of them pay any attention to the hammer. The flame swims by all the time. Never even takes a look. But I will keep an eye out. Thanks again for input. Tom Myers <Measurable nitrate and phosphate... BobF>

Hurting bubble and doughnut coral    6/29/12
Hello Crew,
<Felix>
I have 2 bubble and an Indonesian Scolymia sp (doughnut coral)  that are not doing so great, they're still extending their tentacles, albeit poorly.
But there's part of their skeleton that has turned black. The coral refuse to extend near the black area of the skeleton. Should I remove the dying part, and how the best way to do it?
<I would not remove the necrotic tissue; but would make up a slightly lower (a few thousandths) spg solution of seawater (or just add fresh to a portion of the system water) and a ten times dose of iodide-ate for a five minute bath>
 I suspect the infection started because the bubbles fall from the rock near a lobo coral.
<? What? If too near, I'd move one or the other>
 the Scolymia did not acclimatize well and has never accepted feeding. Water parameter is within the norm, PH 7,9 salinity 1.025, nitrate 0, phosphate 0,
<Chemophotosynthates need some (measurable) NO3 and HPO4. I'd remove whatever  chemical filtrants you're using here>
calcium 400, alkalinity 9, magnesium 1200.
My second question is why these corals are not doing well (I also have several other LPS not doing so great although they're still extending).
<See above. They're likely starved>
My system is 90g, with an oversized DIY skimmer (rated for 150g) running non stop, NP-Biopellet reactor, and Rowaphos fluidizer.
<Ditch these last two. Unnecessary and expensive>
Additives are Grotech Ca, Mg, and Alk supplied daily via dosing pump (balling light). Lighting is DIY 3wx32 LED fixtures, mix of Royal blue and cool white (50/50). Do you think the light is overkill as some of my LPS won't extend their polyp in direct light?
<Doubtful; no>
 SPS seems to be doing fine of course. Or is it lack of nutrition from over filtration?
<Ding ding ding! Yes>
Do you think I could benefit from using a timer for my skimmer?
<Maybe. Worth trying out>
 Would a Biopellet reactor and RowaPhos fluidizer benefit from timer instead of running 24h non stop?
<Yes>
 I'm thinking about installing an Algae turf scrubber
<Do study carefully. Most designs are not worthwhile>
and see if it can replace the fluidizers, I've heard that they're great way to supply nutrition to your tank. thanks as always for your valuable input :D
<Mmm, and let's have you review here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/MussidDisF4.htm
and the linked files above. Bob Fenner>

Unwell bubble 1/21/11
Hello one and all, from across that large expanse of water we call The Pond. Yesterday I managed to negotiate the purchase of a large(5" round) Physogora
<Physogyra>
lichtensteini for a fiver(£5) of a local retailer. This coral would normally sell for about(£50-£60). As you might have guessed it is not in the greatest of condition. Probably 70% of the septa are showing,
<Do at times in the wild as well>
as yet with no algal covering, a lot of the exposed area a purple/red colour (any info. on the reason for this would be welcome).
<I suspect BGA... bad>
The green tissue that is left is in either circular colonies around a mouth, or in long strands again with a mouth. There is also tissue lifting off the skeleton in two areas, where you can see a little white colour on the underside. There is absolutely no sign of disease or infection anywhere. Also having had a really good inspection can see no critters on it having a nibble. I have it in isolation. My first question is in its obviously unwell condition is it worth possibly stressing it out further with a dip?
<It is in my opinion, experience well worth it>
Second question, the guy in the shop said it had been in there for as long as he could remember, and also told me they don't target feed any of their stock,
<... foolish>
is it possible it is starving.
<A certainty>
Next question, if you don't think its lack its lack of food, what are the other possibilities.
<Read here: http://wetwebmedia.com/EuphHlthF8.htm
and the linked files above>
Fourth question, whatever your prognosis, what's the best method to attempt any rescue. And finally have I thrown my fiver away. Thanks in advance of any reply. Paul Tinkler.
<Do write back w/ specific questions after you've read. Bob Fenner>
Re: Unwell bubble 1/22/11
Hi Bob, thanks for the link. The retailer I bought this coral from had all his frags in one large display, and colonies in another.
<Ahh, folks would do better/well to separate such bits by their likely chemical/physical aggressiveness>
I know he had a large GSP colony in with the bubble because my son asked me what it was. He may of had other soft corals in there too,
<Not smart>
I tend to "switch off" when I see softies as I have no interest in them. I'm thinking the demise of mine could be down to being exposed to long term allelopathy and not getting sufficient food. A possibility?
<Of a certainty, yes>
What to do with it is the priority, perhaps start with an iodine dip in tank water?
<I'd make/use one first outside the tank... slightly lowered spg (a couple thousandths), a few teaspoons of simple (pent-, hex-ose) per gallon, and a ten fold concentration of iodide-ate... AND add a double dose of this last to the system>
Then all I think I can do is feed daily and keep the water quality spot on. Do you agree?
<Yes>
Or is there more I can do?
<Not much else other than keeping the system stable, optimized>
Bearing in mind it probably only has 20-30% of its soft tissue left, and as I have said the remaining tissue is in small colonies dotted around the skeleton with decent sized gaps between them, what is your short/long term prognosis?
<Can still recover, regenerate the lost tissue. Have seen many times>
Is it likely to survive? What do I do if it starts to get an algal covering?
<Mmm, depends on cause... perhaps shade more>
If it does survive is it going to regain the exposed skeleton?
<Hopefully in time>
Sorry for all the questions. I will be much obliged for any answers. Thanks Paul.
<Welcome. BobF>
Re: Unwell bubble 1/25/11
Hello again Bob, I have discovered whilst target feeding the coral something unusual.
<Oh? Pray, do tell>
As I have said what tissue that is left is in "outcrops" dotted around the skeleton running either along lines or whorls of septa. What connects the septa is a very thin layer of what is probably some sort of
calcium deposit, presumably what the connecting tissue sat on. This layer is incredibly brittle. It can be cracked/broken with the end of a wooden kebab stick. Found this out when trying to maneuver a piece of food into one of the remaining mouths. Also when it is broken a large bubble of gas will appear then float to the surface. Is this normal?
<Yes... damaged tissue decomposition... gas-producing>
Sorry about the description, but do not know the correct terminology/biology of the coral.
Again any answer would be welcome. Thank you Paul.
<Do use a "baster" (ala turkey) to "spritz" ground up (small) suspended (in water) meaty foods during the daylight (or tissue-expanded) time once a day on this coral... BobF>

Torch coral... hlth? Beh.? 03/01/09 Hello good day to you. Have a small question today. I have a few Hammer and Torch corals in my tank. All are doing great, with excellent polyp extension. I provide them with moderate flow and moderate lighting. So far they look very happy and reward me with beautiful and healthy looking extension of their tentacles. However, I did notice something. One of my Torch and one of my Hammer Corals seem to have lost its stickiness on its tentacles. The others are doing fine, with sticky tentacles that enable them to catch mysis and the occasional table shrimp. I just wanted to know if the coral is declining? I really hope not because it is one my favourite corals. I feed my tank 3 small portions a day, rotating between mysis, pellets and my own blend of seafood. I have a healthy amount of fish that produce waste (I heard some corals like fish fecal matter?), and 20% water changes about once a week. Please advise on my situation..I do hope that they are still getting enough food via photosynthesis and the dissolved organics along with some very fine food that they might get through absorbtion. The only thing that they cannot seem to get hold of is bigger pieces of food due to their non-sticky tentacles. <Kai, I'm not even sure this seeming lack of "stickiness" is even a problem/concern. If the corals are not receding and are extending as normal, I'd assume they're ok. But you have a lot going on in a relatively small tank. You have a Moorish idol in a small tank with corals... maybe that's the problem. Or maybe your corals are just getting plenty to eat. Again, if you're not seeing any obvious signs of decline, I wouldn't worry.> Just a quick update on my Moorish idol since I am already writing to you. 2 and a half weeks old and going strong. Had fight off ich and has gained good immunity against it (hopefully). Fat and alert, and have taken a strong liking towards New Life Spectrum pellets and mysis enriched with Selcon. Feeds aggressively on = anything except flake which it seems to hate. <That's good. But you're still going to have to find another home for this fish.> Have a pleasant weekend. - Kai <Cheers, Sara M.>

Torch coral, no sweeper tentacles - 10/07/2007 Hey guys, I was hoping for some help. <Hi Brian> I got a torch coral about 1 month ago. It seems to be doing well during the day. It is nice and big, but at night I haven't seen any sweeper tentacles. I have tried putting enriched mysis shrimp on his non-sweeper tentacles and eventually it seems to slowly let go of it. I have it under 175 metal halide and 2*65watt actinic. Could it be getting enough energy from light? Is it just unhealthy and that is why the sweeper tentacles don't come out? What should I do? Thank you guys/girls are the best and my main source of information. <LPS corals use the sweeper tentacles for defense against other encroaching corals. They can sense a coral near buy and will move their sweepers to that area in an effort to sting the coral and defend it's space. I have seen Euphyllia sp. go after mushroom corals very aggressively. If your LPS does not capture the mysis but is opened with good color then it is still healthy. The polyps will show you when they are stressed by receding to the skeleton. If the polyps come out with the lights everyday then I would not worry. Try to feed about an hour after lights out. My Hammer and Torch corals don't accept mysis either but are growing very well while my other LPS feed heavily on mysis!  Water parameters are most paramount. Make sure Calcium levels are maintained above 400ppm and Alkalinity is near 3.0meq/l or above 8 DKH. Keep nitrates and phosphates low with resins, activated carbon, and regular water changes.-Rich...aka-Mr.Firemouth>

Pearl bubble Hello to you all, <Hellooooooo Helene!> I have read all over the WWM site and still can't seem to figure out what to do for my Pearl Bubble. <flowers, soft music and candlelight always make me feel better. That and a fifth of brandy. Do consider... for the coral, that is... not for me. I can take care of myself> All seems well in the kingdom for the all other life but the pearl just keeps on shrinking... <do you play Mariah Carey a lot?> I have been trying to tempt him to eat with a little direct feeding of zooplankton and phytoplankton mixture.   <good with the zoo... but don't waste your time on the phyto with this species. Form follows function, and this coral has huge feeding tentacles designed to catch large zooplankton. No plant matter here> Even tried a little of my home recipe clam, shrimp, fish etc frozen stuff. All to no avail...he is in the middle of the 75 gal, decent water activity and not too near to anybody else.   <all good> Water quality is good although we did have a nitrate spike a while ago when we lost a few little fishes and couldn't find them.... <no biggie> these were new fishes and had been quarantined but alas who knows.... <understood my friend> Any ideas?   <yep... I think we should send Weird Al Yankovic to Iraq to counter the threat of chemical weapons by the tyrannical regime in power (the oil companies that is)> Or once again not enough info.... <regarding the bubble, it sounds as if you have done all you can. You may need to pull the coral to a bare bottomed QT tank to determine if the irritant is in the tank itself. 4 weeks as usual in QT> I will continue to try to feed him.  Hard to catch him when his feeders are out.... <good, but don't wait...put a tablespoon of meaty juice in the tank 15 minutes prior to feeding and the tentacles should come out> I think that he may be getting too weak to extend them.   <I assure you that is not so> The addition of zooplankton is new.....think that might help? <Oh ya! it is the only food this coral eats. If you have been using phyto only up to know, your coral has been starving. Bubbles are meat eaters> Anyway, thank you for all your help......Helene <best regards, my friend. Anthony>

Anchor Coral Problem I've been having a problem with my anchor coral for the past couple of weeks.  Let me start from the beginning.  I bought the coral 5 months ago. About 2 weeks after I bought it, one of the polyps shriveled up and died in a 24-hour period.  I attributed this to the fact that I probably scratched it while I was feeding it.   <hmmm... this reminds me to warn you to be careful not to feed large foods... never larger than 1/4" bits (minced). Even though this blind and sightless animals will sting and draw any large chunk of dead fish or shrimp in... it doesn't make it smart or safe. Many coral are harmed or killed by feeding large krill, shrimp or fish chunks> About 2 weeks ago, for no apparent reason, another polyp shriveled up and died in the same way.   <more symptoms needed here... any evidence of necrosis, change of color... waning over what period of time, etc?> Yesterday, one more polyp started shriveling.  (This last polyp was connected to the previous  polyp by tissue, so I'm not sure if this polyp is dying because it was connected to the other.)   <not likely over this period of time (no pathogen)... more likely suffering the same physical imposition (feeding, water quality or predator)> My water parameters are all fine, <fine relative to what... numbers please> and I can find no exterior signs of infection or parasites.  The coral was doing fine for a long time after I bought it, <months? still not long if starving (regurgitating large chunks after dark)> so I'm not sure how it could have been infected.   <almost certainly not infected/pathogenic over this period of time> I have 2 polyps left on the coral that seem to be doing fine, but then again the other polyps looked fine before they mysteriously died.   <how fast/sudden? Perhaps there is a fish in the tank nibbling at night. Fish list please> My other corals and fish are not showing any signs of stress.  I've seen postings about a Malachite Green dip, but I could not find the exact recipe. <Good heavens no! No organic dyes or metals on invertebrates please. Very dangerous... and you don't even have an infection (no mention of necrotic tissue!)> I'm not even sure if the dip is the appropriate action to take.  Can you  help? Thanks for all of your help -- past, present, and future! <a picture please if possible. With kind regards, Anthony>
Anchor Coral problem 2 I guess in my pre-Christmas haste, I forgot a few important details. 1.  There were no real outward symptoms.  No necrosis or other signs of tissue degradation or color change.  One day they would appear open and happy, and the next day they would begin shriveling up.  They would start shriveling on one side and by the end of the day, they would be completely shriveled.  The tissue would be almost completely gone by the next morning (most likely eating by my many critters).   <agreed... this is a severe water quality issue or predation. Perhaps a large inconspicuous flatworm nearby> The last polyp that died was in the front, so I could see it much better than the other two.  In addition to the shriveling, the tissue looked as if it was tearing away from the skeleton.  I did not notice this on the others, but this may have been caused by the fact that this polyp was also in a slightly higher water flow area. <interesting... have you checked magnesium levels? Do you use/abuse liquid or turbo calcium (awful stuff... chloride accumulation)... or do you use buffers with borate heavy handedly (maintains ALK but weak for coral use)>> 2.  I have 0 ammonia, 0 nitrites, and < 10 nitrates.  My calcium is at 410, my dKH is at 9.5, and my pH is at 8.3. No complaints here> 3.  I have 1 Ocellaris clown, one Hippo Tang, and one Scott's Velvet Wrasse. <no conspicuous risks here> It's interesting that you brought up the predation.  I did find two brown Mithrax crabs.   <Doh! If you don't have Atlantic live rock, they weren't Mithrax  crabs (Mithraculus)! And most all crabs including true Mithrax can be predatory... strong candidates here> I was able to get them out of the tank last night.  They seemed too small to do any damage, <heehee...> but maybe that's what was killing my coral. Thanks again. <very possible. Anthony>

Anchor Coral Problem Dear Mr. Fenner I have a question regarding an anchor coral I recently purchased. I bought it about a week ago and now it appears to be dissolving. I have tested my water parameters and they're all perfect (PH, Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrate, and Calcium). When I first bought it I put it near the top of the tank because I was told this coral needed strong lighting. I have 4 55w power compacts 2 are 10k whites and 2 are actinic blues. I was also told this coral didn't like strong current. So I put it between two rocks and not directly in the way of any power heads. Since the purchase I have been feeding my tank Kent Marines Phytoplex and Coral Accel about 2ml of each every day. The coral seems to be dissolving at the ends and working their way in towards the middle, even though the middle looks pretty healthy. My system is only about a 2 months old but has been cycled for about a month now. I have a green star polyp that is doing incredibly well. Any insight you might have would be greatly appreciated and thank you in advance for your guidance and wisdom. Thang Nguyen <Perhaps too much light, too soon... and this animal's genus (Euphyllia) do appreciate considerable water movement... and perhaps a negative biochemical reaction with your established polyps... but much more likely what you're seeing/evidencing is the repercussions of "collecting, shipping shock"... and perhaps secondary microbial involvement. Please read over the family Caryophylliidae section on the site: www.wetwebmedia.com and do consider applying the malachite green dip remedy detailed there... this may be the only thing to arrest the dissolving at this point. Bob Fenner>

Bubble problems.. <cheers, Brett> Hello Wet Web Staff, >  I have a problem with a Plerogyra sinuosa. It was doing great for a period of a year or so. It has been a gracious host to a clown fish for all of that time. <ouch... Scleractinia hosting clowns usually means trouble for the coral. Repetitive and unnatural abrasion of soft tissue against its own skeleton from the guest (clown). Wounds and tissue recession are inevitable in time> From readings on your site I found that I haven't been feeding it enough, but it was being fed periodically cut pieces of whole shrimp. <yes... please do feed minced (smaller pieces) several times weekly for the coral doesn't consume itself (attrition) in time> It also always gets floating brine shrimp that go uneaten by its finned tankmates. <Hmmm... adult brine? Very hollow food (almost no nutrition here... animals starve to death on this.). Try Mysis shrimp instead. Many other possibilities too... Gammarus, Pacifica plankton... anything but brine shrimp!> My problem is within the past week the bubbles are separating from the base. <not good indeed> The coral still balloons and otherwise looks normal. It's just that half of it is free from the stony base. What's your prognosis?   <it can survive... will take a few months... the clown must be removed and food particles have to be 1/4 or smaller (tiny) to prevent internal damage> I'm hoping maybe this is normal, however, I'm doubtful since I see no other queries stating this type of problem. <correct, my friend... it is not a good sign at all.> Tank chemistry parameters show no anomalies in any readings and are all within ranges that are considered healthy. The tank has been running for years with no real changes in chemistry. Lighting is 4 96 watt pc. bulbs two actinic two bright, running 12 hours a day.  The specimen is located about 12" below the surface, midway up a live rock wall and has never been moved. <all good as per above... must have been starvation or abrasion from the clownfish> Thanks for your time. Brett <best regards, Anthony>