Need help with sick Australomussa    6/17/12 Hello, <Tyler> I have a problem with my Australomussa that I have never seen before in one of my corals.  I have had this Australomussa for about a month. It is in a 50 gallon breeder with 4 39 watt t5 bulbs, and I placed this coral on some rubble at the bottom of the tank lower flow area. <Mmm, likely better "a little up" nearer the light, placed on rock; away from other Cnidarians>  It was healthy when I received it, and it was eating.  I think that I went wrong by placing it near the mushroom corals that my clowns host. >Ah yes... needs to be away>  They kept flicking sand on it and this apparently aggravated the coral quite a bit. <And allelopathy... chemical...>   I think that this was the issue rather than water quality.  The other corals in the tank are doing fine.  The mouth on this coral is showing the skeleton and has receded to the point that it no longer appears to have a mouth.  It also has a very sunken appearance.  I have since moved it to a calmer area and have been feeding it oyster eggs every day.  I have been doing this for a few days but have not seen any change yet.  Is there anything else I can do to save this coral? <Perhaps a bit (more) iodide/ate, slightly lowered spg, a bit of simple (hexose) sugar... Search re stony coral, Mussid Health on WWM>  Is it possible for this coral to regenerate a new mouth? <Ah yes>  I have never seen this happen to coral before.  Thank you very much for your time.  Tyler <Welcome. Bob Fenner>

Re: Need help with sick Australomussa    6/18/12 Thank you so much for taking the time to help me.  You saved the day! Tyler <Happy to assist your efforts. BobF>

Unknown LPS disease! 5/28/12 Hello WWM! <Cass> Having some major issues and would be very grateful if you could offer some information or solutions.. details below... all of my LPS in my nano are melting away in a particularly weird way. They start out with displaying their stinger tentacles in mass all at once then a few days later progress to mush... It appears to be a lot different the brown jelly though. <The given name for this condition...> This happened right after i setup the nano, so i took it down and started over thinking i had some kind of pathogen. I cycled tank, cooked rock, added new sand..etc. . put in some tester corals and all seemed well. Ordered some Acans.. and a few days later two colonies are doing the same exact thing. Other colonies are completely unaffected. However the last time they were hit one by one and all eventually died. All param.s are spot on. 78 Deg, dKH 8 sg 1.026 ca 420 mg 1350. p04 is undetectable. No ammonia, or nitrate either. Any soft coral varieties seem to be unaffected. Fish/inverts are also fine. ORP, ph, temp, photo period all stable/consistent as well. Pictures are below.. they show how it starts out and what is progresses too. Also dipping just finishes them off completely - so that's not an option. I tried Lugol's, revive and others all to the same effect. Any ideas what is going on here? I was thinking some kind of contaminate but have done my best to rule that out by tearing down the tank and starting over. I switched salt, changed ro/di, food, cooked rock, new sand, not dosing anything, new carbon and gac.. basically new everything except a new tank (which was cleaned very well)! Thank you for your advice and happy Memorial Day! Cassidy <Likely a simple example of allelopathy (see WWM re)... a bane of too-small volumes w/ too many disparate Cnidarians present... I'd keep changing water, add an over dose of iodide-ate, a teaspoon of a hexose of your choice and reduce the spg. by a thousandth... In the longer haul, you need more volume at least. Bob Fenner>

Re: Unknown LPS disease!     5/28/12 Thank you for the quick reply. The tank is primarily Acan lords. There are a few stalks of Duncans, Zoas, <Most likely candidate for toxicity> and palm tree corals. Will Acans lords compete with other Acans? <Not much, no> Always though the same species would live happily in close proximity. I planned it to be an Acan tank. Also not familiar with hexose? <Six ringed sugars... use the Net> Any suggestions on what to purchase? <All sorts> Thank you, Cassidy <Welcome. BobF>

Scolymia, Hlth., reading 2/15/11
<... where is your grammar Dan?>
dear crew
i received a Scolymia about 2 months ago. when i got it , it was about 12inch in diameter when full expanded.
<Wow!>
a couple of days ago it started to retract . it now only covers its hard skeleton. i did a water change once i noticed it retracting, and I'm in the process of doing another one. all my other corals LPS
<These are likely at play.... Allelopathy>
and Clam are doing fine, fish as well. here are my parameters,
Ca 420
Alk 177 ppm
Mg 1300
1.025 salinity
NO3 - 0
<Need some>
PO4 -.05
any thought on whats going on or how to fix the problem? is it normal for a Scolymia to through cycles of expanding and retracting during the day?
thanks in advance
Dan
<Read here: http://wetwebmedia.com/MussidDisF4.htm
and the linked files above, and: http://wetwebmedia.com/cnidcompppt.htm
and... Bob Fenner>
Re: Scolymia- 2/16/11
Thank you for the information. If it is chemical warfare that is causing the Scolymia to retract which one of these corals is a possible culprit?
<Yes>
Favia, Xenia, Ricordea, pink BTA, green BTA, frog spawn, various Zoanthids.
Other then running carbon filtration, doing water changes and removing the suspect coral is there anything else I can do?
<... read where you were referred to. The best would be to remove the Mussid to another system, "condition" it to the presence of the other Cnidarians through partial water changes for weeks>
I don't think it could be the Zoanthids as most of them came from the same tank as the Scolymia.
Any help would greatly be appreciated,
with thanks
Dan
<Keep reading. BobF>
Re: Scolymia- 2/16/11
oh yeah I also have some green star polyps
<... also high on the "noxious" list. B>

Invertebrate ID and Bleaching 5/27/2009 Hey, I have another favor to ask of you, <Hi Darren.> I bought another coral over the past week and I have a concern with it. It was told to me it was a Large polyp stony, called a pineapple or Favia species of coral, <Hmm, it is a Brain or Pineapple coral, family Mussidae. More information here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/mussidae.htm > a search of a few websites seems to confirm this, but the LFS told me that it likes pretty intense lighting from metal halide, <Depends on the species.> so I placed it on top of my display tank near the light I have, a Solaris 14inch LED fixture, which again to me seems as bright as at least a 250 watt metal halide, and the concern I have is that it seems to be bleaching, especially the reddish brown raised portion of the coral, <Likely so.> the green "eyes" don't seem to be affected as much yet, but the coral in general doesn't seem to be as colorful and full of life as it was in the store tank, and they had it in a large metal halide lit tank. <May have been under metal halides, but still a lot of variables, hold old were the bulbs, water clarity, etc.> I acclimated the coral very slowly and the parameters of my tank are what I think pretty pristine, so I ask of you your expertise on if I should re-locate this new coral to a lower more shaded area, or let it recover from whatever it is that it doesn't seem to like about my tank? <Definitely get it lower in the tank, near the bottom, and start working it up over the course of a couple of weeks until you find a spot it seems to be happiest. You can do some supplemental feeding to help overcome the bleaching.> Thanks in advance for your help.... <My pleasure> Darren <MikeV> Re: pH problems - Favia bleaching 5-27-09 Hey, I have another favor to ask of you, I bought another coral over the past week and I have a concern with it. It was told to me it was a Large polyp stony, called a pineapple or Favia species of coral, a search of a few websites seems to confirm this, but the LFS told me that it likes pretty intense lighting from metal halide, so I placed it on top of my display tank near the light I have, a Solaris 14inch LED fixture, which again to me seems as bright as at least a 250 watt metal halide, and the concern I have is that it seems to be bleaching, especially the reddish brown raised portion of the coral, the green "eyes" don't seem to be affected as much yet, but the coral in general doesn't seem to be as colorful and full of life as it was in the store tank, and they had it in a large metal halide lit tank. I acclimated the coral very slowly and the parameters of my tank are what I think pretty pristine, so I ask of you your expertise on if I should re-locate this new coral to a lower more shaded area, or let it recover from whatever it is that it doesn't seem to like about my tank? Thanks in advance for your help....Darren I'm attaching 2 pics of the coral. <Hi Darren, not to step into what Mike has already done with you. I noticed that you have another coral in close proximity to this one. Two things immediately come to mind. First, you say you think your lights are equal to a metal halide but is easy to get the exact specs on them and compare to be sure. Second, did they have them under 100's or 250's or what kind of halide because that makes a difference as well. And finally, Okay yeah I have three points not two, I think that you may have issues with the other coral stinging this Favia. I would suggest moving it or the other a bit farther apart.>

Maintenance and Water Quality Issues in a 14g BioCube -- 05/01/09
Hi Eric,
<<Hi Beth>>
Just got back in town the other day and Holy Sick Aquarium Batman!!
<<Uh-oh!>>
I really do have to join a local aquarium club for some support when I have to leave town.
<<Doing so 'and gaining the 'local' support and advice of others sharing your passion can be a real boon>>
Believe it or not, the Sea Pen is the only thing that has done well in my absence. The tank has a horrible red algae bloom, my Xenia was torn in half, my hermit crab decided that he liked the shell that the Xenia was partially attached to and made it his new home. The Xenia does not look like it's going to make it. My frogspawn, candy coral, Ricordea and doughnut coral all look deflated and stressed. I lost one of my feather dusters and all of my mushroom anemones.
<<Does sound like things have taken a serious downturn>>
The feather dusters are connected together and I haven't seen one of them emerge from his tube. Another one decided that he didn't like his tube and is now sharing a tube with another one. Do I just leave the empty tubes alone?
<<I would'¦ Trying to remove it will likely just cause more undue stress 'possible physical harm>>
The protein skimmer and the well it sits in smelled horrible. I removed the skimmer and thoroughly cleaned it with hot water and toothbrush. I also siphoned the debris at the bottom of the well that contains the protein skimmer.
<<A good move>>
I did a 25% water change the first day and I siphoned out all of the red algae that I could reach.
<<Another good strategy 'and the siphoning will probably need to be repeated periodically>>
I added Kent Marine Nano Reef supplements A and B.
<<I would not add 'anything' until you get the tank back in 'balance''¦ And this will best be done through frequent partial water changes 'say 25% twice a week for two weeks 'and then reevaluate at that time>>
I also turned on my extra powerhead to boost circulation and prevent the red algae from coming back.
<<It will come back for now 'but the extra circulation is another good move>>
I normally do not run the extra powerhead because I only have a 14g BioCube and my frogspawn and doughnut do not seem to like the extra current.
<<I see'¦ Keeping a noxious mix of corals is often more complicated in such small volumes 'but does make water changes easy, and is the single best way to keep up with water quality>>
I tested the parameters of water and readings are good except for nitrates. So I performed a 10% water change on the second day. Nitrate came down from 50ppm to 35ppm.
<<This is likely a large part of your issues here. I would strive to get this reading below 5ppm (you should step up the water changes)>>
The corals have dramatically improved in appearance.
<<And should continue to do so 'just keep bringing down that Nitrate reading>>
However the doughnuts mouth is wide open and my pipe coral is not coming out.
<<May be a delayed recovery 'or maybe these have been more seriously damaged>>
My Firefish is acting kind of weird, he is normally very shy, but as I type, he is swimming in place at the center of the tank. Kind of like riding the current. I think those are all the problems that I have encountered so far. I look forward to any helpful suggestions.
Thanks again,
Beth
<<Water changes, water changes, water changes'¦ Be chatting'¦ EricR>>
Re: Maintenance and Water Quality Issues in a 14g BioCube -- 05/01/09
Hi Eric,
<<Hey Beth>>
So sorry to bother you again.
<<No bother my friend>>
I had to ask another question about my doughnut coral.
<<Okay>>
He seemed to be doing alright. He was my newest addition to the tank, about 3 weeks ago, and never seemed to be fully expanded or symmetrical. Today he was symmetrical as well as expanded. His mouth finally closed somewhat but a few minutes ago he let go of his footing.
<<Lost footing? As in became 'detached' from its skeleton? Not good'¦>>
I currently have placed him in the sand with a shell weighing him down so he does not float behind the rocks. Doughnut know what to do.
Thanks
Beth
<<In my experience, large polyped corals such as this never recover/reattach to the skeleton 'is but a matter of time I'm afraid. EricR>>
R2: Maintenance and Water Quality Issues in a 14g BioCube -- 05/01/09
Eric,
<<Beth>>
Sorry, should revise previous email. The doughnut has separated from its skeleton.
<<Ah yes 'did surmise such, but thank you for clarifying. EricR>>
R4: Maintenance and Water Quality Issues in a 14g BioCube -- 05/03/09
Good Morning Eric,
<<Hello Beth>>
Thanks for confirmation on actions taken in response to Operation Death Tank.
<<Quite welcome>>
I will hold off on additional supplements until the tank is healthy again.
<<Excellent 'is best>>
A question about more aggressive action.
<<Okay>>
I have another salt water tank that was set up at the same time as my BioCube. I only stock live rock in this aquarium with no base substrate. Some people collect spoons or marbles, I collect live rock. Okay..... I collect spoons, marbles and live rock.
<<Ha!>>
Should I transfer corals over to my live rock tank with the exception of my chili, Featherduster and sea pen in order to clean the wells of my BioCube?
<<Might not hurt to do so with the stonies>>
I know that the wells are very slimy from the dead mushrooms and a good cleaning could possibly improve my nitrate levels more quickly than water changes alone.
<<Yes 'no doubt>>
Also, until the nitrate level has been reduced, what volume of water do you recommend for water changes and how often should it be done.
<<A couple 50% changes a day apart should show some significant improvement 'done in conjunction with the 'cleanings' you mention>>
Could you describe to me how the doughnut forms his skeleton?
<<I'm guessing by 'doughnut' you have Cynarina lacrymalis'¦ This coral forms/grows its skeleton as any other hard or 'stony' coral does 'through the extraction of bio-minerals from the surrounding water. If you're interested in the science of it, you may find more info with a good search of the web 'or you can visit a local college library>>
and the relationship between the skeleton and coral?
<<Mmm, I would describe this as 'necessary for life'>>
How does the skeleton keep him alive?
<<By providing an anchor, support, and protection for the polyp 'and possibly an avenue for nutrient distribution>>
Is it like the relationship between fetus and mother?
<<More like flower petal and receptacle (the attachment point of the petal), I think>>
An umbilical cord where there is a transfer of nutrients?
<<Not to the same extent 'if at all>>
Or does the skeleton act only as a support for the doughnut?
<<Not so simplistic 'but does provide 'support'>>
If it acts as a support only and nutrients will not be lost due to the separation, could the doughnut be reattached to the skeleton manually?
<<I have never seen this work>>
Would puncturing the doughnut with a needle kill it and could he heal around a suture?
<<I have seen this done with some of the so-called 'leather' corals (Toadstool, etc.), but I wouldn't recommend this procedure for a large-polyped coral such as this. Your water quality issues were the cause of the polyp bail-out'¦ Addressing these will certainly benefit the remaining corals/any future additions. You could try a few spots of superglue in an attempt to hold the polyp in place in hopes that it will reattach to its skeleton on its own 'but I do fear/expect that the Cynarina is lost>>
Thanks Again,
Beth
<<Happy to share. Eric Russell>>

Cynarina lacrymalis question -02/07/08 Greetings! I was hoping that you could help me with what is, I believe, a donut coral, as I have not been successful in locating much information on the Internet. I acquired this fellow, a relatively large donut about 4-5" across and green in colour, from a fellow hobbyist about three weeks ago. He told me that he did not feed the coral, <<Needs to be fed. RMF>> but that it had once eaten a (dead) fish. It seemed to be doing well in his tank, also. It looked great in my tank for many days - reacting to proffered foods (Mysis, brine shrimp, as well as Cyclop-Eeze and various other foods), swelling at certain times of the day, etc. Today, however, he sort of shriveled up, and his mouth is gaping, and I am not sure what the problem is. I have an established 28 gallon tank, over 30lbs live rock. 4 x 24W T5HO lighting, good flow, but no direct flow to his area. I do not have a skimmer, but have ordered a Prizm Pro. I have a modified AquaClear HOB filter/refugium. The tank has many Zoas, candy canes, clove polyps, Palys, brown star polyp, and a leather coral or two. I have a watchman goby, a Randall's goby, and a pair of false percula clowns. I feed roughly every other day, and do a 15% water change every 5 to 7 days. I had a temperature drop from 80F to 75F over the course of the day today (from about 1 am to 6 pm), which is the only thing I can think of, that could be the cause of his ill health. <I wouldn't worry about it unless the condition persists. It might just be expelling waste.> Any guidance would be much appreciated. Thank you very much, Zoe Stevens <De nada, Sara M.>

Re: Brains in a Nano cont.   3/28/06   Dear Mr. Fenner,          In my last email I sent to the  WWM email. I told you about how I never received a reply when I had sent  pictures with the email. You directed me to send it to your personal  email. <Yes, thank you for this>      In a previous email I told you about my  Lobophyllia and some odd behavior. As I said before it I am not sure if this is  just natural or a problem. Other than the odd behavior and some recession it is  doing well. <I see this here> As I mentioned before with the recession it was there either when I  bought it 4 months ago or shortly afterwards. The recession does not appear to  have gotten much worse, but not better.      Below are pictures of the lobo in it's 3 forms (not  really the right word). When it is in it's extra expanded state, it's "normal"  state (meaning what it looks like most of the time.) and when it will pull in  most of it's tissue. The behavior has no pattern and varies from day to day.  On most days it will look normal all day, on other days it will go into the  pulling in it's tissue form. It does usually do it in the afternoon and will  stay like that for a few hours. It is rarely in it's extra expanded state,  usually once or twice a week. ( it only stays like that for a few hours then  will usually go into the normal state) The fluctuations seems entirely unrelated  to feeding or water changes or anything else. Bye the way how often should I  feed it? <A few times a week with meaty foods... Please see here: http://wetwebmedia.com/mussidfdgfaqs.htm> I was thinking 3 times a week. (Or is that too often.) Order of picture is as follows: 1. Extra Expanded 2. Recession Extra Expanded (have moved the rock with red algae on it since picture) 3. Recession Normal 4. Normal 5. Recession Closed Up 6. Closed Up 7. Full View of Tank. (Daisy Polyps are closed up because I took the picture in after 8 P.M. just when they like to close up for the night, not a  great picture of the tank either. The flash washed everything out, but it gives an accurate representation of the tank.) Thank you for your help and time, (sorry if the pictures took a long time to load) MDM <Likely this tank is doing about as well as it can under your good care. The keeping of multiple species, families, orders of cnidarians in small volumes is problematical. Put another way, your "margin of error" increases with increasing system size all else being equal. Bob Fenner>