DendroDisFAQs

FAQs about Dendrophylliid Coral Disease/Health

Related Articles: Coral Pests and Disease; pests, predators, diseases and conditions by Sara Mavinkurve, Dendrophylliid Corals,

Balanophyllia hiding 7/19/18
Hi Crew!
<Hi Dani>
I rebooted my tank about 4 months ago, kept most liverock, rinsed sand bed, added some new rock, and slowly restocked corals.
<Great>
I picked up a Balanophyllia which was opened at the store with their daylights on. I acclimated it for about 3 hours, dripped acclimated, bathed in revive, and placed mid-low level with mid-low flow.
It neither ate for almost a week nor extended any tentacles. I tried pellets, Mysis, and a slurry of zooplankton even—nothing. It seemed to actually slime off the food. So I tried a larger food like krill and shredded a piece, and laid it on the balano. The first time it slowly—over like 20 minutes—but definitely ate it.
<Try foods like live or defrosted brine shrimp, Mysis shrimp, and other similar sized prey. Soaking the food in a vitamin supplement can help to ensure your coral gets plenty of nutrients; you need to feed it at least once a day, if needed use a turkey baster to target the food directly on the Balano without touching it or it may not open/eat, turn off your pumps several minutes during feeding so the food does not go elsewhere. >
So everyday I have been carefully feeding it the shredded piece of krill. Seems to get a tiny bit faster eating each day. It pops like one tiny tentacle out now at random times but that’s it. Do you think it is still settling in or should I be concerned?
<As long as it is not bleaching out, you are fine here, do bear in mind this is a difficult species to keep in captivity, it is not photosynthetic, so, as stated it needs to be fed regularly.>
Tank is a JBJ 28,
LED 89w par intensity up to 700
2 returns @ 266 gal each
1k icecap gyre at 80% power (800 gph set at random mode, alternating flow, and pulse [this thing is fantastic])
SG 1.025
Am 0
Nitrite 0
Nitrate <5
Alk 12
Calcium 460
Mag 1440
I feed tank everyday except water change day—2 days frozen fish eggs/Mysis and a dose of zooplankton, the rest of the days pellets, and finally balano gets it’s piece of krill.
I do a 25% water change weekly.
<A 10% water change weekly will be enough, less stressful and will replenish needed additives and trace elements.>
My sandbed seems to get dirty though even with my Nassarius snails going through it so sticking to weekly at the moment. Hoping it may stabilize where I can do biweekly one day, want to ensure my sps and lps get more of a chance to absorb some food from water column.
Thank you for any feedback!
<You are welcome. Wilberth>
Dani

Re: Balanophyllia hiding 7/26/18
Happy to report that after getting it to eat more, the balano now comes out and not just at night but during the day lighting too! ☺️
<Great! I can see that in this very nice picture>
One question on your response though that has had me really pondering—why only a 10% weekly water change?
<10% weekly is enough to keep balance without disturbing tank inhabitants and the biofilter, “Old water” with parameters at nontoxic/safe levels is what you should aim for.>
Pardon my ignorance, is it not better to remove as much organics possible with each change or maybe that’s not such a concern because my tank is more balanced now?
<As you said, it’s not a major concern on balanced systems, just keep good maintenance practices and avoid overstocking and overfeeding>
I definitely don’t want to be stressing my aquatic friends and in fact I’d love to cut down to maybe a larger change every other week? Or is it better with smaller changes every week? Just curious about the logic to this if you could please share.
<Always better to do small frequent changes, just don´t skip them>
Dani
<Wilberth>

Dendro Skin Receding 1/21/17
Hello WWM Crew,
<Howsit Eric?>
I have a Dendro colony and a handful of frags that came from the colony. I noticed in the last year or so the skin of the Dendros have been very slowly receding from the base towards the head. On a few of the frags the skin will recede and leave a baby head behind.
<Evidence of (too much) stress>
No heads have died, the tentacles are always fully extended, and they always eat when I feed them about once a week.
<Boing! Make that once a day>
Is the skin receding normal?
<Nope>
Attached is a picture of a few frags that have the skin receding but also seem to be growing the skeleton taller.
Thanks,
Eric
<Do you dose Iodide-ate? I would once a week; during regular maintenance.
Bob Fenner

Duncan coral flash damage... flesh? Decapods 5/1/16
Hi first I would like to say thank you for the great information that you provide, I am new to saltwater and all that goes with it and I get a wealth of information from you.
<Thanks from the crew.>
I have two emerald crabs that are feasting on my corals I have tried feeding them more so they will not munch on the coral but their appetites seem endless so with that said I have caught them and they are jailed in my tank until my LFS opens today in which they will be returned and hopefully sold to someone that can appreciate them for what they are.
<Crabs in general are opportunistic little beasts who will go for almost anything they can (shred) and fit into their mouths. That said they are fascinating in their own right and worthwhile. Just be sure you know what you are getting into, but certain kinds have particular uses as anti-algae weapons vs. "bubble" algae and so on, as you will no doubt have read on WWM. Generally untrustworthy however.)
The emeralds have eaten a good bit of flesh off the base of my Duncan coral, will the flesh grow back?
<A healthy colony should have little trouble recovering from non-catastrophic damage. They are surprisingly resilient although there are no guarantees. I wouldn't lose sleep.>
should I dip it in coral RX or Iodine mix to prevent infection or should I just leave it alone and see what happens. Thank you again for the great service that you provide.
Tonya
<I'd watch it, leave it alone, and see how it progresses before moving onto disruptive treatments. If it seems to be going downhill (melting, discoloration) then the dip might be worth looking into. A "wait and see" approach would be my approach...should recover fine, just monitor it, keep things clean in the system, keep it fed. Some target-fed meaty foods will be appreciated. -Earl>
Re: Duncan coral flash damage 5/2/16
Thank you so much Earl for the information and your quick response, I will take your advise and just keep an eye on it and I will feed it well when it opens back up. I did enjoy the emeralds prior to them eating my Duncan (one of my favorites) but I do still have snails and hermits and I will try an emerald again at a later date. Thanks again
<No problem, just bear in mind that the emerald in the same tank is likely to do the same thing. I would try it out in a different tank, or maybe in an algae refugium.>
Re: Duncan coral flesh damage; plus notes on dips f' 6/23/16
Hi Earl,
You were kind enough to help me with a problem I was have with my Duncan coral and I am happy to say it has fully recovered so thank you for that:)
<Good to hear and you're welcome.>
I have been reading on wet web the last 3 nights about dip/baths because I would like to do a freshwater/Methylene blue dip on some new fish that I got and I feel I completely understand the process other than the type of fresh water to use, I am confused about weather you would use RO/DI or dechlorinated tape water as the fresh water, I know that you should match the PH and temp but which of the two water sources is best.
<Full disclosure: first time I did a freshwater dip back in the day (decade+) I overlooked the pH bit and it was a bad experience, although the fish lived with us for 9 years. My point being, you're on target and have read carefully. I would just use whatever water you normally use. Match temp etc. to the destination environment not the transport/store water. Dechlorinated tapwater is what I use though RO/DI is fine. Oxygenation is also a big *must*...just a plain old "bubbler" airstone or powerhead aimed up top is plenty. Only other tip I can give you is that dips will sometimes freak the fish out and panic ensues, 911 and Homeland Security are called, possibly whoever it is they send to fight off Godzilla. Using a dark-sided container (or just the usual trusty empty salt mix bucket we all have a heap of with a dark towel wrapped around it) will calm things down a bit but sometimes they will try to jump right out so be ready just in case. If you see too much distress, end the process. EZ PZ!>
Thank you so much for your time.

Duncan Decline 4/3/16
I am a huge fan of your site. Luckily I haven't had any pressing issue to write about recently, until now. My 65 gallon reef has a, small and cautiously placed, mix of lps frags, xenia,
<Do see WWM re Xeniid compatibility...>
derasa clam, many motile invertebrates. My most prized inhabitant, an 8 headed green Duncan coral is not well. Overnight 3 of the heads have begun to disintegrate, so sad my favorite coral. It appears to be rtn which as I research appears to be mainly the term to describe the condition but not the cause.
<Yes; tis so... akin to human "colds">
There haven't been any changes to the tank and no other corals seem affected, yet. Are there any steps I can take to isolate the damage?
<Yes. See below>
Should I even try to frag the Duncan?

Can brown jelly disease spontaneously occur?
<Mmm; yes>
Or should I be in search of some underlying environmental cause?
<Mostly this>
I tend to maybe underfeed the tank to limit the nutrient content, could this ever be a reaction to hunger?
<Only partly>
The tank is newer at about 10 months but with no recent (5 months) additions. The tank specifics are 0 ammonia or nitrite, 10 ppm nitrate, 8.5 alkalinity, 400 calcium, 1.025 salinity, 78 degrees F. I will continue to read as I eagerly await your response. Thanks so much. The tank lights haven't come on yet so no picture but I will forward one if you think it might offer some assistance after 8:30 am?
<I would either move the Duncan elsewhere (best) to a suitable environment, OR remove a good deal of the Xenia (read first... the comp. FAQs; AND utilize a good deal of GAC (carbon) and PolyFilter in your filter flow path. Your Dendrophylliid may have other issues.... I would also triple dose w/ iodide-ate... every three days. Bob Fenner>

Dendrophyllia Predator? 6/1/15
Good Morning,
<Buenos dias Aaron>
Over the course of several months, I have become suspicious and increasingly convinced that I have a hitchhiker that feeds exclusively or nearly exclusively on Dendron's and potentially sun coral. Typically, tissue is eaten from the top of otherwise healthy polyps, and then one morning, the center will have been consumed, leaving small amounts of tissue on the sides. Occasionally, the skeleton leading to the center of the coral will be bored out to roughly the size of a pea.
<A good clue>
I've occasionally seen things dart back into my Tubastrea colonies, but these could simply be amphipods. This morning, I watched my mystery wrasse eat something off a brand new Dendro, when I investigated more closely, I found that tissue had been consumed.
My aquarium is a mixed reef with numerous colonies of SPS, LPS, soft, and NPS corals. I have not witnessed any evidence of predation of any coral colony save the Dendron's and potentially the Tubastrea. Please note these are sudden developments, not gradual wasting from lack of food.
I appreciate any help you can provide!
Regards,
Aaron
<Well; could be quite a few groups as predators here.... a snail notably (see WWM re Tubastrea); worms of various sorts, fishes (though they mainly feed on compromised specimens), various crustaceans... Keep an eye out w/ a camera that has a good lens... and send along some pix. Bob Fenner>

Trumpet coral 6/11/14
Would there be any reason my green trumpet coral is getting purple spots on it?
<Quite a few possibilities... algae et al growth, nutritional deficiencies... Have you read re Dendrophylliids on WWM?>
Could it be sting spots from a neighboring frogspawn type coral?
<Yes. Bob Fenner>

Saving dying Duncan? 8/8/12
Hello WWM...my name is Melissa and I have used this site extensively over the past few months since first starting this incredible new hobby. So first of all, I have a 29 gal Bio cube that I bought from a friend, who had it running for just over a year. Im pretty sure I've overstocked in my excitement, but now I have 2 ocellaris clowns ( 1 came with the tank, the other we got as a baby and the original immediately adopted it!) A 3 stripe damsel, yellow tail damsel,1 red fire fish, 1 scooter blenny ( dragonet?),
<Yes; both common names apply to the same fish/es>
1 cleaner shrimp, a couple snails and 4-5 small brittle stars. Corals: 1 long tentacle plate, 1 branching hammer, few different mushrooms, clove polyps, button polyps, green star polyps, pagoda, small open brain, ( was attached to a piece of lr I bought!) And last of all, my Duncan coral which is the topic of my question. We got it with 3 heads and it now has 4 baby heads. Was doing wonderful until we began experiencing water quality issues. Nitrates went up to 80 ppm,
<Wowzah!>
now at 10 ppm. Ammonia has ranged between 0- .25 ppm, nitrite 0. Ph continued to read on the low side, around 7.8. We added buffer and purchased an alkalinity test and my alk was very low. KH was 3.8 and Alkalinity was 1.36. We added alkaline buffer which brought us up to KH 8.9 and alkaline 3.19. First question is could the alkalinity have caused the declining health of my Duncan,
<Yes; as could the high NO3, allelopathy (in part stimulated by the varying water quality) w/ some of the other "more aggressive" corals you have here>
which first the tentacles went from long and thin, to short, fat and stubby. Next, some of them remained short and fat, while others looked flat and deflated. We noticed that the skin on the trunk was peeling and now the heads are pulling off the skeleton. I'd rather not remove it until all hope is lost, but my next question is, can the baby heads be saved, considering that they still appear healthy?
<Yes>
Their trunks are only a couple millimeters long. Should I try to cut them off and glue them to a rock?

And if so, can the trunks grow longer once they've been cut from the original colony?
<They can>
Any advice would be greatly appreciated, I hate to lose the whole colony.
Thanks in advance, Melissa
<Please read here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/dendrodisfaqs.htm
and the linked files embedded where you find them. Bob Fenner>

Duncan coral help please 4/15/12
Hi
<Hello Liam>
Im having problems with my Duncan corals. I picked up these two fairly big colonies roughly two weeks ago (see picture attached).
Do you have any ideas why they are in this state? Fairly lowish flow area in tank. Not too high lighting area.
<Duncan (Duncanopsammia) corals can adapt to most any lighting providing correct wavelengths are present.>
Being fed a mix of Calanus pellets, Mysis flake, Mysis shrimp, brine shrimp and lobster eggs.
<Try holding off on feedings for a week.>
Test results are pH 8.4, Ammonia 0.001,
<Should read zero if your test kit is reading correctly.>
Nitrite 0, Nitrate 0.25, Phosphate 0.05, KH 12, SG 1.024.
Under 6 t5 bulbs, 2 Resun 1500 pumps, 1 newave 4000lph. AquaMedic Turboflotor 1000multi sl, TMC compact 300 calcium reactor. Tank holds 500 litres ish with a 3ft sump.
I'm pretty sure I'm doing nothing wrong. Any ideas? I don't want to lose them as they are stunning corals normally.
<Mmm, any Euphylliids or Leather Corals present and near the Duncan Coral?
May be some physical or chemical warfare going on here.>
Thanks in advance.
<You're welcome. James (Salty Dog)>
Liam

Re Duncan coral help please 4/28/12
Hello again, Thank you for your help with the Duncan coral a couple of weeks ago.
<Hello Liam, and you're welcome.>
I have attempted what you had suggested, by holding off the feeding for a week or so. Unfortunately, they are still not opening anywhere near what they should be.
I have removed a couple of leather corals that I was planning on moving out anyway and they are no where near my Euphyllia corals. I get the Ammonia at 0.001 as I use a Seneye reef testing dongle. I have double checked with an
API drop test at home and a Salifert test kit in work and they both give me a 0 reading. I have struggled to keep hard corals for a long long time now, and can not figure out why. Please help in anyway you can. I am tearing my hear out trying to keep hard corals alive, sps in particular.
<First off, the Duncan Coral (Duncanopsammia axifuga) is not a stony coral <<? It is indeed... a Dendrophylliid. RMF>>and this coral prefers to attach to solid objects in soft, sandy areas. Not in the sand mind you but on solid objects on the sand bed. Under optimal water and lighting conditions they readily propagate and generally form a continuous mat of tentacles that conceal the overall shape of the
underlying colony. If your coral is on a frag plug, carefully cut away unneeded material from the plug and super glue (gel type super glue) to a rock near the substrate, preferably in a lower flow area. Learn more about this large family of corals here.
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/dendrophylliidae.htm
And do read here.
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/corllgtg.htm
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/growingcorals.htm>
Thanks again.
<You're welcome. James (Salty Dog)>
Liam

Duncan Coral heads popping off 8/15/11
Hello, I tried searching both WWM and the internet but really not finding any information.
<Ok...>
About 4-5 months ago I purchased some frags of Australian Duncans. It was 6 heads that were actually fragged into a 4 head and 2 head frags.
Since, I brought them home, I notice that there had been zero growth and that I had lost a few heads leaving just a crater in the tube that the head attaches to. I thought something was eating them.
<Mmmm>
I moved them around and spot feed and had really seen the heads grow nice and bug and fat, but still not producing any new growth.
<What is near this Dendrophylliid? In the same system?>
Well two days ago I noticed that the four headed frag was down to two heads, At first I again thought something was getting them but this morning, I noticed that the head was just popping off all by itself.
When I turned the lights on the heads were closed as normal and as they came out one of them just popped off slowly. that head and the one I lost the other day I noticed just floating around the tank.
I am wondering what might be happening to my Duncans?
<... what you describe... Need more, useful information. Particularly list of tankmates>
All other coral in my tank are happy and healthy and have no signs of trouble. I checked to make sure no other coral was touching or could touch the Duncan with tentacles.
<Don't have to touch>
I had just had a complete water check done at the LFS all was good.
<... data, not opinions>
I am running a 29g and a 10g, 29g had the 4 head and the 10g had the 2 head. I noticed this happen in 10g first.
<These small systems are problematical... too hard to keep optimized, stable>
With tank size, I do water changes weekly and change filters often.
I have a normal clean up crew consisting of snails, blue leg and scarlet hermits
<Not a fan>
In the 29g I have a clown, 2 Chromis, 2 Banggai cardinals and a scooter blenny 10g is a bow tie damsel and some cleaners lighting on the 29g is 2x30" t5 10k white and actinic and a 12' panorama led lighting on 10g are 2 x 15 watt pc bulbs.
I guess id like to know why I saw no growth and now why the heads are popping off.
<Most likely allelopathy... secondly water quality issue/s>
Also are the heads the living part of the coral and need to be feed or is the tube they are attached part of their body.
<? See WWM re foods/feeding/nutrition for the family>
the two heads floating in the tank are they dead or should I place them someplace?
<? Read here: http://wetwebmedia.com/CorlCompArt.htm
and the linked files above... the family's compatibility... Bob Fenner>
Thanks
Steve

Tubastrea Cost/ Toadstool Mushroom Help 7/18/11
Hello,
I'd first like to thank you for all you guys do on this website. I've learned a lot over the years from browsing through your articles. I have a question of mine own now. I've attached a picture of a coral I believe to be a yellow tube coral, Tubastrea sp.
<Is a Dendrophylliid of this genus>
If I am wrong please tell me what it is. It acts and looks like a yellow tube coral when feeding (I feed it vitamin enriched mysis shrimp every other day, making sure each <polyp> gets some), but it looks a little different then the pictures I've seen of any, when the heads/polyps (sorry I don't know what they are called) are closed. The head/polyps are growing from a hard skeleton, while the versions I've seen online seem to be mostly fleshy.
<More so than this specimen, yes>
I've been attempting to nurse it back to health after a friend couldn't take care of it properly. Does it look this way since it is still sickly?
<Mmm, yes... famished>
Either way, it's getting a bit much for my 14 gallon Oceanic Biocube (the protein skimmer is sure getting it's money worth of work) and my lfs has offered to buy/frag some of the heads for me. Like I said, I got the coral from a friend so I have no idea how much I should be selling it for. About how much would one head/polyp cost?
<A dollar in trade is about right for something of this nature>
I've checked liveaquaria.com but they sell by 'small, medium, large', so they aren't much help at the moment.
Also my toadstool mushroom has been looking sick after a past incident (I left the tank in the care of my mother while I was in college, and the lighting times were messed up, the water was rarely changed, and God only knows if the supplements were put in. I lost a huge Kenya tree coral, some purple mushrooms, and half of my 'Mary Jane Zoanthids', which I hear are rare to begin with). The toadstool looks dead to be more precise.
<What does the air above the tank smell like? I would remove this soft coral, and most of the water; replace the latter with new>
It appears to be bleached (it's white) but half of it opens slightly. It's only about 1/3 of an inch. I've had it for about 3 years (since I first set up my tank). I've been trying to nurse it back to health for about a month and it hasn't been working. I believe everything in the tank's chemistry is fine, since I have other corals that are reproducing and are looking well.
<Hard to do in such small volumes>
I do a 20% water change once a month,
<I'd do this every week>
SeaChem's marine buffer to keep the pH at 8.3 biweekly, add Sera marine trace elements components 3 and 4 weekly, and some bioenzymes (bacteria that claim to help nitrate levels). Is the mushroom a lost cause? Or am I doing something wrong?
<Read here: http://wetwebmedia.com/CorlCompArt.htm
and the linked files above>
There are no fish in the tank, a peppermint shrimp, 2 snails, and 4 blue legged hermit crabs. I feel that if something was wrong with the water the invertebrates would be showing signs of struggle.
<Agreed... this is likely a situation of Cnidarian allelopathy... can be rectified in time>
Thank you very much,
Justin
<Welcome. Bob Fenner>

Re: Tubastrea Cost/ Toadstool Mushroom Help 7/19/11
Hi Bob,
Thank you for all the help. I am a bit confused though. Did you mean each Tubastrea polyp would be worth $1?
<Yes, thereabouts>
Also, I will try my best to revive this poor thing before I do anything to it.
<A VERY good idea. Cutting it up currently will not likely work>
Thanks again.
~Justin
<Welcome. BobF>

Pagoda Cup question 6/27/11
Greetings WWM
<Hi there Eric>
I'm hoping you can provide some advice regarding a pagoda cup coral.
<Ok>
I purchased a Pagoda Cup from LFS about 3 weeks ago that has yet to extend polyps. As you can see from the picture I (hopefully) included, the coral is in the middle to upper third of the tank on the left side, indirect but good flow (no detritus accumulation) and strong lighting . I thought I should note that when I introduced the Pagoda (drip acclimation for about 1.5 hours), the Sun coral on the right side of the tank stopped opening for about 2 weeks.
<A good clue>
A few days ago it started opening again, but the Pagoda remains closed. While the polyps have yet to open, the coral's tissue looks good/unchanged since introduction. Also, I had a small Pagoda Frag almost in the same spot the new one is in (slightly lower), but it fell into the LTA in the corner and was killed. Before it died, it was thriving, opening daily and growing fast. I've been back to the LFS, where the other Pagoda's in stock look great.
Tank stats: 55 gallon plus 30 gallon sump with refugium (holding macro algae), Coralife protein skimmer, and phosphate reactor; Lighting: Nova Extreme Pro fixture running 6 T5's, 3 54 watt 460nm Actinic Blue (on 12 hours) and 3 54 watt 10,000K daylight (on 8 hours), modified with 4 LED moonlights (off for 6 hours); 2 Wavemaker powerheads, plus 3rd powerhead in back right corner and return in far left; water parameters: (from Oceanmaster kit) Ammonia and Nitrite are zero, little nitrate (the kit's minimum show is 10), ph 8.1,; (from Red Sea master test kits) Calcium 450, Magnesium 1380, phosphates .36; temp 79, salinity 1.026. I'm not sure why I continue to have phosphate in the tank even though I've been running Phosban in the reactor, and placing polyfiber in the path of water entering sump. I also keep Chemipure and Ammocarb in the sump to help with 'chemical warfare' issues.
<Good. I think this is likely the issue here still>
No algae problems, fish are thriving, all other corals doing great except for purple SPS (bird of paradise) top center which receded greatly a few weeks ago; dipped it in Revive coral dip, which slowed down its decline (but it is still slowly dying).
Thanks in advance for your assistance.
Eric
<I suspect first, the Goniopora to the lower right of the Pagoda... Would add a good dose of iodine/ide, spiff up the RedOx here in what ways you can... and keep offering some food every other day. Bob Fenner>

Re: Pagoda Cup question 6/27/11
Thanks Bob for the prompt reply. A few follow up questions: I add one drop of iodine to the tank 3-4 x per week. Should I still add a healthy dose, and if so, how much?
<About twice the dosing rate on the product>
Also, any tips for speeding up the RedOx?
<Please read here: http://wetwebmedia.com/redox.htm and the linked files above>
I'm not sure I know exactly what that means. And do you not view the phosphate level as a problem?
<Not likely, no>
I'd love to stop fretting about it. Finally, I'm convinced that my tank is too crowded, but I'm moving cross country in a year and am hoping to wait till then to upgrade to a significantly larger system. From the picture I attached, do you have any thoughts as to whether an upgrade can wait?
<You have some questionable organisms... the LTA and what appears to be a Cerianthus at lower right...>
I had figured all my small frags would have grown slowly, but to my surprise they've spread very quickly.
Thanks again. You and your team are truly amazing.
Best,
Eric
<Welcome. BobF>

Pagoda Cup Trouble 6/6/11
Hello,
<Hi there>
We have a quick question about a Pagoda Cup we bought quite a while ago, probably about a year back now. We have never had a problem, it has always had extended open polyps and has been great during feedings. A few days ago, we noticed the right edge had a bit of white tissue. Today this seems to have spread and some of the polyps are heavily receded or are completely dead. In addition, some of the polyps farther back from the edge have white areas around the base. Even though they are extended, we are sure this is a bad sign. We've sent some pictures in hopes that we can solve this as soon as possible. We have a track record of rapidly declining corals once an issue presents itself though this has not happened lately.
<Mmm, the history... a pattern I'm/you're looking for...>
No parameters or lighting have changed. We do weekly 30 gallon water changes in the 90 gallon tank. We did have a recent outbreak of flatworms, but after dipping
<With what?>
and siphoning with a syringe the problem seems to be under control. During that time, the Pagoda (and the other corals) never seemed affected.
<There's often a lag time...>
Do you have any suggestions?
Thank you,
D
<Need to know more re your system, maintenance practices (supplements, chemical filtrant use, chemical measures, foods/feeding) and related gear if any. Bob Fenner>

Re: Pagoda Cup Trouble 6/12/2011
Hi Bob,
Our apologies for a delayed response. We dipped the flatworm infected pieces in Reef Dip Coral Disinfectant by Seachem (recommended by our LFS) and this worked very well. Within the hour the corals were expanded again with no issues. The problem has been resolved since then.
<Ah good>
We have a 90 gallon Aqueon MegaFlow tank with T5 6 pack Aquatic Life stock bulbs (3 whites/3 actinics). We also have an Aqueon Proflex sump set up as a refugium and a Sealife Systems Impact protein skimmer. Parameters are normal (Salinity 1.024, pH 8.3, Nitrite/Nitrate 0,
<Need some of the latter; otherwise can be rate-limiting>
Calcium 500,
<A bit high. I'd keep twixt 400-450 ppm>
Ammonia 0, Alkalinity 8,Temperature 79-80)
The fish are fed twice daily with garlic marine pellets and mysis, the corals are fed twice weekly with H20 coral food and marine snow,
<This last is a placebo; of very low nutritive value>
and the anemone is fed twice weekly with shrimp.
<I'd expand this diet... see WWM re>
We don't use any supplements or chemical filtrants, but we do use Instant Ocean Reef Crystals and RO water for water changes. Since our last email, all of the other corals continue to be normal except the Pagoda Cup. The white tissue is progressing and now some of the larger polyps along the right edge are wilting and barely expanded. We are mostly sure that this is not a problem caused by the fish, there have been no livestock changes in months and again we've never had a problem with this particular coral.
<Mmm, can/could be something very small... a Nudibranch, worm, crustacean... Or just nutrient lack>
If needed, livestock is as follows:
False Percula, PJ Cardinal, Magnificent Rabbitfish, Kole Tang, Sailfin Tang, Hippo Tang, Bluejaw Trigger
Thanks for your help,
D
<Have/had we gone over, referred to you the archives on Dendrophylliids on WWM? I'd be perusing those files. Bob Fenner>

Please help identify Yellow "Growth" on Sun Coral 5/8/11
Hi,
<Hello Brian>
I have several Sun Corals one of which has developed a yellow growth over it's surface over the last few days.

The sun coral is not opening up well in the area affected.
I have been to my local stores where I purchase coral with pictures however, they could not identify what this is.
Suggestions made have been either a fungus, a sponge, or a secretion from the sun coral itself.
<The latter almost assuredly. I thought/feared this might be some sort of matter "left over" from Wendletrap/Epitonium reproduction, but am now thinking "something" disturbed these polyps sufficiently for them to "throw up" their mesenterial filaments>
If you could help identify and suggest a course of treatment it would be greatly appreciated.
<Seek out the source/pattern of the upset. Another Cnidarian perhaps? Do you have an errant Anemone in this system? Did someone drop a dry "supplement" of some sort on this area? No "treatment" advised. Bob Fenner>
Thank You Brian Hunter

Re: Please help identify Yellow "Growth" on Sun Coral 5/9/11
Thank You,
<Welcome>
I did finally come across another photo which looked exactly like mine did. It was posted to a forum for help. Several answers came back that it was perfectly normal and that they believed it was related to overeating by the sun coral.
Brian Hunter
<Mmm, well, I don't think it's "lethal behavior", but is not "normal"...
i.e. I've never encountered this on the many occasions of observing Tubastrea spp. in the wild. Cheers, BobF>

Duncan's coral not opening 4/26/10
Hello Crew,
<Wayne>
I have a Duncan's coral with about 30 heads on the colony which I have had for about a year. It has been sitting in it's current location for several months now and it has been opening up quite large, extending it's tendrils and eating well. About a week ago it stopped opening as fully and opened less each day until it is finally not opening at all. The nearest corals are about 6-8 inches away (some Xenia, Green Star Polyps, Green Sinularia)
<These can/will "all do it">
and there are some Zoanthids at least 12 inches away.
<Ditto>
I have not added any new corals for over 8 months. I am doing regular water changes and all my other corals are quite happy. The only thing that comes to mind is that I have not replaced my T5 bulbs in over 6 months and perhaps their light output has shifted. My alkalinity is at 3 mEq/L and pH is about 8.2.
Ammonia is zero, phosphates are not detectable, calcium is about 400 mg/L.
I have not tested for Mg. I did however start adding Purple Up about every 3 days at the recommended rate a few weeks ago. Would you be able to suggest some other possible causes which may be aggravating my Duncan's
colony?
<It's the big loser here... Read: http://wetwebmedia.com/cnidcompppt.htm
and the linked files above, and onto Dendrophylliid Comp. FAQs... There are a few techniques that may save this colony... else, I'd be moving it some place different... another system. Bob Fenner>
Thank you and best regards,
Wayne

Re: Dendrophyllia help 1/7/10
Thank you for the possible explanations and potential solutions.
I moved the Dendrophyllia to another tank as you suggested. The new tank has more volume, far fewer corals and more flow that the tank the Dendro originally was in but I don't believe overly strong. I did the same with a leather coral which closed up for about a half week before I moved it which made me think that your theory of allelopathy was what was happening to these specimens. After a few days, both corals opened up again and I was thinking all was well.

The leather continues to be doing well. The Dendro is another story.
First, it has stopped "eating". Any food I drop into the individual polyps are not ingested. The food eventually falls off of the polyps as if the nematocysts are not working.
<Not atypical with this genus, other closely related genera of Nephtheids in captivity unfortunately>
The series of events seem to be:
1. the tentacles of the polyps seem to be taking on a more full rounded appearance corresponding to loss of the "stickiness" of the tentacles and cessation of eating
2. after a few more days the entire polyp appears "bloated" with the tissue taking a plumped appearance where it attaches to the sides of the corallite cup
3. one polyp actually had this bloated appearance manifest further to actually having two distinct raised lumps (seemingly full of fluid) where the polyp attached to the outside of the corallite cup. I thought the lumps might have been the polyp reproducing asexually but the lumps subsequently disappeared
4. the polyps tentacles stop retracting and the polyp takes on a closed appearance at times with the mouth remaining open
5. the tissue where the polyp attaches to the outside of the corallite cup starts deteriorating and releases from the skeleton
6. the polyp eventually detaches from the skeleton completely and falls out of the cup detaching completely from the skeleton
<All very bad signs>
When the Dendro was in the original tank with the higher concentration of corals, the process I described above was very fast and might have taken just a couple of days. Now that the Dendro is in the new tank, the process
has slowed and might take a week or week and a half.
Any other suggestions that you could provide?? I hate watching this once beautiful, growing coral head slowly die, polyp by polyp.
<There are some folks who have had a modicum of success with keeping this genus... I have not. You might search for Charles Delbeek's article/relating of experience... on the Net. Bob Fenner>

Re: Dendrophyllia help 1/8/10
I think there might be a confusion. The coral which I have is Dendrophyllia (similar to Tubastrea).
<Ahh, sorry re my confusion here>
From your comments and your suggestion to look at Charles Delbeek's reference, I think you believe I have a Dendronephthya (or Carnation coral). If this is the case, what would be your advice to my dilemma for my Dendrophyllia?
Thanks!!
<Please read here: http://wetwebmedia.com/dendrodisfaqs.htm
and the linked files above. Bob Fenner>

Dendrophyllia help 12/30/09
I have doing pretty good with a species of Dendrophyllia for the last couple of years. It started off with just one polyp and had reproduced into a coral head of about 25 polyps.
<Nice>
A month or so ago, I noticed one of the polyps seeming to "pour" out of its individual corallite cup. Not knowing what was going on, I let it go on thinking it might be a form or reproduction.
<Mmm>
In another day or so, the polyp was dead and the corallite cup that it had occupied left empty. Then, the next day I noticed another polyp not extending as fully as it did before.
Within a couple of days, the inside of the polyp (mesenteries, etc.) was mysteriously gone and all that remained was the polyp tissue (oral disc and mouth) surrounding the opening of the cup which subsequently released from the skeleton again leaving an empty cup.
Since then, I have tried dipping the entire head in iodine baths, Melafix baths,

freshwater dips, using Flatworm Exit (suspecting flatworms)- the kitchen sink! With the death of each subsequent polyp, I used sharp scissors to cut off the empty cup thinking that perhaps whatever the bug or disease that had killed that polyp would be cut out.
<Is systemic... the root cause is your display... something re water quality... Do you have another established system to move this colony to?>
A few weeks ago, I thought that everything was under control as no more polyps died and the ones left alive were opening up, ate and even started budding small polyps.
Then yesterday, another polyp died and it seemed that everything is starting to go south again.
I checked all water parameters (pH, nitrate, calcium, phosphate, etc. etc.)
and everything seems perfect.
<There is/are a huge number of qualities there are no colorimetric assays for>
On top of this, all of the other corals are doing well (leather, Scolymia, Blastomussa, Micromussa, Acan, Dendroneptheas, Scleronephthya, xenias, Zoanthids, mushrooms, etc.). Also, I have what my LFS calls "microdendrophyllias" which are very small versions of the ailing Dendros and they are also doing well.
Any advice? Help? I would appreciate anyone's insights as I am at this point stymied of what to do next. Thanks!!
<The easiest, though far-from satisfying possibility here is "allelopathy"... Some one/group of other Cnidarian life winning out over the Dendrophyllia... there are a few approaches to limiting the effects of this sort of warfare... but the quickest, most assured is moving the "loser". Please read: http://wetwebmedia.com/cnidcompppt.htm
and the linked files above. Bob Fenner>

Algae growth on Dendro 6-15-2009
Hello. I have a beautiful Dendro
<... the stony coral Dendrophyllia...>
that I bought a few months ago. I bought one head, and 4 baby heads have sprouted since I bought it. It's been doing great and I do feed it once or twice a week.
<Mmm, I'd kick this up a bit... See WWM re the family>
I just noticed though, some type of dark brown algae growing on the back half of the base of the Dendro.
<A bad sign>
It seems to be close to the main head, but not growing over it yet. I don't see that algae on any of the surrounding rock or anywhere else in the tank. It looks smooth and almost like a sponge growth. I don't have a picture of the algae, but here is a picture
of the Dendro I took a couple months ago. Are Dendros susceptible to algae or some other type of growth?
<... just when their health is impaired>
Thanks! Pam
http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa157/matsis1234/DendroNewCamera.jpg
<Welcome. Bob Fenner>

More info - Algae growth on Dendro 6-15-2009
Hello. Thought I should include a little more info about my set up and tank parameters. I have a large Duncan colony and a Sun Coral, and I do not see the dark brown/black growth on those corals or any other corals in my tank, nor do I see it on any rock. It seems to be isolated to the Dendro. My tank is just over two years old. I can try to get a picture of the algae on the Dendro, but it might be tough because it's on the back half of the coral (base of the coral only, not the heads). My tank set up and parameters are:
53 gallon display with 10 gallon sump / Elos skimmer rated for 150 gallons
10% bi-weekly water changes with Coral Life Salt
150 MH bulb and 4 24w T5 bulbs. Replaced all bulbs about 2 weeks ago, and raised the light fixture an inch or two after changing the bulbs.
Salinity 1.025
Temp -79-81
Nitrates: 5-10
Phosphates - Not sure, but I do run Phosban in a Two Little Fishies reactor and changed it out about a month ago
<... I wouldn't... again, please follow directions and search, read before writing us... BobF>
Alk 7
PH 8.3 lights on / 8.1 lights off
Calcium 350
Mag 1170

Algae growth on Dendro - Not Algae after all. 6-15-2009
Thanks Bob. I will increase the feedings. I pulled out the Dendro last night and put it in a little bowl of tank water, to try and see if I could scrape off the algae.

I found that it's not algae at all. It's the skeleton turning black.
The heads look totally healthy, and it eats really well when I feed it, and captures some food on its own. Is the black skeleton a sign of disease, or a sign of starvation?
<Perhaps neither... maybe allelopathy, losing to one of the other species/Cnidarians... perhaps just a "blem"... of transient nature... Do search, read re the former on WWM>
Could underfeeding it cause this? Should I be feeding it every day or every other day instead of 1-2 times a week?
<Yes... t'were it me... again... just read re the family...>
I did read through the Dendro FAQ on WWM, and didn't find anything that appeared to be related.
<Oh...>
Thanks!
Pam
<Perhaps a bit of iodine/ide, time going by... B>

Re: Algae growth on Dendro - Not Algae after all. Nor reading... 5/16/09
Thanks B. I'll take your suggestions and research allelopathy. I have mostly LPS in my tank so I thought I was pretty safe from allelopathy....
<... indeed, NOT immune>
I have a good sized Frogspawn, Hammer,
<Very stinging... near and distal>
Duncan, Sun Coral, Small Acan. No SPS, and only one small colony of zoo's
<Can be very toxic...>
and nothing else for softies. The Dendro was close the sun coral and about 5" from the Frogspawn. I moved it to the far side of the tank last night, away from the Frogspawn.
<Good... again... stop writing, start reading in earnest. B>
Thanks for the help.
Pam

Re: Goniopora Worms. Now Dendrophylliid beh./hlth. 05/27/09
Lynn,
<She's asked that one other of us resp. here>
OK - one last question and I promise I will leave you alone!
<No worries>
I have a beautiful Pagoda Coral. It is one of the corals that I have had the longest and it has thrived in it's current location. All of the polyps (I believe that is what they are called) open daily and are beautiful - deep brown with a green "eye" in the center. Yesterday, one of the polyps did not open and it appears to either be encased in a clear bubble, or have a clear bubble on the side. None the less, it did not open yesterday and has not opened today. Tons of light - good water quality - good calcium level - good water flow. Any ideas what the issue could be?
<Mmm, might have gotten "stung" by something... other animals can release tissues... Or bitten by a fish... or maybe just a good bit of sand/grit got into it. I would not panic. Most likely self-healing. Bob Fenner>
Thanks so much!
Brian

Duncan coral stung help!!! 4/14/2009
Hi crew!
<Tyson>
I hope things are well on your end. My Duncan coral became unglued to its base yesterday and landed on an Acanthastrea echinata.
<Yikes!>
The Acan is unscathed, but the Duncan was badly stung. Three heads on a roughly 20 head colony are encased in mucus and the thin tissue around the skeleton attached to these heads has disintegrated. I am making an assumption that the 'mucus' is necrotic tissue
<Mmm, not necessarily. Can/could be as you state... mucus, a reaction series from the Mussid contact>
and I've been periodically (and gently) trying to remove it with a small pipette.

Is there any course of action that you can recommend? I've grown this colony from a single head and am very concerned for it.
Thanks a ton,
Tyson
<If you have a sump/refugium, other similar, very-stable place to put this colony, I would, and treat the water with an iodine/ide solution (Lugol's if this is what you have). Only time can/will tell how much real damage has been done here. In the meanwhile, isolating the Duncanopsammia will help it to heal w/o being predated. Bob Fenner>

Re: Duncan coral, hlth. -- 4/30/09
Hi there,
<Howsit?>
I wrote a few weeks ago with concerns of a Duncan coral that had fallen on an Echinata and suffered a severe sting. About one quarter of the large colony was necrotic and there was severe tissue recession. I am happy to report that the coral has made a full recovery and has even shown signs of new polyp development. Thanks again!
Tyson
<Yay! Congrats on the recovery and thank you for this update. BobF>

Help broken Dendro -- 03/22/09
Hi Crew,
<Hi Rachel, BrianG here,>
I am hoping that you can help. I purchased a "Dendro" <Dendrophyllia californica. I presume> I placed it in my tank, fully opened and is beautiful, felt it was worth every bloody cent that I paid for it,
<They are worth every penny and magnificent looking.>
however my black clowns were picking at it, so I decided to move it....bad decision on my part, as
when I pulled it from the tank, I went to set it down on the counter to move the rock underneath the "Dendro "and it dropped on the floor, and one side of the large head cracked <Oops!>. Is it doomed, is there anything I can do to help him, beside kick myself?
<Don't kick yourself yet, you should be fine. I cut Dendro's all the time and sometimes cut wrong and slice into the skeleton. They are pretty resilient and usually heal up quite well. Search this site for "Dendrophyllia" for care and feeding suggestions..>
I took every ounce of me to purchase him, as he was the most I have ever spent on a coral, Please help?
<Good luck with your new coral!!!>
By the way, I love your site....
thanks
Rachel

Tubastrea tissue receding 01/16/09 Hello, I have a Tubastrea coral that I purchased about six weeks ago in my 265 gal. tank. I placed it in an area with dim lighting that I can gain access to for feeding. It is on top of a rock on the floor of my aquarium under a rock ledge (see photo). When I first purchased this coral, the polyps were not extending and so it took several days of blowing Cyclop-eeze over them before they started coming out. <This is normal. Sometimes they take even longer to start feeding in a new tank.> The polyps would extend more and more each day and I took a picture of the coral one night when all of the polyps were extended. Once the polyps started extending completely, I changed the diet to chopped pieces of krill and hand-fed each polyp that I could and squirted Cyclop-eeze on it to feed any polyps I may have missed. I feed every other day. <Good work!> The coral was flourishing. A couple of days ago, I noticed the tissue on one of the tubes seemed to be receding (see photo); I wasn't certain at first, but the next day, the tube was completely hollow. This morning, it looks like the tissue on the tube directly in front of it is starting to recede as well (I haven't had a chance to take a photo of this yet). The yellow blob that you see on the coral is some sort of sponge and it was attached to the coral when I purchased it, but it was more on the side of the coral and has just recently moved to the top. I check the levels of nitrites, nitrates, ammonia, calcium and pH on a regular basis and I add iodine once a week. I have researched your website looking for clues on what could be the reason for this and I see a common theme of possible starvation. I have read on other websites that once the tissue has started to recede in a tube, algae can grow inside and start a chain reaction of recession in the rest of the tubes. I really thought that I was feeding frequently enough. <You are.> Is the solution to this simply more feeding or do you think I have another problem? Is the sponge possibly doing any damage? <Not a sponge... as you note in your follow-up, looks like Wendletrap snail.> Please help, I hate seeing what was once a thriving coral wasting away one tube at a time. Thanks, Susan ---- To Whom It May Concern: I submitted this earlier today and have since then found out that the "sponge" is, in fact, a Wendletrap snail, which I have read is a threat to my Tubastrea. So, I have removed it. Is there anything else I need to do to my coral in addition to physically removing it with tongs? <If the snail is now gone, I think the coral will recover. You might want to increase water flow to the area if possible... to help keep algae from growing (and debris collecting) on the exposed skeleton.> Please help. <Keep up the good work. :-) > Thanks,
Susan
<De nada,
Sara M.>

Duncanopsammia HELP!! 10/9/08 Hi all you geniuses!! <Mmmm, not I> I am looking for some insight and after searching endlessly I have, again, found myself at your feet. Ok here it is: I had purchased a Duncanopsammia frag of 2 heads, which within 2 months has turned into 8 heads. Then, like a week ago, the polyps stopped opening up, for no apparent reason. I am sure there IS a reason, but I cant seem to find it. I have a mixed reef, <Mmm, perhaps this is "it"> with a couple sps frags, and mostly LPS, but nothing else seems to be bothered, everything is opening and extending just fine. <So... not due to some deficiency, food, water quality-wise> They did open up for a couple days, but not as large as they have been up until recently. My methods of compassion so to speak have been, moving them higher, moving them lower, moving them into more flow, less flow, shade, no shade, and nothing seems to matter. I did make a slight change in lighting when this started, but I can't tell you if it was before or after the Duncan problem. I have a 2x250 watt HQI with 4x65 watt actinic supp. and I changed the actinics to 50/50 because that was all I had, but then today have changed them back to the old bulbs to see if this made a difference in the Duncanopsammias extensions. But unfortunately, it did not, and they are still shriveled up to a belly button look alike. Any help would be so much appreciated! Oh and I do regular water changes of 10-15% weekly, and 20-15% monthly... Thank you in advance!! Tanya PS please use email XXXX address for replies, I use that one more frequently. <Most likely is a case of allelopathy if as you state, other Cnidarians appear fine. I would move this colony elsewhere in the short haul, re-acclimate it here if you'd like through the methods mentioned here: http://wetwebmedia.com/cnidcompppt.htm and the linked files above. Bob Fenner>

Re: Duncanopsammia HELP!! 10/12/08 Hi Bob! I just wanted to say thank you for saving my Duncans! You were right, and I found the culprit. I had the Duncan mini colony about 6 inches away from a colt coral, and it had been there since I got it, and so it didn't dawn on me that it would all of a sudden be attacked, and so when I got your email, I inspected the area and moved the Duncanopsammia to the other side of the tank, it was far left, so I moved it far right. The very next day, it was open. <Ahh!> I had also moved a small toadstool closer to it (again, about 6 inches) and that is when it started acting weird, so it could have been either the colt or the stool. In any case, the outcome is great, and your awesome advice worked!! Thanks so much! Tanya <Welcome my friend. BobF>

Ailing Pagoda and angry Perculas 10/8/08 Hello! <Hi> I have a small 8 gallon BioCube at my office with some live rock, mushrooms, anthelia, polyps, and a pagoda cup coral. I have 2 false percula clowns, a neon goby and a yellow watchman goby. <That is too much life for such a small tank.> My tank has been up and running for about 1 1/2 years now with all the same fish and corals. Recently, my pH became very low (7.4) despite weekly water changes, and adding buffer. Out of desperation (my first mistake) I purchased a buffering powder that after adding 1/2 of a packet would miraculously adjust my pH to 8.2. Yeah, right. As soon as I added it, my pagoda seemed to shrink before my eyes! <Probably pH shock.> It's polyps retracted and it stayed like this for about a week. I was sure I killed it, however it is opening up again although the polyps are smaller? It's just not the same! So my first question is, what did I do and can it be remedied? <You most likely raised the pH too fast, not much can be done now except maintain good water quality.> My second problem is related to the percula clowns. They made their home in the pagoda cup and guarded it if I tried to get near it. I removed the pagoda to put it in a 58 gal we have at home in order to try to nurse it along. They are ANGRY!!! The female is attacking other corals in the tank now and is not a happy camper. <Is looking for a new home.> I didn't know if I should try to replace the pagoda with another coral in hopes that they might take to it, or if once they have a home they never adapt to another one? <Can find a new home if they find something to their liking.> Do I put the pagoda back in the tank and see if it recovers? Another tidbit... I tested the 8 gal. and figured out the calcium levels were too high which was causing the low pH. I have since gotten the parameters back to normal. <Good, but the inherent problem of small tanks, parameters can change radically quickly in small water volumes.> Thanks for your tips! Wendy
<Welcome>
<Chris>

dying pagoda coral...i don't want to lose it -09/09/08 my pagoda is a dome shape not a cup shape, very green and pretty and i heard domed shaped is rare. <Uh, no, not rare. These animals change shape as they grow. They only start out in the cup shape, then grow out of it.> i have had it 3 years. i noticed it had a dead spot in the middle last week, no big deal happened before and went away...this time, it got bigger. i did a 30% water change, next day added Chemi pure, and i recently replaced an old filter (put old bio media in it and fresh carbon) and replaced a bulb and got a new power head....now its more dead with more holes in the tissue between the polyps. I tried moving it, damage is still being seen all the polyps open just fine but the green between them is rapidly disappearing don't want to lose this coral, it is my favorite one! <Ok, firstly I need to know your water parameters (temp, salinity, etc.). Without knowing those, the most I can tell you is that this looks like either 1) sediment damage resulting from inadequate water flow, or, 2) it's starving to death (resulting from inadequate feeding)... or both.> i attached a photo of it (taken after lights out) the spots not covered in algae are new and the white spots just appeared today <Yikes... please slow down. Sometimes when our corals get sick we do too much all at once trying to save it and just end up stressing the coral out. Please do write back with your water parameters. In the mean time the only thing I would suggest you do is perhaps increase the water flow over the coral (but not too much). Best,
Sara M.>

Re: dying pagoda coral...i don't want to lose it 09/09/08 to be honest i have not done any testing on my water in 2 years, (bad practice, i know, but i have not needed to, even now this is the only coral with a problem, the one SPS i keep is also just fine) aside from checking the salinity when i do a water change. <What is your salinity, temp, pH, alkalinity...? I honestly can't help you much without this info.> what confuses me is i also have a purple cup pagoda living right next to the green and it is just fine. <Hmm... has this purple one been in the tank longer? Perhaps there is some negative interaction going on here.> i have never directly feed it before though i have seen it grab brine shrimp and food pellets. can i squirt some frozen brine on it? <Yes... that might help (do turn off the pumps for a bit while you do this). Just be careful to also keep your water clean. Best, Sara M.>

Re: dying pagoda coral...i don't want to lose it 09/10/08 i have had the green for 3 years, the purple for 8 months. i separated them just in case. only a tiny bit of tissue has receded since last night i have no testing supplies... <Not even a hydrometer or refractometer? ...how do you do water changes? I'm sorry to nag, but you're really asking for trouble here. In well established tanks, you probably don't have to measure nitrates/nitrites/etc. But you still need to at least measure salinity, temp, pH, alkalinity and calcium.> but are there any pests or disease that can harm them? anything not related to water conditions? <They are not known to have pest problems. They often suffer from poor water quality, starvation, negative interaction with other corals, etc. Repeating herself, Sara M.> <<Sara... send back to fix English, search... RMF>>

Pagoda cup not polyping? -07/08/08 I have a Pagoda Cup that I have had in my tank for about 4 months. At first when I introduced it to the aquarium, it used to fully polyp out and it looked wonderful. After about 2 weeks, it suddenly stopped polyping and has not fully polyped ever since. It tries to sometimes but doesn't come out like it should. I have seen no deterioration of the cup or any signs of it failing. It still occasionally removes it's top layer of slime, which I heard is normal of this coral, to remove anything that might be caught on the surface. I've tried it in all condition...high light, low light, medium light...strong current, moderate current...even with the wavemaker tried to aim a single MaxiJet at it for a 16 second burst off a natural wave wavemaker. <Uh... maybe too much changing/moving around. They take some time to "settle in." Keep it under moderate flow and lighting (light target feeding also helps a lot).> I feel water chemistry is not the problem, the tank has been running for 1.5 years, parameters are stable, <What are these parameters? what are the numbers?> been able to successfully keep RBTA and clam, along with SPS corals. All corals experience growth and polyp, this is the only coral I seem to be having a problem with. Does not change its patterns of polyping between day and night, stays the same way. Attached I have a picture of where it is right now, and of it trying to polyp. This is the furthest I have seen the polyps come out in about a 2 months. <Yikes> I'm surprised when they say this one is easy to care for, <It is if you know how. Please stop moving it around, just be patient.> it has given me the most grief. I've tried shooting mysis and plankton at it with the powerheads off, trying to entice it to eat. It used to eat when I first got it and the when the polyps extended. I've tried smaller foods such as Cyclops too. Haven't tried phytoplankton or zooplankton. I've read the articles on this coral in your forums, can't find any answers. Was wondering if you have had any personal experience with this happening and/or any solutions. <Yes, I have had a few of these corals. At least two of mine did this (though not quite so severely). They recovered/expanded again in time. Again, please be patient, let the animal get settled. Do keep feeding it, keep your water quality high, etc.> I've tried to be as specific as possible with my description to help you out. Thanks <Best,
Sara M.>

Duncan Disease? Patience, reading 3/9/08 I recently (yesterday) bought a Duncan colony and when it arrived today I noticed extreme tissue loss. In the first picture below I think the loss is from someone trying to frag the coral. But on the next two pictures you will see the trouble area. This is not my first Duncan (my second) and in comparing the two my original Duncan stalk is a bright green. The new colony has some bright green stalks the further you get away from the tissue loss area. Also, in the last picture (number 99) you should be able to see yellow specs on the dying tissue (tissue that is losing the bright green color). Is this a disease? <Mmm, more likely physical damage> Will the entire colony die or tissue loss spread? <Maybe, perhaps not...> Should I try to frag off what looks to be good? <... I would not... just yet... stick the colony in your acclimation/receiving system for a week or two...> How do you frag such a hard coral? Should I keep this in quarantine? <... Patience, reading... Bob Fenner>

Potential problem with Tigertail Cuke, and Dendrophylliid hlth. 2/10/08 Hi crew- <Jim> I have a very healthy 75g reef tank with a 20g sump and 10g refugium. This morning, I noticed something odd - my 6-ish inch long Tigertail Cuke was scaling the wall of my aquarium - never seen THAT happen before! He has been in this system for a few years, and reproduced (by splitting) once a while ago (I pulled out his buddy). My wife noticed a white gash or laceration running down his body, at least several inches long. We did the smart thing and pulled him immediately from the tank. Suggestions? <Mmm, isolate... oh, I see below...> I don't have an isolated system to put him in so that he can heal up. Am I better off without him in a system this size at any rate? <Well...> Should I euthanize him or take him to a LFS? <The last> I presume that the one thing I should NOT do is to put him back into my system. <Not necessarily... life IS risk... some minor sub-risks are to be weighed, chosen...> All other inhabitants of the system are FINE. Here is what the system looks like: http://picasaweb.google.com/javagiant/Reef12808 <Wow, quite a mix... Soft and hard corals, other cnidarians, including an anemone... an apparently healthy powder blue tang...> While I am writing, I do have a recent addition (the Turbinaria) that I could swear is shrinking a little. Color is great and polyps are well extended. I did some research, and have begun spot feeding. Will that do it, or does he need more light? <May need to be moved further from the Actinarian... see WWM re compatibility... Otherwise, just patience> I have 2 x 175mh and 2 4' actinic VHO tubes running on this system. Should I move him up, so he gets more light? I have been keeping him debris free - anything else I should be doing? many thanks- Jim Gray <From the sparkling looks of your system, obvious health of your livestock... Running a public aquarium or helping at an LFS. Thank you for sharing. Bob Fenner>

Unidentified items in nano - one is algae, Lobophora variegata 10/08/07 Dear Friend, <Happy Monday> Can you please help me in identifying something I have in my nano. My tank parameters are Nitrates 10ppm CA seems to be ok as coralline is growing well. Phosphates - undetectable but I see a BIT of red slime algae. It does not grow much but diminishes very slowly. SG .25 Lights are 1 Phillips 36 w PL and one Philips 20W TL05 on for 10 and 12 hours respectively. Temp is 26 to 27 C Circulation is 20X tank deflected off the tank back wall. Skimmer (air-stone driven) is on 24/7 There are some photos of 2 items attached to this mail. Sorry but the quality of the image is not very clear :( I seem to have some saucer like algae? Is this Coralline or some sort of macro algae? <It looks like Lobophora variegata. Please see here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/brnalgae.htm> It grows like saucers on the live rock. Feels like a thin sheet of plastic would (approx). It looks like there are some strands of sorts under this. Remember when you cut okra (vegetable)? You might have seen similar strands at the cut areas. I touched it (strands) and it did not come off I think it is coralline because I can see some similar red growths also on other rocks. <This could be something else.> It is coralline or a form of macro algae? <It's algae. And my guess would be Lobophora variegata. See here too: http://www.coralreefnetwork.com/marlife/stepath/phaeophyta.html> The other one is a photo of a coral. It is 2.5 to 3 inches in diameter and peach/creamy in color. <I'm sorry but the photo is too blurry for me to guess at what kind of coral you have here.> The polyps have florescent yellow centers Is this a cup coral? If so which genus? This coral used to have 13 polyps. I feed it with red sea vitamin soaked krill and marine fish pieces. I make sure the pieces are small enough to fit in the oral cavity before I place them on each individual polyp. For some time it was good and I even saw 3 new polyps sprout. Then all of a sudden it stopped opening up. I had fed a krill with some bit of the Chiton intact. Is that a problem? I had read in WWM that it is good protein and is good for the corals. <Yes, chopped krill is a good food. But I'd be able to help you more if I knew what kind of coral this is. If you can, please send a clearer photo.> This coral is fantastically hardy as it has survived many calamities before. Once it went through 32 deg C for a few weeks at a length. <Sounds like a Turbinaria.> I never ever fed it till I read an article at WWM on LPS. Then I started to feed 2 times a week. <excellent> I don't understand why all of a sudden it stopped opening its polyps :( I did have an anemone. But this was like overnight change. To night it eats well and tomorrow is stops opening. All other inhabitants are fine. <Hmmm... strange. How long has it been closed up? Sometimes corals close up for awhile but come back in a few days.> I have removed the anemone and given it away. <good> I have also changed it to lower light levels for a few days. Did not find any change so kept it back in the original place. Any idea how to get things back to normal? <It's hard for me to say right now without being sure of what coral this is. If you can send a better picture or get a better ID, I can help you more.> Please help :( Ranjith <Best, Sara M.>

Re: unidentified items in nano. Turbinaria health -- 10/09/07 Hi Sara, Yes. I checked with some online photos and it seems to be Turbinaria. The peltata group I believe? So what do you think is the problem? Why is it not opening up fully? <It could have been freaked out by the temperature spike (maybe even damaged a little). It could be recovering from something of a coral version of a "heat stroke." It's hard to say for sure, but as long as the tissue isn't receding, it's probably ok.> I do see the polyps below the opening and the florescent color. Just that it is not coming out of the shell. You are also correct regarding the SG being 1.025. <Try target feeding it. Sometimes food can encourage these corals to start coming out more.> It has been closed now for 2 weeks. Also why did you guess it is Turbinaria when I mentioned it survived 32 degrees C? <Because these corals tend to be tougher than some of the other similar looking ones.> Cheers and thanks again Ranjith <Good luck, Sara>

Re: unidentified items in nano -- 10/09/07 Hi Sara The heat wave happened 6 months ago. It was fine till 2 weeks ago. Does not look like a heat wave thing to me. <Oh, I'm sorry. I misunderstood the time frame.> I tried placing its favorite krill on it and it couldn't care less Didn't react. But maybe since it was inside the opening the meat didn't touch it? <What do you mean "inside the opening?" One remote possibility is that the plating macroalgae you sent me pictures of in the first email is secreting something that is upsetting the coral. In nano tanks, chemical warfare can be a real problem. Maybe you should try removing that algae and running some new activated carbon.> Cheers and thanks again
Ranjith
<Best,
Sara M.>

My Green Pagoda Coral Isn't 'Green' -- 07/09/07 I bought a green pagoda from a LFS but it was all cream colored. <<The 'cream' color in not uncommon for this Turbinaria species>> The salesperson told me the color would come back to green with yellow polyps but it has not. Is there anything I can do to get it to color up or is it lost forever? <<If this specimen was indeed 'green' to begin with, the color change may be due to collection/transport stresses, a reaction to the change in intensity and quality of lighting from its collection point...or just the difference in water chemistry/environmental conditions period. It's hard to say if the color change is permanent...provide the coral with optimum conditions and time will tell. EricR>> Thanks.

Black Spot On Sun Coral (Tubastraea), no useful data 6/22/07 Hi. I have a sun coral that I bought approximately 6 weeks ago. Today, I noticed that there is a small (approx 2mm in diameter), circular black spot on one of the larger cups. Otherwise, the coral seems happy and healthy, and none of the other cups (or corals in the tank) appear to be affected. I would be very grateful if you could advise me as to whether this is something to worry about - and, if so, what steps I could take to ameliorate the problem. Thanks very much in advance. Lindsey. <Mmm, could be of concern... no useful info. re the set-up, maint., water quality tests... you are making sure each polyp is getting fed? Is this specimen near more strongly stinging, more noxiously exudating species? Have you read here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/dendrodisfaqs.htm and the linked files above? Bob Fenner>

Re: Black Spot On Sun Coral (Tubastraea) 6/23/07 Hi Bob: Thank you for your response! My tank is very new (about 3 months) and is 55 gallons. I have a protein skimmer and trickle filtration. My ammonia tests at nil, phosphates undetectable, alkalinity at 12.8 (I know that's on the high end, but my PH is 8.2, so that's not a problem, right?), <No, not likely> calcium is 360, salinity at 1.025. There is a frogspawn coral to the right of the sun coral - <... trouble> I thought there was enough separation between the two, <Needs to be a foot or more... and even then, chemically...> but the affected cup is on the left hand side - which is closest to the frogspawn - and is, as I mentioned, one of the larger cups and would definitely reach in that direction when fully extended so perhaps it has been stung? <Yes> I checked again this morning and the spot has not enlarged at all and is still affecting that specific cup only, so I have moved the frogspawn over to the right a little. I do feed each cup at least 5 times a week with Mysis shrimp. <Good> The other occupants of the tank (aside from corals) are: 2 Anthias, one clown tang (small), <Needs more room...> cleaner shrimp, fire shrimp and 2 clowns. If you have any other suggestions I would really appreciate them as I am just starting out in this hobby and I love your site! Thanks again, Lindsey. <Mmm, do see WWM re the Tubastraea and Euphyllia... http://www.wetwebmedia.com/marine/inverts/index.htm Bob Fenner>

Cup coral tissue loss and bleaching 5/22/07 Hi, <John> I took a normal inspection of the tank occupants on Saturday morning and noticed that my pagoda cup coral (Turbinaria) had a large area of white/ bleached tissue accompanied by some tissue loss in that area, in which I saw tissue flaking off and exposed skeleton. I examined it again today to find that the area of tissue loss is expanding in that area. Also the polyps in this bleached area are shrunken, white, and look sickly. <Mmm, looks like an "impact zone" injury...> There are no sweeper tentacles around that could affect this coral. The display tank has a volume of 30 gallons, and the sump holds 10 gallons. Bio filtration is accomplished with a wet dry filter, Bak pak skimmer, and # 30 live rock. Reef crystals salt is used and reverse osmosis/ deionized water is always used. water circulation is provided by 3 maxi jet 1200 powerheads. The affected coral is in nice flow and the lighting is 130 watt 50/50 power compacts. nitrate readings are under 5. Nothing has changed up to this point and all other corals are doing fine. I am very concerned as this is a nice piece which I have had for two years in this system without any problems. I have attached a photo of the affected area. Thanks for your help. <Does look to me like something "dropped onto" this area... do you dose something that may have centered itself about in such a pattern? Bob Fenner>

Re: Cup coral tissue loss and bleaching 5/22/07 Thanks so much for the reply Bob. I do not dose anything to the tank. However, When I noticed this problem in the coral, I added a normal dosage of Kent coral vital general supplement. <Mmm... I would "test" this by applying a bit more to another area of this coral... I am not a fan of such "general" tonics...> to the sump. So the root of the problem does not lie with dosing to my knowledge. The only thing I can think of is maybe salt creep that fell into the water landed onto this coral, which seems unlikely, but still possible. <Yes... and a rather common cause of such "burns"> Today, the area of tissue loss /exposed skeleton has increased slightly. The tissue necrosis is moving toward the bleached area, not onto healthy colorful tissue, which is good (I hope!) <Yes... and again, indicative of some "one-time" impact...> I don't know if I should take any action. I am going to change the water now and Ill make sure no crud builds up and the infected area stays clean in the mean time. Thanks for the help Bob.

Re: Cup coral tissue loss and bleaching 5/22/07 Hi again Bob and again you don't know how much I appreciate your help. <Welcome> People on the forums are telling me to cut the entire side of this coral off with a power saw....... What do you think of this? I will do nothing at this point but at what point would you think it would be necessary to take action? <Do take a read re the family on WWM... RMF>

Orange Sun Coral - 03/23/07 Hi! <<Hello!>> I recently acquired an orange Sun Coral which the LFS near my home had not been having too much luck with. <<Not unusual...generally requires special attention/some direct feeding to prosper>> I placed it in a tunnel out of direct light and offered it food (live baby brine shrimp, Mysis shrimp, Microvert, Marine Snow etc.) every evening after the lights were off. <<The variety of food is good (though feeding well every 2-3 days may be enough), but placing out of direct light is not always necessary. Tubastrea species are sometimes found on the "lighted" side of the reef (I have two colonies exposed to direct lighting), though Dendrophylliid species are most often in "shaded" positions. What is most important is that these corals receive very good water flow>> It did appear to be eating. Here is my problem and resultant question. About 3 days ago I noticed that the majority of the polyps had been covered with orange colored "bubbles" causing the Tubastrea to resemble Bubble Coral. <<Mmm, haven't ever witnessed this...but doesn't sound good to me>> The few remaining normal appearing polyps traveled off its original rock and have attached themselves to the side of the tunnel. <<Ahh...what you may have is a Dendrophyllia species and not a Tubastrea species. In my experience, Tubastrea have connective tissue between the polyps that would prevent individual polyps from "relocating"...Dendrophyllia, again in my experience, does not have this connective tissue and looks like a bunch of polyps "glued" to a rock. Admittedly these are subjective observations and an examination of the coral's skeleton is likely required for a positive ID>> What are the "bubbles" on the once beautifully tentacled Sun Coral? <<Hmm...possibly a bacterial infection or encroachment of Cyanobacteria. Difficult to say really, but very likely a symptom of its environment. Or maybe it was just "too far gone" when you acquired it>> Any assistance/information you can give me will be greatly appreciated as I am truly in a quandary about this. <<Do ensure the coral is receiving plenty of vigorous water flow. If this doesn't clear up the "bubbles", you may want to consider a mild iodine dip/bath, but some corals may not respond well to these...do read here and among the associated links: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/dips_baths.htm>> Many thanks, Gigi <<Happy to share, EricR>>

Feed me Seymore: Starving Tubastraea 12/16/06 Hi guys and gals! <Hello there Lisa, Mich here.> Once again, thank you for taking the time to review and respond to my question. I always appreciate it. <You are quite welcome. The pleasure is mine.> I've had this coral for about a month now. I was told it was a fire coral. <Mmm, nope.> But it doesn't look like any of the fire corals I've seen, and it doesn't seem to sting. <Mmm, because it's not.> I'm also not sure it's doing well. <Doesn't look real happy.> It doesn't seem to change much but I've noticed one of the corals seems to be receding. <Yes, that appears to be the case.> Since I can't really identify it, I'm not sure of it's flow, lighting and feeding needs. <Best to educate yourself before assuming responsibility for any living creature.> I'm hoping you experts will know and will tell me what I need to do. <This is a coral in the genus Tubastraea, commonly called a sun coral. It is non-photosynthetic, meaning that it cannot get any of its' energy requirements from the sun or artificial lighting. Kind of ironic that it is called a sun coral. It must be feed regularly by it's caretaker. Mysid shrimp soaked in a vitamin supplement such as Selcon would be ideal. The feeding should be done after the tank lights go off. It may take several days of attempted feedings before the polyps open, especially in this situation where there is this much tissue recession. Eventually it will automatically extend its' polyps when the lights go out in anticipation of its' next meal. It should be placed in an area where it receives good water flow. It can be placed in a well lit area, but doesn't need to be as long as the water flow is decent. It is a beautiful coral, but will need some dedication on your part to bring it back to health. Thanks,
<You're welcome. -Mich>
Lisa

Re: Feed me Seymore: Starving Tubastraea 12/16/06 Hi again THANK YOU SO MUCH for your reply. <Hello Lisa, Mich here again. You are quite welcome.> If this coral does not depend on the light, I assume it's location in the tank (currently high up nearer to the light) is <not?> as important? <This coral will not benefit or be harmed by any light it receives. It does require good water movement.> Can this coral be placed on the substrate? <Certainly.> Do I need to use a dome to feed it? <No. Turn off you circulation and use a turkey baster to gently blow the Mysid over the polyps, with time, the polyps will open and a Pavlovian conditioned response should develop, especially if you do this consistently after lights go out.> Thanks again, <Welcome -Mich> Lisa Your edification: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/dendrophylliidae.htm

Coral polyp anomaly? 6/14/06 Saw this picture but I can't find the related article. Had this happen to my coral but it went away weeks later and is doing fine since. <Looks to be an enlarged polyp in your Turbinaria... happens... irritation of some sort.... a mechanism for expulsion. Bob Fenner> Nicholas Parenti

Purple/ blue skeleton (Turbinaria reniformis) - 04/27/06 Hi Bob/ Staff I got a huge cup coral today with a purple/ blue skeleton (Turbinaria reniformis). <... have never seen a Turbinaria with such a color skeleton... are brownish to yellowish with light green highlight. Your might have been dyed> Info on these babies are pretty scarce/ am suspecting there not to popular. But anyway, It is producing a huge amount of slime and the polyps are closed. Why is it producing and excreting such large amounts of slime. <From handling, being moved, reaction to other cnidarians?> 2nd, The white polyps are closed, do they only open @ certain times? <Yes... when the animal/colony is established, healthy, feeding. Please see WWM re Dendrophylliids. Bob Fenner> Thanks for your time. John
Re: Purple/ blue skeleton (Turbinaria reniformis) 4/27/06 thanks for the reply Bob. <Bob is at a conference, Jen S. here.> I must have spoken too soon because the coral opened up beautifully today. <Wonderful!> And I was a bit inaccurate with the description of its coloration, its actually a yellowish bluish green. Anyway, I tested Nitrates today and they were about 25 PPM. <Too high> Is this a dangerous for the cup coral or my yellow polyps? <Absolutely. Do a 20% water change, clean up any detritus, replace filter media, clean skimmer'¦ so on.> I will look on WWM in the mean time to find ways to lower the nitrates. Thanks again, <Good deal. Have a great night, Jen S.> Mr. John
Re: Purple/ blue skeleton (Turbinaria reniformis) 4/30/06 to Jen S. I did a big water change and reduced them to about 10 - 15 mg/ l. can I repeat water changes tomorrow to lower them more? thanks

Turbinaria peltata Dear Bob and Crew, <Keep waiting for one of our reef-types to chime in... hello!> I need assistance please. I have had a Turbinaria peltata in my 50 gallon tank since August of 04. I have noticed in the last couple of month some of the tissue starting to recede. Parameters are as follows: 50 Gallon Flat Back Hex Ammonia - 0, Nitrate - 0, Nitrite - 0, Phosphate - 0. Calcium 300/350 - Alk High on my Red Sea Test Kit <High?> Approximately 125 lb Texas Holey Rock almost completely covered with Coralline Algae. <... some of this rock is unsuitable for marine aquarium use> 1 - Yellow Tang approximately 3.5 inches long. 1 - Coral Beauty approximately 3.0 inches long. 1 - Lawnmower Blenny approximately 3.0 inches long. Assortment of Mushrooms and Button Polyps. I have a 300 gal/hr powerhead on lower right corner. I have a HOT Magnum 200 gal/hr in the middle upper right side. Emperor 400 on the left side just behind the T. peltata. I set a container of Kalk on top of this and drip it through the perforations in the top of this unit for make-up water. Could this be a problem? <Mmm, don't think so...> Lighting was 100 watts of 20K NO Light. I upgraded to Coralife 260 Watt Unit consisting of 130 watts of 10K and 130 watts of Actinics. This unit was purchased this past weekend. You can see from the picture that the coral is only 4" from the light source. <Yes> I target feed this coral with a combination of Mysis shrimp, Ocean Nutrition two to three times per week. It readily accepts what I feed it. I also dose 30 ml of DT's per week. This is mainly for my feather duster and gorgonian. Your thoughts please, I don't want to lose this coral. Thanks Dean <Likely the animal/colony is just adjusting to the new lighting... but am concerned re the "high" alkalinity... Put yourself in our place here... how high is high?... you don't want any more than 12-15 dKH... I would be checking the holey rock as a source of excess alkalinity... and either moving deeper light sensitive life when switching to more intense lighting, or partially shielding the lamps for a few weeks... when they're new or replaced. Bob Fenner>

Turbinaria "Cup Coral" Dear Bob: Happy holidays to you and your family. <And to you and yours> I have e-mailed you within the last few months regarding my 92 gallon reef tank that has had a horrible hair algae problem. You indicated that my tank was probably "off center" and to be patient, maybe introducing a Lawnmower Blenny or Tang. I have not introduced any of these new fish yet, but I did recently convert my sand bed to a deep sand bed (brushed all rock in a separate container during this process). I also performed about a 25% water change during this changeover. Everything looks great now, and I hope this will persist. <Ah, good> My question to you now regards my Turbinaria cup coral. During the last few months when my tank was creating the hair algae disaster, this coral stopped extending it's polyps. The coral was not dead, as on a couple of occasions it did spew out some black film. Since I had this coral high up in my VHO lit tank and did replace my lamps around the time the polyps stopped extending, I thought it may be unhappy due to the light intensity change instead of water chemistry. <Both... perhaps more of the latter> When I performed by sand bed change a week ago, I decided to place this coral more in the middle of the tank. However, still, the polyps do not extend (not even at night). Since the polyps have now not extended for about 3 months, do you think it is dead? Do you think there is any hope? The coral has not changed color. <You will know, by sight, smell if/when this animal has perished... do try feeding it. Please read here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/dendrophylliidae.htm the FAQs beyond. Bob Fenner> Thank you. John Rowe
Re: Turbinaria "Cup Coral" Thanks, Bob. I should have read your section before e-mailing. <Do wish there was a scheme for more easily making WWM available, accessible> I have the Turbinaria peltata coral, and I'll try the feeding recommendation. I do feed the tank with live phytoplankton, but apparently this is not enough. Unfortunately, my LFS did not inform me of the need to feed. <Ah> Thanks again. <Be chatting my friend. Bob Fenner> John
Re: help me cup coral 10/3/05 All apologies, this was typed up real fast on my way to our weekend house. I have a 12 gallon Nano cube pushing about 5 watts per gal. Would it be better suited in there? <Be better than where it was. Problem with keeping SPS's in small systems is that water parameters can change too fast.> When I returned on Sunday, the polyps were closer to coming out. I originally went to the LFS for a Monti cap but was steered toward the cup coral because of the lighting, but we know how that goes. <Your 5 watts/gallon needs to have some actinic light if you don't already have it. James (Salty Dog)>
Cup coral 10/3/05 It does have actinics. Should I transfer it now while it still isn't open? Or is it too stressful to do that? <Can't get any worse than what it is. Try it. Keep in mind that these corals are not the easiest in the world to keep. Have you been adding iodine, strontium, etc to the tank and doing weekly 10% water changes? James (Salty Dog)>
Re: Cup coral 10/4/05 I know that now but...yes I keep up w/ the water changes. There isn't anything in that tank but a hammer coral, a few zoo's and a few Ricordea. If I have to I can upgrade the lights to a 96x2 watt. Still not what your suggesting but better. I was told the "watts per gal." rule didn't apply because power compacts were far better than fluorescents just like MH are to PC and thus cannot be compared. <The watts/gallon is a starting point keeping in mind that too much light is certainly not detrimental. You have to understand also that yes, the PC's have more light output, but the watts/gallon guideline is based on VHO/HQI/MH/PC. The depth of the tank would be a factor in deciding if more or less light is needed. James (Salty Dog)>

Turbinaria Mr. Fenner My Turbinaria (peltata?) don't open the polyps. After one or two weeks in my aquarium in the upper part under a powerhead the coral don't show signs of stay alive. Do you have some advice? Thanks, Nelson <Hmm, a few possibilities here. Please read through our coverage of the family: http://wetwebmedia.com/dendrophylliidae.htm the associated FAQs page, The large polyp stony corals, stony corals, and associated FAQs pages... and we'll chat further. Bob Fenner>

Turbinaria problem I have a cup coral that stated to lose some of its polyps in one area. In their place is a hole with two slender antennae protruding. It's happened over the course of a week and started with one and now has 9 or so missing. Most of the empty holes show antennae. I 've checked at night with a flashlight but have never seen any worms on the coral head. Any ideas or suggestions? It's a lovely piece and I don't want to lose it. Many thanks-- Dean Decker <Hmm, you might not have much choice here... does sound like some marauding species of boring (as in drilling, not yawning) of Polychaete worm (maybe with some accomplices) have taken up residence in your Dendrophylliid... I would just "hand on and hope" at this point... Very unlikely that a predator (like a Pseudocheilinus sp. Wrasse) would/could clear them out... this or a Stenopid, Palaemonid shrimp might help though... worth a try. Please read: http://wetwebmedia.com/dendrophylliidae.htm http://wetwebmedia.com/bristlewrmfaqs.htm http://wetwebmedia.com/shrimp.htm http://wetwebmedia.com/pseudocheilinus.htm Bob Fenner>

TURBINARIA DAMAGE??? Hey Bob, Just purchased a yellow Turbinaria the other day and my wall hammer welcomed it with a long sweeper tentacle. Well a few days later after moving the hammer well out of reach (unbelievable what a reach it has) I am noticing a small grey black decaying patch on my Turbinaria. Question is what to do remove damage via Exacto knife or leave it alone??? Thanks again Rob Huss <Hmm, I would leave this colony be at this point... generally will regenerate. Bob Fenner>

Help - Cup coral 1st of all, this is the best BB I have ever encountered. Your help is priceless. Now that the smooching is over, let me get to the problem at hand. I have a cup coral (Turbinaria peltata...I think...maybe pagoda) I enclosed a picture just in case. I have had it for a year, but recently, it is having troubles. The polyps do not extend at all. It was doing fine under a 55 watt PC. Now, that I have added an additional 55w Actinic, is hasn't opened. I do not recall if the light addition & polyp shyness happened at the same time or not. Regardless, it has been 1-2 months, and still no change. I am afraid that I might lose my favorite coral. I must add, that throughout the 1st year, I did not add a supplement to the tank such as Coralvite, Essential Elements, etc. I merely fed the coral just as I fed my 2 clowns. Nitrates, Nitrites, PH, all good. Calcium a little low. Should I of added Strontium? Please tell me the appropriate manner in which to care for these corals, as I am afraid that I have failed. <It appears that you doubled your lighting and shocked your coral. This is a very unnatural thing to occur, but you are lucky because Turbinarias are very resilient. Since you only gave general references to water quality, here is what your coral needs; a pH above 8.2, Calcium above 400 ppm, fed 2-3 times per week with something small like Sweetwater Zooplankton or Mysis Shrimp, and it may benefit from some iodine. I do not use or recommend most of the magical elixirs for reef tanks. I follow the Fennerism, if you cannot test for it, do not dose for it. -Steven Pro>

Fading pagoda I have a yellow pagoda coral, sorry no pic. <There are two main types of "pagoda" coral: Turbinaria reniformis and t. peltata. T. reniformis is commonly yellow in color, has a thin but dense skeleton, and grows in a turbinate form (whorling plates). T. peltata usually only forms a single cup shape but can also have a few "whorls". The skeleton is thicker than that of the former and has big bushy polyps. T. peltata does not have a yellow color morph, so if you have this species, it's most definitely dyed.> I have a it about a week or so. all my levels are right where there supposed to be. its at mid tank in my 55g. I have a HQ1 150Wx1 MH. its seems to be fading fast on one side of it. doesn't seem to be dyed, the other side of it is keeping its vivid color. <Sounds like the halide is bleaching it. Put it off to the side in low, indirect light for now until it regains it's color. Only then should you try to begin the slow process of acclimating it to your lighting> it does have die off on the outer edges of it though, from when I bought it. any info would be great on what you would try in this situation. <Eh, I wouldn't worry about the dead spots unless some algae got a foothold and started encroaching on the living tissue. Good luck! -Kevin- > Thanks, IRV

Turbinaria care 9/15/04 Hi recently purchased a Turbinaria peltata, turban, platter saucer coral, it was in good shape 3 days ago, now, right in the middle it looks to be dying it has a brown spot with stringy stuff coming out, <could just be digestion... no worries just yet> what can I do for it my water is in good shape, everything except my nitrates are at 20 which I have done a water change 25 percent I will test water again, is there anything I can dip the coral in to help it, I am running power compacts, so I don't think this is a problem, my tank has been up and going for months now, everything else fish and other corals are ok, no corals close to it WHERE SHOULD I PLACE THIS CORAL RIGHT NOW IT IS SITTING ON A ROCK IS THIS OK??? I HAVE 125 GALLON AQUARIUM, THANKS <this coral is highly adaptable... please do have patience my friend. Share a pic when/if you can for better ID of the problem. Anthony>

Turbinaria and algae. Hello Again Crew << Hi there, Blundell here. >> You helped me out once before so I will call on you once again. I have a pagoda coral I believe it is Turbinaria peltata that I inherited from a friends aquarium when he left the hobby. When I received it, it was not extending its polyps but since has come to fully extend and feed once again. The problem is there is a patch in the center of the coral that has died and Green hair algae has a foot hold. My water conditions are relatively good with my only concern being my nitrates somewhere between 10 and 20 ppm. I have managed to win my battle with hair algae in most places except on this coral. The algae seems to do much better in this location than any other even though circulation is good. I have tried to clean it of with a toothbrush but I am worried about damaging the coral. Other that trying to keep my nutrient export up, feed lots and keep water conditions good is there anything that I can do? << Hermits and snails. Also, it isn't such a bad thing, so I don't know if I'd get worked up about it. >> Also is this species of coral completely non photosynthetic? <> Lonnie Chin << Blundell >>

Tubastrea (sun polyps) losing color - 2/17/05 Hello Crew! <Hey Elmer> I must say that I'm an avid reader of your web site, learning a lot of things. <Great! Me too, actually> Thanks for that. <Thanks for coming here and being part of it all. It is why we do what we do> I have a beautiful sun/tube coral (Tubastrea aurea) which is in my aquarium for about 3 months now. <Fed well I hope?> I noticed that it started to lose its orange color at the base of its tubes. <Fading or actually turning colors?> It started as one spot three weeks ago that is gradually enlarging through time. <Hmmmm> Now, most of the bases and in between the tubes are grayish in color. <How is the flow around this coral??> Is this a sign of a dying coral? <Very possible. How do you feed this coral? This is a non-photosynthetic coral so it will need feeding somewhat frequently. At least every three to five days> It is sitting at the bottom of my aquarium, not in a shaded area. <Not necessarily an issue but I have usually spotted these corals growing caves and overhangs usually upside down> My water parameters are very good. <OK Be sure to check it and maybe even have someone check if possible. Maybe a local fish store?> I have a 50g aquarium (5 months old), 192w fluorescent lighting, Arctica chiller maintained at 77F, 60lbs live rock, CPR Cyclone CY 194 sump/skimmer/filtration system with carbon, RowaPhos, and BioBale inside. <You can take out the BioBale if you would like, otherwise sounds very nice> I have a flame angel, yellow tang, 2 damsels, a Banggai cardinal, 2 soft corals, 2 LPS corals, a starfish, and 2 cleaner shrimps. <Good selection. Keep an eye on the damsels. Destructo twins for sure> This tube coral is my first coral. It is beautiful and I earnestly don't want to lose it. <Again, be aware they like a medium flow and need to be fed regularly as stated above. Try a mixture of various Mysid, Cyclops-Eeze, baby brine, Omega one etc and try target feeding if you don't already. Very likely they do get some food left over from the fish feedings but better to target. Again, to reiterate, this is not a coral that requires lighting.> It still continues to expose its yellow tentacles at night time. <A good time to feed it> Please advise. Many thanks for your help. <Hopefully I have helped. Remains to be seen. Thanks for being part of it all. ~Paul> Regards,
Elmer

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