Re: Soft corals looking bad   5/26/06
Thanks for the reply. Unfortunately, things are getting worse. Now the other Xenia colonies (the long-arm wavy type, not the short pink type) are looking terrible. They are definitely on death's door.
I have been doing 4-5 gallon water changes over the past few days to dilute any potential toxins I did not measure. This is slowly raising the SG (now about 1.023), Ph (today 8.3), and Alk (today 9.1). I have not yet begun dosing Iodine.
<I would>
The nitrate levels have risen to about 5mg/L, I assume due to the death of the other Xenia colony (I removed decaying tissue with a
siphon). I also added activated carbon to my sump.
<Good>
Do you have additional suggestions? Shall I continue with these daily water changes, increase, or decrease them?
<I would continue with these...>
I am not certain if my interventions are too strong or not strong enough.
Thanks again!
Jason
<And add a pad of PolyFilter to your filter flow path. Hopefully this will help improve your situation... soon. Bob Fenner>
 

Sick Neptheid 11/8/04 Hey gang, Top 'O the Day from Denver, Anthony, <hey bro... good to hear from you :)> I snapped a shot of that "Mash 4077th" tree coral you helped me with a year, or, so, ago. I thought it was doing a natural fission a while back & didn't really think about it, is the pic clear enough to tell what's going on here, it looks like a mess of necrotic tissue to me...is this what natural fission looks like? Thanks my friend, Scott <hard to say for sure... but this pic/symptom is very reminiscent to me of a coral that overgrew itself but did not have enough water flow in and around it. This can occur because the water pumps haven't been cleaned for a while and have tired/slowed down... or... because the tank never had enough of the right kind of flow to support a large colony from go, but could support a frag to grow up to this point. Either way, strong water flow (increase here) is a key. Maintaining high Redox through aggressive skimming, small daily iodine doses and perhaps some ozone a would likely do the trick. Best of luck/life! Ant->

Newly Acquired Soft Coral  12/30/2005
Hi Anthony:
<Will cc him...>
I haven't written for a while but I have a mystery (?) that maybe you can help with.  I have been working on improving the marine systems at a LFS in our area.  Things are coming along slowly but steadily.  Today the owner and I were talking about restocking the soft coral tanks that we have renovated.
He is reluctant because it seems that most of the time when he places a shipment of softies he comes in the next day to find the tanks completely cloudy.  (He generally gets mixed lots of 25 pieces selected by the wholesaler, not transshipped. if that has any informational value).  I have never had this experience, so don't know what to tell him.  All that I have read about in this regard is reproductive events, but I'm not sure that they would occur on such a scale.
<Not likely. Probably just a situation of inadequate circulation, filtration... possibly with inadequate acclimation (mixing, addition of shipping water... should be avoided>
Since you have handled so many shipped coral, any advice or leads would be appreciated.  I'm going to make sure that we are acclimating properly, but would appreciate any input you might have.
Thanks for all the advice in the past (and future!!).  Take care, Greg.
PS, any further word on V2 of the NMA?  I'm drooling over here!! <laugh>
<I wish. Bob Fenner>

Colt Coral 11-25-05
Hello Mr. Fenner,
<Hi, Travis with you here today.>
I wanted to ask you a couple of questions if I may. You have been so helpful in the past.  I have 2 colt corals in my 100 gallon reef tank, that I bought from a reputable dealer here in town. I am running a VHO lighting system, putting 440 watts of light into the tank, from 10:00 a.m. until 9:00 p.m. everyday. I follow a strict regiment of feeding, and do not over feed for any reason.
<Make sure you are not under feeding because of this.>
I have some button polyps, toadstool mushroom, green star polyps, Ricordea mushrooms, and some cabbage leather in the tank also. Now when I bought these 2 colts, in the store, they were a real light tan color and were on the bottom of the tank, reaching for the light. When I brought them home, after acclimating them, I place one on top of the rocks, and 1 one the sand. Both of the colts, after a couple of days, changed to a rich looking brown color, with all the polyps on the end extended.
<They sound nice.>
But they are not standing as tall as they were in the store, figuring the store manager did not have the intense lighting as I do.
<I bet you are right.>
All of the limbs are rigid, and show no sign whatsoever of being stressed. The colt at the top of the rocks looks like a very healthy bush, and the bottom one is a little taller, but neither of them are as tall as they were in the store tanks. Could it be that they are getting the right amount of light, and do not need to extend so far upwards to get what they need?
<Could be.>
Or am I doing exactly what they do not need?
<It does not sound like it.>
My water flow is medium, and is run by a wavemaker, so that they are not constantly pummeled by water. My water temp runs at a constant 78 to 79 degrees, and when I add top off water, it is also the same temperature.  It just seems to me that in the stores, colt corals seem to be reaching for the sky, straining to get at the light, but in the home aquarium, they shrink back to a smaller size, and get very bushy. I would greatly appreciate any comments you have, or any reference material I can look up and read more about them. I thank you for your time, and I hope you had a great turkey day.
<Check to make sure you have very low nitrates and fresh carbon running.  Everything else sounds great.>
Sincerely, Dan Simpson
Dayton, Ohio
<Travis>

Coral Infection?
Hey there WWM Crew,
<James>
Over the past week I have been observing a hole forming in the base of my toadstool leather.  This happened all of a sudden, and is especially
puzzling since the piece has been flourishing for well over a year in my tank.  The hole started out as a little darkish spot that when touched
the material crumbled off.  I initially cleaned off the spot in question then dipped the whole piece in disinfectant dip.  Since then the spot has become larger and deeper, but has remained the same crumbly dark material.  I have also been spot treating the area with the same coral dip on a daily basis for the past couple of days.
<Mmm, time to excise this area...>
Tonight I removed a large chunk of the seemingly dead material and swabbed it once again.  The hole is around half a dimes depth currently, and is definitely causing me quite a bit of concern.  Other than the hole the coral seems to be doing well, opening fully and has a nice firm stalk.  As for water conditions I have to use tap-water in the tank until I move and get a bigger place to install an RO unit.  Everything is pretty much on the ball except for my nitrates and phosphate levels.  
I have a phosphate absorber in a hang on, and have been doing decent size weekly water changes to help with the nitrates.
Is this sudden turn in the coral's condition a result of the water or could this be a parasite of some sort?
<Could be either, both, and/or an actual predator>
The tank has a fair number of other soft corals (leathers, mushrooms, xenias) and they are all doing very well without signs of any illnesses.  Just for reference the tank is a 55, with a couple of clowns, PJ Cardinals, a Yellow Tang, a Red Coris, and an assortment of shrimp and crabs.  Thank you very much in advance for any advice / information you can offer!
<Read on WWM re Alcyoniid health, pests...>
P.S.  As a side note I sent you guys a message a few months ago about a Ricordea that got left out in my car for several hours in 40ish degree weather, and whether it would make it or not.  Just to let you know it did indeed make it and is actually doing very well!
<Great! Bob Fenner>
 

Sick colt coral WWM Crew, <Nathan> I've been having some trouble with my colt coral the past 2 months. I received the coral from a friend and it was "happy" in my aquarium for a few months. All of a sudden, it shrunk considerably and stopped extending polyps (see attached images, before and after). I think there are two (possibly three) possible causes: 1) I decided to try a little propagation a few days before the problems started. I cut 2 branches off. The coral was back to normal the following few days, then got "sick." <Happens> 2) I got a few tiny coral frags shipped to me, which included: cloves, a Corallimorph, an Acropora, and a Sarcophyton (I didn't chose the varieties that I received). Initially, I had the cloves a few inches away from the colt. When it was unhappy, I moved them away. No improvement was seen. <Chemically mal-affected...> 3) Lastly, though this wouldn't make sense to me at all... I started dosing ionic and polygluconate complexed Ca about the time this happened, which boosted my Ca from ~250 to ~450 (over the course of a week). <Any of these might "do it"> Here's the tank: 75 g, 100 lbs live rock, 1/2" fine grained sand, 4 - 55W compact fluorescent (10,000 K and actinic), 15 g sump, 20 g refugium/DSB, AquaC EV-120 skimmer emptied at least weekly, usually twice weekly, S.G. 1.025, nitrates, ammonia, and nitrites = 0, Ca ~450, alk ~9 dKH, Ca(OH)2 slowly added with automated top-off, good, stable pH (xenia's pulsing well), RODI water, ionic and polygluconate complexed Ca and SeaChem Reef Plus added regularly, 6 gallon weekly water change. 2 false percula clowns Royal Gramma Yellow Tang Coral Beauty (soon to be gone, as it is picking on some corals that I want to keep.) various corals 1 BTA (I know, I shouldn't have this with my corals... It has been my only impulse buy - I got it when a beloved LFS went out of business recently. Only when I got it home did I realize that it was quite inappropriate for my aquarium. It hasn't caused problems though (yet) and has not roamed at all since I got it (a few weeks). My clowns are even hosting in it. As a rule, I never buy anything I haven't researched first!) All livestock except the colt seems to be healthy. So, is it likely that this is a "chemical warfare" issue, or some sort of infection resulting from propagation (or a combination...)? I also have some green star polyps which are within 6 inches, but the colt and the star polyps seemed to get along for a few months prior to this (maybe the polyps just finally won?) A frag that I initially cut is doing fine and has a similar proximity to the green star polyps. I was being very patient to see if the animal would just come out of it, but it has been about 2 months since it hasn't looked healthy... Do you have any suggestions? (iodine dips, move it, cut it up to see if frags grow, etc...) <Have you read through the Soft Coral archives on WWM?> I will appreciate any suggestions you might have, though I realize that with all the variables I've described, it may be anyone's guess! Thanks so much for all your help and the incredible repository of knowledge on your website - it is surely the main reason I have been quite successful in this hobby!   Nathan Saetveit <Read over WWM and what you have sent here... Bob Fenner>

Coral Calamity!
WetWeb crew,
<Hi there! Scott F. here today!>
We recently purchased a Leather Glove soft coral for our salt water tank. It has been drooping since it was put in the tank and the other day it emitted something that looked like smoke. Since then the Toadstool we have appeared to get a blister, that was red and bubbled up.
<Yuck. Not good. This coral is apparently unhappy, and is releasing some substances which are not making it's neighbors happy, either!>
The aquarium we purchased it from said it was a form of algae and to simply brush it off. When we brushed it off, the Toadstool went with it leaving a hole in the toadstool.
<Sounds like large parts of the coral are already necrotic, and your brushing removed a lot of dead tissue. Best to cut out all or most of the necrotic tissue on the coral so that the remaining live portion has it's best shot at survival. A sharp razor blade makes this work easy. These corals can survive quite a bit of cutting, BTW.>
Now the frogspawn we have has filmed over with a white web like layer, and tonight our brain coral has a small white spot near the edge and what appear to be bumps throughout one half.
<Yep- release of allelopathic or other compounds is causing a lot of stress and damage in this tank.>
No effect so far on our star polyps or mushrooms, and our crabs and snails seem fine. We do not have any fish yet to worry about. We have tested the pH, ammonia nitrates and nitrite's, and all those levels are fine. The temperature of the tank is at 79 and has stayed right around there since this began. We used Nutra sea water to start the tank and occasionally add fresh water to keep the water level up. The only other additives we use are reef buffer and reef iodine. HELP!!
<Well, the first order of business is to get the sick and dying coral out of the tank and in a clean environment. Carefully excise the damaged tissue from the corals, and keep them in a situation with decent water movement during the healing process. By all means, conduct some good sized water changes, using high quality source water. Use of aggressive protein skimming and activated carbon will help remove many of the organic and other substances in the water that are degrading water quality. Get on a regular water change schedule here, and keep at it! Remember to quarantine all new animals (yep- even corals!) before placing them in your display tank, and make sure that they are kept far enough apart to avoid "burning" each other. On the other hand, soft corals do release many noxious compounds that can stifle their neighbor's growth. Be sure to use the aforementioned chemical filtration on a regular basis, to help remove some of the nasty substances. Also, arm yourself with a good book on these animals, such as Eric Borneman's "Aquarium Corals" and/or Anthony Calfo's "Book of Coral Propagation", both of which cover husbandry and disease treatment of corals in much greater depth than we can cover here. Take the first steps outlined here, and observe the corals closely. Hang in there! Regards, Scott F.> 

Devil's hand coral
I have used your site several times and always appreciate the feedback. I have had a Devil's Hand in my tank for about 2 months and it has been doing great, polyps fully extended. When I first put it in the tank I noticed that there was a green spot in the middle of the head, but the polyps within the green spot would extend and they were normally colored. 
I do have a question, is it possible that this is a green devil's hand and that's a natural color coming out? Or is it more like this is a The green spot has grown and the polyps are not extending within the green area. What could this be and what should be done? 
<If it was mine I would try coral dip and see if that doesn't help.> I have heard that I can cut off the head and it will grow back, if true, is that a good solution? <You can frag the coral in any number of ways. That's something very easy to do but do you want it in pieces or do you want it as the solid coral? Let me know if I can help you, MacL>

Classic Knee-Jerk Reaction, Possible soft coral poisoning
Hi again, sorry to bother you wonderful people with another one of my classic but asinine mistakes, but I like sponges (here's where you say OH NOOOO!!!!)
<Oh oh>
Anyway, I obtained a hard blue sponge that I believed was in good health, difficult to tell at the LFS, but no obvious white patches, open vents, and no algae. They did have it under pc's which I questioned them about, and they said it was fine - HAHA! Anyway, I QT'd him (blue is always a boy) for a month, almost 5 weeks in a little set-up I keep running just for that.  I have a skimmer on it, but it's only 20 gallons - only some drop- offs in the tank, buttons, mushrooms. Anyway, 2 days ago I transferred him - he only had about 150 watts of pc's on him in QT, but I fed heavy with DTs...
<This algae mix may be of use here or not>
...looked him over I thought really well - nice color, firm - so I acclimated to the display by starting the overflow on the qt, that evening. The display has 2x 400 watt 20k halides, 2x 140 watt VHOs at 10k, 2x 65 watt 50/50's, 2x 65 watt actinics. The fuge has a lot less light, 1 HQI pendant and 2x 65 watt pc actinics. I didn't think the display had too much light, I just put the sponge at the bottom. The next morning, my colt coral, my baby, I've been growing her for 3 years from a little pimple of skin on a rock - she was spectacular, almost a foot across and at least 8 inches tall - she don't look so hot now. I immediately thought sponge toxins, only too late - my toadstool shriveled, but recovered quickly when I put the sponge back in qt. My colt did not - she's never looked so horrible, deflated. There are some open polyps, and she doesn't stink, so I put her in a 70 gallon FO tank right now - the QT now has the sponge in it, did 2x 20 gallon water changes yesterday and 1 30 gallon today, turned the skimmer way up and added about 4 dry quarts of carbon.
<Wowzah... this is a bunch>
I definitely do not have enough light in my FO tank for the colt, but I figure it's better to get her away, completely, from whatever made that happen.
<Agreed>
What other species of octocorals are susceptible to this toxin?
<Most all>
The fish seem fine, and all LPS and SPS corals are fine as well (I know you're not supposed to mix them, but I
only have 2 soft corals, and the water volume is quite large, about 250 gallons, perhaps I should move them anyway). I've not noticed any reaction among colonial polyps either, if everything looks healthy I should leave it alone right? I've read several books that had information pertaining to sponges, particularly the hard blue ones, killing softies - I think Mr. Fenner has made mention of it several times as well, and I'm so sorry this happened, when I knew perfectly well that it could! Anyway, I could kick myself, I know better! Anything I can do for my colt?
<You've... actually done it... all I would do... I'd wait a few weeks, move it back to the approximate position it was in>
Are they somewhat hardy in this respect? I could frag the colony, I know there are parts that I can save, but I don't want to stress it further- with the low light in the FO tank, you think it will be ok for a few days, long enough to eliminate the toxins, or is keeping it in lower light stressing it further? How do I know if it's too far south to save? If it is, should I cut any pieces from it, or should I keep up the water changes and put it back in the display with more light and risk it getting worse? Thanks again, and sorry.
Thanks,
Aaron
<Do wait a couple more weeks before re-moving this soft coral. Likely it will rally. Bob Fenner> 

Pods eating coral - Coral eating pods..?
I was reading the Q&A forums trying to find out if pods were eating my xenia. The fish store that I shop at says that pods only eat dead or dying things. I have noticed, however that a few people seem to think the pods are eating xenia and zoanthids. I have a similar story. First I had a small finger leather, that looked like it was ripped off it rock. I came home from work to find it floating on the bottom of the tank. There was a lot of "flesh" left on the rock, as I inspected the situation, I noticed several big pods eating the flesh. I tried to replant the leather but it disappeared over the next day or so. My hours of work don't allow me to keep a close eye on things so I don't know exactly what happened to it. As the leather disappeared, a colony of xenia began wilting. 
Upon inspection of the sick xenia I noticed that the pods had regrouped to the Xenia. I thought that it could be that conditions weren't right causing the xenia and leather to die and the pods were just taking full advantage. My pH was low 7.7 so I adjusted my power head to get more top water movement. However ,there is another colony of xenia 2 inches away from the one that died. There are no pods on it and it seems to be fine. If the water conditions caused the leather and the first xenia colony to die, why not the other xenia. It doesn't seem to be a coincidence that things are dying after the pods start to congregate. I thought I was just paranoid of some sort of pod conspiracy, until I started reading the Q&A. Is it just coincidence or could something be going on? Gary 
<IF, they are pods, they are not going to eat live coral. Your LFS is correct is saying they eat dead material, fish poop, waste, whatever. You may have another critter in there causing the damage. James (Salty Dog)><<RMF disagrees... whatever group of crustaceans these "bugs" are part of, they may indeed consume cnidarians that are compromised... and maybe ones not so... It may be that the "other" Xeniid colony was "aware", or just "different" in its tastiness, response... to these critters>>

Sclerites in soft coral 2/9/05
I have a purchased, what I believe is a Sinularia Sp. leather (it was called "lettuce leather" in the store). 
<It may be Sinularia... or more likely a Lobophyton. Either way an Alcyoniid>
It has started growing little white "spikes" out of its' flesh. 
<These are sclerites.. normal>
The best way to describe them is that they look like avian pin feathers. I can pick them out and they will regrow. 
<Yikes! Yes... that's the point>
They are hard calcium, almost like a shell. 
<Calcium... BINGO - you win the hairy kewpie doll!>
I can provide a picture, if need be.
<Not needed... no worries>
Do you have any idea what these may be?
<the skeletal components of octocorallia>
Thanks again for your wonderful website and all your help!  
P.S. I searched your site and couldn't find anything, if it's on there, I must not be using the correct terminology. Thanks again
Cheri
<A fellow Steeler fan in tour service :) Anthony>

Ammonia spike killing corals 2/3/05
I have a 70 gallon reef aquarium I have 60 lbs of live rock and a 4 inch sand bed. My tank has been going for a year now with no problems I made this change because I want to increase my biological filtration. I was using a Bak Pak 2R Berlin method. I recently bought a AquaClear pro series wet/dry filter its a pro 75 with a Rio 2100 return pump. I took my Bak Pak off and installed my wet/dry filter my tree coral and my leather coral are dying.
<this is likely  a water quality or stress issue... not any filter flaw>
I checked. My nitrates are 0 my nitrites are 0 my ph 8.4 alk good ammonia is 1.0 ppm.
<yikes! The high ammonia is the problem from uncycled or incomplete nitrification/bio-filtration. Continue to do large water changes until this comes down to 0.00 ppm>
I change 10 percent of my water using RO water once a week my protein skimmer is built in seems to be collecting ok my bio balls are in filter has been going now for a week very concerned don't know what to do can you help me
<much large water changes my friend (say 50%) until the ammonia subsides. Anthony>

Chili coral wont open... keep upside down with good flow! 1/11/05
I have a Chili coral in my 60G LR/LS reef tank that won't open up.
<this most always occurs from lack of water flow: not enough or not enough of the right kind. Also... the animal must be kept upside down to survive naturally long term>
I have had it since May of '04. Tank Parameters are: Ph: 8.2 Salinity 1.0225/1.023 Temp 77-78 Calcium 350-400ppm all others (nitrate, nitrite, ammonia) minimal/barely readable. Feed PhytoPlex and zooplankton 2x per week.
<hoping for a fishless refugium too... this would be a great benefit for many reasons>
The coral used to open up every night, until it ejected the spicules from one branch. As per advice from I don't remember where, I cut off that piece. This was in August. it didn't open after that for a few days only, but after that it was business as usual. Then I moved. I put all the livestock in buckets one day, then set up the tanks next day or the day after. When I took "chili guy" (as I call it) out of the bucket, it was open, and remained open for several days after being put in the tank again, I figure it was hungry, yes? Anyway, then it closed up and hasn't opened up again since. I moved Thanksgiving weekend. I have it in a cave, with a powerhead directed at it and attached to a rock with rubber bands so it hangs upside down in the cave.
<do be careful about laminar flow like this... its unnatural for most corals and can be fatal in time. Turbulent flow would be better>
(The rubber bands only touch the rock it came with so as not to split it) Is there anything I can do to save it?
<manipulate the powerheads to create a better flow pattern around the coral. Do a keyword search here on our website for an article called "goodbye powerheads" for a better long term solution>
even though it is just a red lump, it has yet to eject
any more spicules, so I think I stopped that from spreading. My Fiancé's cousin gave us a book and said that there is something in the book that we could try-something about dipping chili guy in freshwater for 30 seconds, then in a strong iodine solution.
<little or no purpose for doing this... no pathogen is indicated, and frankly... the brief dip would do little to help it if there were>
I think this is supposed to shock it into "resetting" itself (like
it's a computer?!)
<ahhh... no.>
If anyone knows that exact formula, that would be great, as I cannot find it in the book, "Reef Secrets." Thanks for all your help!
<trust me, mate... its all about finding the right kind of flow. Do try feeding thawed frozen (or dry in slurry) Cyclop-eeze as a better zooplankton offering. Anthony>

Dyed coral gonna die, sorry to say 12/29/04
Ok Guys, lets play what soft coral is that.....
<OK...>
It looks a little bit like a contorted Sinularia flexibilis - more compacted though - or a fine finger leather - LOTS of fine fingers and really contorted together. Plus its hot pink - almost fluorescent like a Dendronephthya.
<this is a dyed coral... commonly shipped from Indonesia. It will die in days to weeks most likely as it does not feed organismally on anything we can offer it prepared. As such, it cannot be carried nutritionally until its brown zooxanthellae recover>
This specimens about 8 inch across and the same in height and kind of compact oval in shape. Polyps are short too.. I am in Thailand, and getting reliable info outta these aquarists (I use that term loosely) is near impossible. Anyone know it. Its a new
one to me..
<very good to see you research this before buying it. Its a shame and a sham that such dyed animals are sold. Deplorable>
If you do know it, is it easy to keep and does it have any special requirements with food or lighting. Its been in the store a months as its 5000 baht (about US$100)  - a months salary for some people round here.
<even more insulting/sad to read/know>
It has one dead finger that is brown and seems to be falling off, but overall its unharmed... lots more fingers  They are keeping it under bright fluoros. Brett Moloney, Bangkok
<continue down the right path as an educated consumer... do not buy this creature and in time the dreadful practice will stop. Read more information here:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/dyedcorals.htm
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/dyedanemfaqs.htm
best of luck, Anthony>

Coral looks glossy and sheds - 11/22/04
I have a quick question for you, I looked through your web site and couldn't find the answer I was looking for. I have a leather coral in my tank I purchased 2 weeks ago, everything seems to be doing fine, tentacles come out at night to feed. <What coral are talking about exactly? Have you been able to identify it? Sounds like maybe  Sarcophyton but really it could be anything> Then over the last few days there's a glossy coating covering the leather, at first just a patch or two of the gloss. The base is shedding, is this part of the shedding process? <Sort of. the shed should come from the head area of a Sarcophyton (if it is indeed a Sarcophyton) This tends to happen during growth periods, nutrient build up, stress listed as a few reasons for this. You could just use a soft toothbrush to help the remove the excess.> Or some kind of defense from one of my anemones stinging it?? <Let me just say make sure there is a lot of room between other corals and anemones........period! Like 5-8 inches or more. Hope this helps. Let us know if something changes (again try to identify the coral before you purchase it but it would definitely help us in diagnosis) Thanks for participating on WetWebMedia. ~Paul> Thanks in advance.
Thank You,
Chad Horne

Sick toadstool? Hi Crew, I am concerned about my hairy toadstool coral (probably left myself open for a pun or two with that…).  For the past two days it has remained in a “wilted” position.  The stalk is bent to the point the head rests on the sand.  The polyps are extended as normal and, other than this “wilted” appearance, the coral appears to be otherwise normal. << I would consider fragging, just to be safe. >> The bent stalk cannot be seen in the attached picture since I was unable to position the camera at the correct angle.  But, from the attached picture, do you see any reason for concern?  << Not really. >> Water parameters appear acceptable to me (pH=8.2, Temp=78F, Salinity=1.024) and I have not noticed any fish harassing this coral (although I cannot rule out what is happening when I am away). What do you suggest I do? << I would cut the entire top right off.  Then attach it to another rock.  The stem that is left will grow a new head.  This may be unnecessary but it can't really hurt. >> Thanks for the help! --Greg <<  Blundell  >>

Colt coral decline - 11/17/04
Good afternoon~ <Good afternoon to you too>
My boyfriend has a good size coral reef tank.  In it he has a Soft Coral that I believe is a Colt Coral.  It is light pink and looks spongy and has little "feelers" coming out of it when it is open.  Recently we have noticed that gashes are on him. <Hmmmmm.> it looks like a fish has bitten him in about 6 different spots.  We know that it was not a fish though. <How do you know? Enlighten me if you would? This is information I might need to make a diagnosis> The "bites" eventually turn the finger a darker color pink and it can eventually can be pulled off. <Not sure what you mean here? Do you have a picture you could send?> Do you think this Soft Coral is "sick"?  <I can tell you there is definitely something wrong. There is just no enough information here to tell you what it might be, to be honest> Why do you think these "bites" keep appearing all over it? <I would look at night and see if something is no predating on the coral. Snails, crabs, Nudibranchs, worms, coral aggression and yes, maybe even fish> What can be done? <Leave it be until you have firm diagnosis, which is something we definitely don't have. What kind of fish are in the aquarium, other inverts, corals near by? What are the water parameters, lighting anything else that might help me diagnose the issue.> Is it better the cut the finger off right when you see a new "bite" or is it better to left the finger turn dark and let it just hang by a tiny piece and then pull it off. <I think the latter is better. Let the coral rid itself of the area> Please.  Any information would help.  This soft coral doesn't look very happy with these "bites". <I am sure it doesn't. Please send more information and a picture if you can. It will certainly help me to extract potential issues and give a more accurate diagnosis. ~Paul>   Thank You.
Aleta