Torch Coral Bleaching

[1234-fishy-freind]

Hi guys. Well as you can guess by the title, my torch coral is bleaching and I would like some help on what i should do.
As you can see in the picture, 2 of the 6 heads are fine, but the other 4 are all small and white.

Should I cut away the healthy one and separte them or is bleaching non-infectous?

Also, is there anything I can do to help it or is the coral doomed?

here is a link to the picture
http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=278265


thanks
Josh

 

[TigerIssey]

There is no picture - did you forget it??

 

[mutantbigman2000]

ok. Is the pic in the other thread supposed to be here?

If it is i wouldn't say that it is bleaching.

 

[1234-fishy-freind]

Yeah its that picture.
I couldnt get it to load on this thread so I had to start a new one.

What would you say is up with it because the heads on the right are really pale?

Josh

 

[Crazy fishes]

How long has it been like that? Have you checked the water quality? You would assume that the whole coral would curl up if water quality was off but it does happen. Those ployps are all separate therefore behave independently. I have an elegance that half pulled in recently and stayed like that for a couple of days. I checked the water quality and for some reason the alkalinity had fallen to 5 dKh!! I dosed for a couple of days to bring the alkalinity back up and it has all reemerged with no signs of anything ever being wrong. The point is elegance are one big polyp and it reacted like this. What lighting is it under? The retracted polyps seem to have strong direct lighting; torch are notorious for liking moderate indirect lighting. This coral is normally found at depth 30 feet or so from the surface.

Bleaching is a non infectious process but infection can occur as bleaching weakens the corals defences. It happens when corals get stressed either chemically (water quality) or physically (temperature and lighting) and is the coral ejected the algae (zooxanthellae) from their tissues. This is why they go pale; no pigment/colouration from the algae.

Fragging is up to you. It may just be good to frag because you then have two torch corals instead of one. It seems from the picture that you have plenty of skeleton to frag through so no worries there.

Hope this helps

Regards

 

[1234-fishy-freind]

The coral hasnt been in this state for long, around 3 days.
Water stats are as follow

Ammonia- 0
Nitrite- 0
Nitrate- 10-15
Ph- 8
Phosphate- 0.03
Calcium- 380
Magnesium- 1300
Kh- 7-8

The lighting I have is 3 150 watt metal halides. It is not subjected to alot of flow, just enough to keep the polyps flowing in the water nicley.

Josh

 

[SkiFletch]

Huh, water stats, lighting and flow check out... How about other tankmates? What mobile organisms you have in there, and are there any corals near to the torch?

Also does it stay like that or cycle from puffed to wilted?

 

[1234-fishy-freind]

Hi Ski, is there something wrong with the water, flow and lighting?

Fish are
yellow tangs
foxface lo
coral beauty
6 line wrasse
marroon clown
emperor cardinals

The nearest coral to it is a toadstool about 10 inches away.

The torch seems to be in that state all the time, with the 2 heads on the right remaining pale and small, while the two on the right are a nice colour and have their polyps expanded.

 

[Crazy fishes]

Hi Ski, is there something wrong with the water, flow and lighting?

Fish are
yellow tangs
foxface lo
coral beauty
6 line wrasse
marroon clown
emperor cardinals

The nearest coral to it is a toadstool about 10 inches away.

The torch seems to be in that state all the time, with the 2 heads on the right remaining pale and small, while the two on the right are a nice colour and have their polyps expanded.

Ski, like me, thought that water, flow and lighting were fine. There are several fish there that may aggrevate the torch namely the maroon and coral beauty; one will try and eat it, the other will try and live in it. I don't like to just point the finger unless you have actually caught them in the act so to speak. I was wondering if fragging the coral and placing the retracted side else where might be an idea?? What side does the flow come from i.e. which side is hit by the flow first?? It may be related to the topic of that article I highlighted a little time ago now. Growth and expansion characteristics are dependent on the side of the coral exposed to flow first. It is interesting stuff.

Hope this helps

Regards

 

[1234-fishy-freind]

Well funnely enough, the retracted side is the side that is hit by the curent first......

Josh

 

[Crazy fishes]

Well funnely enough, the retracted side is the side that is hit by the curent first......

Josh

Very interesting.......
Just as an experiment leave it where it is and place a smallish obstruction in the way but not too large so flow is completely blocked. The idea is that when the current interacts with the obstacle it changes from laminar to disturbed/turbulent flow; the more natural flow pattern. I am interested to see if it makes a difference. Keep us informed.

Kindest regards

 

[SkiFletch]

Trying different flow might work, but I'd also watch closely the angel and the maroon. Those two might be trouble, and the maroon might be doing it at night...

 

[1234-fishy-freind]

I had never thought about the marroon hosting at niht, I hguess its a possibilty. I will have a look tonight and check if its bothering it at night.
Im yet to see the coral beauty pecking at it yet too. To be honest, it doesnt really peck a any corals at all, just rock.
Ive tried to obstruct the flow but the coral is an awkward position so I failed to find something to sit near it. So tomorrow I think I will cut the skeleton of the bleached heads and move them and leave the good one where it is.

Josh