Buble Coral Is Dead

[svirid]

Hi guys,

something really strange happend to my bubble coral, I had it for about 8-9 month already, and finally it looks like its dead now. I am not 100% sure about this. I heard many stories when corals looks like dead but later get better. I was hoping maybe mine going to do that too ? It looks like pieces are missing from its center.

I water parameters looks stable as they were before, I also have anemone, clam and lots of soft corals, they are all doing fine. Can u suggest anything please? should I remove him?

Thank you.

 

[ben1987]

did you move it recently? if so it may have been in too much flow which caused it to receed.

 

[rabbut]

It's not dead, but deffinately not happy

Can you post stats for

Ca
Alk
Mg

please, as often one of the first two lacking can lead to this type of thing in hard corals As ben said, flow can be a big factor, as can light, so can you describe the flow in that area and your lighting please? Once we have more info we can start to throw ideas about as to the cause of the strop

All the best
Rabbut

 

[xxBarneyxx]

Yeah as above, really need the exact water stats, how much flow and how much light.

Bubbles really dont like a lot of flow and they are also very easy to damage. Looks like the centre of it has died completely but the edges are still alive (but seriously unhappy).

It could still bounce back. I cooked my bubble coral when my light timer got stuck on and it had about 3 days of constant light. It wasnt very happy for a good few months after that but its just starting to get back to how it used to be.

 

[TigerIssey]

I have one that looks just like that at the moment, it seemed to have got damaged when I swapped from one tank to another, thats how easy they are to damage I am afraid.

At the moment I am persevering with it and hoping that I can rescue the outsides.

 

[svirid]

I havnt changed anything in the tank, light, flow had been the same for 8-12 month,
I have 28gal tank, 150W Metal Halide, Bubble coral is at the very bottom, I do have Coralia 2 and Coralia 1 in different corners of the tank pointed to the opposite sides.

Ca - 400
Alk - 2.5
Mg 1380

I have these parameters all the time. Do u think I should move it to a new spot? If yes, which one with more light? and flow?

 

[rabbut]

Well there's your problem! Alk reading It needs to be between 7 and 12 in a hard coral tank, with most recommending the upper end of that range Get about 2-3 tea spoons of Sodium Bicarbonate (Baking powder, or Baking soda, I cannot ever remember which it is) disolved into a liter of RO, and drip it into a high-flow area of the tank over as near as 24 hours as you can, to pull that reading back up, and it should pull out of that strop

Quick edit to add, there is enough light in any spot under a halide, but flow may still be an issue. It needs just enough flow to ripple the polyps when extended, so not being blasted but still good flow

 

[jeasko]

couldnt agree more with rabbut! with your ALK that low you may well be heading for a crash if something doesnt change soon, alk can sit just below the 7 but as rabbut has said it should be at the upper end of that scale!

keep us informed and good luck

 

[svirid]

Sorry guys my mistake, we use meq/L to calc Alk in Canada, its about 7 dKH

As I stated before this coral was ok with same parameters for the last 8 month apx

 

[milkton]

I havnt changed anything in the tank, light, flow had been the same for 8-12 month,
I have 28gal tank, 150W Metal Halide, Bubble coral is at the very bottom, I do have Coralia 2 and Coralia 1 in different corners of the tank pointed to the opposite sides.

Ca - 400
Alk - 2.5
Mg 1380

I have these parameters all the time. Do u think I should move it to a new spot? If yes, which one with more light? and flow?

sorry to go off topic, but man are u rich!
lol
again sorry.

 

[rabbut]

Right, the Alk is OK, so it's just flow that I'd suspect... Unless... You haven't changed halide lamps recently have you?

 

[svirid]

I havnt changed anything in the tank, light, flow had been the same for 8-12 month,
I have 28gal tank, 150W Metal Halide, Bubble coral is at the very bottom, I do have Coralia 2 and Coralia 1 in different corners of the tank pointed to the opposite sides.

Ca - 400
Alk - 2.5
Mg 1380

I have these parameters all the time. Do u think I should move it to a new spot? If yes, which one with more light? and flow?

sorry to go off topic, but man are u rich!
lol
again sorry.

: - ) not really sure what exactly do u mean by rich?

 

[svirid]

Right, the Alk is OK, so it's just flow that I'd suspect... Unless... You haven't changed halide lamps recently have you?

I have not change anything in the tank, but yesterday I have moved the bubble to the very calm corner of the tank.

I completely forgot I used to have Nano Coralia as a third pump at the center for the tank for a while, and it was giving too much flow to the bubble but it was working for about a month total and I removed it 2-3 weeks ago, after that bubble was ok.
Can it be the reason? if yes, what exactly, is it not much flow now? or it was holding up all that time and now decided to break down.

Thanks.

 

[rabbut]

I'd leave it in a fairly low-flow area, but not directly under the halide, and see if it re-inflates, even slightly. If it does, then look for an area when it isn't being plastered with light from the halide, and has just enough flow to lightly ripple the polyps when they are out. Not much else you are realistically going to be able to do for it, bar considering upping the Alk a bit...

I suppose you have zeros on Nitrite, Ammonia, Phosphate and Nitrate is as near as practically possible zero also? Do you run Phosphate remover, and if so, is there any way the dust could have got into the tank? What fish stock do you have? Some fish can bother LPS corals, so it would be good to try rule that out

All the best
Rabbut

 

[SkiFletch]

What other livestock is in the tank? Fish? Inverts?