Coral? Or Hitch Hiker? Help!

[lewiss]

Hi guys,

this maybe unrelated but it's the only thing I can link.. Well let me start from the beginning!!

About a week ago I bought a toadstool coral, along with a dwarf Parrot Wrasse. My tank also had a emp cardinal in which has been there for a few weeks. Two days after the coral was introduced, and had settled in, I woke up to find my cardinal dead! I was naturally upset. I checked my water nd levels were perfect. Ph 7.8, am-0, no2-0, no3-10, temp-78'. I put his death down to bad luck. Anyway later tht night after turning the lights off, about an hour later I find my wrasse dead! Now I'm panicing!! What have I done wrong! So I test water again! Same thing. So I do a 25% water change. Things have been fine since.

So then today I realise wen I turned my lights on this morning, the toadstall had very long White shiny string like arms (about 3) which are floating above the coral. They're not part of the coral's arms, they literally look like string which has lots of strands coming off of each piece. Wen the lights go on, they retreat into the coral!! What are these?? Any ideas?? Is this part of the coral? Or a hitch hiker? Could this have killed my fish?? Do I try to remove it??

I've tried to photograph it but it's so thin it doesn't show up.

Any ideas!! I don't want to loose my clowns! Or goby!!

Could the coral have released enough calcium to ruin the water? Sorry for the 1000's of questions, just am new to this nd panic easily! I love my fish tons nd am worried for them! Thanks,

lewis

 

[sorgan]

Toadstools don't dump calcium but do 'slime' when stressed, the move to your tank would of stressed it so my guess is the strings are slime.

Now this slime isn't bad unless you have lps or sps corals and I don't imagine it could of killed a fish.
Now the death could of been one of many things such as- poor stock, disease, shock, stress etc
The death could of been caused by one (or a combination) of the reasons above, did you acclimatise the fish well?

 

[seffieuk]

Hi guys,

this maybe unrelated but it's the only thing I can link.. Well let me start from the beginning!!

the toadstall had very long White shiny string like arms (about 3) which are floating above the coral. They're not part of the coral's arms, they literally look like string which has lots of strands coming off of each piece. Wen the lights go on, they retreat into the coral!! What are these?? Any ideas??

As Sorgan said Toadstools when disturbed usually shed, which can look quiet scary when you first see it, however you say that the 'arms' retracted so my guess would be harmless worms of some sort

Is this part of the coral? Or a hitch hiker? Could this have killed my fish??

It is very unlikely that the worms could kill the fish

Could the coral have released enough calcium to ruin the water?

Corals do not release calcium into the water however they can release toxins which can kill some inhabitants, which is exactly why the corals do it! This warfare is between corals, you only have the toadstool, right? Also, are you running carbon?

Sorry for the 1000's of questions

Better to ask than be sorry

Do you have a phosphate test? If so what is the result if not, get one

Seffie x

ps sorry about your fish

 

[lewiss]

I do run carbon. I dnt have a phosphate tester though! Is tht bad? I'll get one now. Could tht have killed me fish? They both seemed really happy before they died, swimming around and had fit in nicely, ESP the cardinal.

I have three corals, a polyp, the mushroom and I think it was called a finger coral. I've just looked nd the string thing Is now on the finger coral! But I can't see a worm??! What is this thing!! I'll upload the best picture I've got of it.

Thank you for your help guys, especially u Seffie u've helped me so many times now!

Lewis

 

[seffieuk]

You are

If the stringy thing has moved and is not retracting I expect it is just mucus from the toadstool as suggested by Sorgan

All the corals you have are softies that wouldn't war against each other, so we can rule that out

Yes, you need to get a phosphate kit

Seffie x

 

[xxBarneyxx]

hmm would agree with seffie that the "stings" of from harmless worms. Do you see where the bottom of them is coming from?

Also what kind of water movement do you have in the tank? It could be a decrease in oxygen/increase in CO2 over night after the lights have gone off. Then once the lights are back on everything goes back to normal again.