Anchor coral help

Rick76

Member
I've had a lovely anchor coral specimen for about 3 months... Over the past week I have seen quite a bit dying off. There has been no change in water parameters or changes to lighting schedule.

Any recommendations? Do I trim off the dead skeleton? Any ideas would be appreciated!

Thanks!
ImageUploadedByTapatalk1454175320.868356.jpg
 

StevesLEDs

RS Sponsor
I wouldn't trim it. Just read it as a sign that it is very stressed, and if something doesn't change, it will die. Perhaps moving it to a different location in the tank, such as towards the top, could make it happier.

To say that nothing changed might not be entirely accurate. Corals thrive on consistency, so if it has done well in the past, and it is not doing well now, is a sign that something has likely changed. That exact parameter is probably something that you haven't tested for yet, that's all.

Hope that helps?

Jeff
 

Rick76

Member
Hi Jeff,
Thanks for the reply. I have changed its position to slightly higher in the tank - hopefully it will help.
I check my water parameters twice a week & they have been stable, but what you say is also true... There has to be something.
I have taken it as OK at the moment as I have a very temperamental anemone who hates change - he is looking better than ever. Typical.

Suggestion taken on board & careful change + monitoring.

Thank you! [emoji3]
 

DaveK

Well-Known Member
I've got to disagree with Jeff. It looks like your coral is about 1/2 dead. Note that there doesn't seem to be any living tissue on one side. Most likely this was damaged when collecting it or during shipping. Often to collect them a frag is broken off a larger piece. This is what seems to be the case here.

These corals have a big think heavy skeleton. To frag off the good part, you almost need a tile saw to cut through the skeleton, removing all the bad areas. If you don't normally do this, this is not a good time to start.

The next best alternative is to clean out all the dead material you can. Sometimes you can use a toothbrush to do this. Once you have that out, remove the coral and use one of the coral dips available and dip the coral according to the instructions. Then put it back into the tank, making sure it gets some good, but not excessive, water flow over the damaged section. You may want to dip it again in a couple of days.

Sometimes no matter what you do, nothing stops the coral from dying. Other times the coral can make a fantastic recovery.
 

StevesLEDs

RS Sponsor
Somehow I initially read that you had that frag for a year... so perhaps my recommendation is not the better option in this case.

DaveK +1


Jeff
 

Rick76

Member
A huge thanks to everyone's comments.... I've only had a reef for 3 years & I still feel I have only scratched the surface of what I need to know to keep all my little critters happy.
Still enjoy it though! [emoji1]
 
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