Trumpet coral polyp growing or dying?

[jimv]

I am new to keeping coral. I just purchased a single polyp Trumpet coral from the LFS. It has a second polyp off to the side, is the 2nd one growing or dying?

 

[reefguy]

Looks to me as it is recessing. Not growing.

 

[jimv]

That's probably why they sold it to me as a single, I did not know at the time how they split in two. Any chance of it recovering?

 

[reefguy]

Ya u can frag it off pretty easy. Just need some good needle nose and just break it off at the base of the dead one.

 

[SubRosa]

Leave it alone! Caulastrea can recede to the point of having only a little spot of live tissues and recover nicely. And even if it dies, unless it gets brown jelly or some such pathogen, it shouldn't affect the healthy polyp.

 

[Putt]

I had six heads that looked like your sick one, 30 days later, with good water quality and spot feeding I have eight heads that are fully expanded, touching each other and becoming a tight cluster.
Putt

 

[jimv]

I had six heads that looked like your sick one, 30 days later, with good water quality and spot feeding I have eight heads that are fully expanded, touching each other and becoming a tight cluster.
Putt

What are you feeding them?

 

[Putt]

Something different each feeding (every other day), Omega One Frozen Oyster Eggs, Rod`s Original Blend, Reef Cleaners no name filter food, Mysis, Cyclop-eeze.

 

[reefguy]

Sorry I have never seen one do that. Normally the ones I have seen that look like that are dying. Normally don't u see tissue around the skeleton? Don't see any just in the center.

I have had some Candy Canes recover but not when the tissue around te outside is gone. Just my 2 cents.

 

[HUNTER1]

I had 5 heads on two branches, two of them turned blacked and had to cut them. One thing I don't like about them, they're night feeder. You have to wait until they extend their tentacles after lights out.

 

[Brandon78]

I can tell you from experience, leave it lol. I bought one that had 2 completely "dead" skeletons. One started growing a few weeks ago, and the other a few days ago. Ive had it for a few months. If you think it looks ugly, turn it around and wait, im not guaranteeing it, but mine did.

 

[Brandon78]

I feed mine mysis or brine, depending what I have stocked

 

[BLADEYAMAHA]

Its definitely dying, I've not had good luck with trumpet corals in my tank, but now that the HA is under control, I need to do more research on how to properly keep them, it obviously isn't happening naturally in my tank, but everything else is fine, EXCEPT for all the Freakin' Aiptasia in my tank.

Found some Aiptasia eating Peppermints on Aquarium Fish: Tropical Freshwater Fish and Saltwater Fish for Home Aquariums not all Peppermint shrimp eat Aiptasia.

 

[Choff]

My trumpets do that all the time. They look like they are shriveled and dying, but they never do. I do find they tend to that when they are splitting, which mine has done a lot in the 4 months I have had it.

I have also moved mine all over the tank, it has probably fallen into the sand a dozen times, I dropped a large rock out the other day while I was rescaping. Never lost a head.

It's not the best looking trumpet, maybe the ugly ones are hardier?

In any case I would leave it be. If the other head starts to go south, try moving it to another spot with either more or less flow.

I move my corals around all the time until they find happy place.


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[jimv]

Maybe its just wishful thinking but I think he is starting to come out a bit more:

Also my PH is a bit low (7.9) and my KH is at 143.2-161.1 (can't tell with my test kit) but my calcium is at over 520. Should I add a buffer and if so what do you use?

 

[reefguy]

Very possible. I hope it works out man!

 

[Brandon78]

Phone pics, but here is mine. Mine looked way more dead than yours. No polyp at all, complete skeleton when I bought it, now there is a nice size head growing.

 

[Brandon78]

Is the small one in the middle bottom

 

[jimv]

Phone pics, but here is mine. Mine looked way more dead than yours. No polyp at all, complete skeleton when I bought it, now there is a nice size head growing.

Awesome looking Trumpet. I feel encouraged. I fed the big one today and he eagerly accepted my offering, the little one did not.

 

[Brandon78]

Thank you, I love it. I dont feed the little one really, ive tried but dont know if it really got anything.