Orange Plate Coral, Help

[Scruffy_77]

Hi All,

 

Looking for some advise, on Saturday I bought a new stunning Orange plate coral to add to my nano reef... it was the best in the LFS by a long shot and also the most expensive. 

It looked great all through yesterday, however today the coral tissue seems to have receded and now showing its skeleton. 

 

Before I note my water, there is one other factor I should mention - yesterday I did re-scape my live rock which meant moving things round. I took out my corals whilst doing so.. although when I lifted the plate out, I did notice a film of like mucus it had seems to have covered itself in - this did come off, no idea if this is bad thing/good thing or what that was. 

 

All other Corals have been looking great today, the torch is out, the hammerhead, the star polyps, Xenia, Green Polyp and my Duncan... just the plate looks sad. 

 

Mag: 1300

Calk:   400

PH: 8

Nitrate: 0

Nitrite: 0

Phosphate: 0

Salinity: 1.026

Temp: 27 degrees. 

Ammonia: 0

Alk: I am not sure... my salifert test kit run out a while back and I have not bought another. Not had any issues with Alk so I am thinking I need to do this. 

Lights: AI Prime HD, (David Saxby Settings)

 

Could the move from the LFS, then out the next day during aquascaping have caused it to get upset? Does it look like its just shut up or heading to meet its maker? All my other coral's seem as happy as ever. The only thing right now is my Alk which for the first time has worried me, but wouldn't all the other corals be showing signs if it were this?

 

Any thoughts, ideas or suggestions would be really appreciated. 

 

 

 

Thanks!

[Clown79]

It's looking rough. Was it puffy with tentacles extended in store? If not it wasn't in good shape to start.

 

Yes all the changes will cause it a longer time to acclimate. 

 

It needs to be in moderate flow and light.

It likes to be fed. Place mysis on it, not it's mouth. It pulls the food to itself.

 

Alk l is the most important parameter, especially for lps and sps.

[Scruffy_77]

Cheers!

 

It was looking perfect at when I bought it home, and it looked perfect throughout the first day, it all receded after my aquascaping on the Sunday, and just went downhill after that - I suppose in hindsight I should have left my scaping until it had a week or so to acclimatise, I think I made a school boy error here. It still has its flesh as I can see all the orange below the skeleton on all segments - is it possible it can pull through at this stage?

 

Ill head out today and get an Alk kit... My PH does look low this morning which is strange from last night although I understand PH is always lower in the morning. I'll keep the window open to get some fresh o2 in the room today also.

 

Thanks for the mysis tip. 

 

 

[Tamberav]

It can pull through, I had a green one that looked pretty grim and it came back. 

 

Worth noting, sometimes when these plate corals die, or seem to die for no reason, SOMETIMES they end up turning into a million little baby plate corals. I would keep the skeleton for that reason just in case. 

 

Check out this thread: http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1871075

 

[Scruffy_77]

Yeah I had read that! I shall certainly keep it in there if doesn't make it. Appreciate the feedback that your's made it, feeling slightly nauseous as it cost me near a £100 so that has given me some hope! I do find Nano's very hard to keep in perfect condition for mixed reef's but two years on I am not far off.

 

I had a green candy cane about six months ago which did a polyp bailout, I think my chemistry was out although everything else seemed fine. Both heads left the skeleton but they are still in there today free floating and glowing green... I really thought they would die without their skeleton, certainly left me confused.

[Scruffy_77]

So tested my ALK, its at a steady 8... I think this is OK?

[WV Reefer]

Just give it time and keep offering foods.... I was shocked at how much they like to eat. 

[Scruffy_77]

Cheers, I shall keep doing so. Does look like there is more life in it today than yesterday so perhaps I had just pissed it off - at least I hope that's the main reason