Please help with yellow polyps

[kng]

I have had a colony of about 25 yellow polyps for about a month now. They have slowly appeared to get darker, and some don't open anymore. I have moved them to a different location with no change in appearance. My parameters are as follows:

 

Specific Gravity………………………………...1.024

Temperature……………………………………...fluctuates 78-82

pH………………………………………………………..8.2

Ammonia…………………………………………….0 ppm

Nitrates……………………………………………….0 ppm

Nitrites………………………………………………..0 ppm

 

I have feed them flake food and shrimp pellets after their decline, hoping to help, with no avail.

 

Is there anything I should test for? Any suggestions would be GREATLY appreciated!

 

Here is one month ago:

[kng]

Here is today:

[tinyreef]

i'd stop feeding them directly. it may be that they're being irritated by opportunists like the hermit or the dottyback.

 

too much blue spectrum light will sometimes cause them to shrink back. their natural spectrum should be closer to daylight imo. the darkening may be an increase of symbiont algae in response to low usable light levels.

 

they also tend to do better with current than in slower waters ime. the polyps are still expanding so i'd rule out contaminants at this point but yellow polyps tend to react first to water conditions altho they are extremely hardy.

[Tracker]

they look like the food my peppermint shrimp loves to eat do have a pep shrimp in there

[tgrupert]

Traker you may be thinking of aptasia.

[Tracker]

yes I was thinking if a pep shrimp will eat aiptasia why wouldn't he eat those buttons, just a thought

[LiQuiD]

I had the same problem with them in my 12 gallon. I started with 30-40 polyps and now have 12 at last count. Same thing with the color. I moved them right under the light and it has slowed the death rate but I did loose one this week. I believe what Tinyreef states about the spectrum. The 12 gallon has a 50/50 bulb setup and is very blue/white, I had moved 2 polyps into a smaller tank which has 50% 6500k in it and they have turned a lighter yellow, are extended nicely, and have been doing fine for a couple weeks now. I tend to agree they are probably shallow dwellers and their symbiotic algae likes the warmer yellow daylight.

[Satchmo]

Tracker- yes, many peps will happily eat these things.

 

My experience with these guys is that they don't like direct light. Mine will begin to turn brown like this when exposed to intense light. I moved them to the corner where it's somewhat dimmer and their briliant yellow color returned.

[kng]

So do ya'll think it would be a good idea to turn off my Actinic bulb for a few days and see how it does? They are already on the buttom of the tank and partly shaded by other rocks. Thanks!

[harbingerofthefish]

Mine have been with me for about 3 weeks now, and since then have had 7-8 new polyps grow.

they sit about 1/3 the way up under a 32 watt 50/50, no shade at all. Good polyp extension, nice color, seem very healthy. They are in an area of good flow. They sit where my PH and HOB currents swirl together.

 

As tinyreef said, maybe something else in the tank is bugging them. In pic 2 there is a crab?(snail?) is that a common scene? My pods love to hang out on the polyps stems a lot. Doesn't seem to really bother them tough.

 

Mine do retract when I do water changes. Do you dose anything in the tank? Are they staying like this or do they stretch out at all?

[Satchmo]

I wouldn't turn off your actinics. That won't help the other livestock, and its certainly not a long term solution. If you want to try giving them more daylight, just move them so they're under that bulb more.

 

They're partially shaded? Maybe try giving them a little more light? My earlier comments are just the experience I've had with my colony. 'Aint nothing set in stone 'round here. From what I've seen, when a coral's color starts to brown, 90% of the time it's a lighting issue. Could be just as simple as fiddling with their placement until they're happy.

[kng]

I don't dose anything yet. Didn't want to dose if I couldn't test for it, or really knew I needed it. I just do 1 gallon water change a week.

 

That is a scarlet (red-legged) hermit crab in the pic. I wouldn't say that is typical but they certainly don't care that there are polps on the rock...I'm like "Be careful around my polps!"

 

Maybe I'll try moving them higher in the tank. I also have a 13W 4000K PC that I bought for a refugium project that I haven't started yet. Should I add this?

 

This has really got me worried. I've got $400 in this tank and only have polyps in it. I'm more worried that if I can't get polps to live, am I going to be successful with this nano-reef?!?!?!?

[newreefers]

they like a lot of light, take them out of the shade and give them more light, they should do much better.

[LiQuiD]

I wouldn't put anything under 5000k over the tank. 4000k is very yellow and leans towards a red spectrum that will start a nice algae bloom since they love the color of that bulb. It is only 13 watts though and may not hurt, hmm, what the hay, give it a try. But also try moving them around to different areas with different light intensities and or current flow.

[kng]

I have moved them to the upper half of the tank. They seem to be doing a little better.

 

Exactly how much should they be moving in the current? I may not have enough water flow.

[MacnReef]

I keep my ysp almost directly under a 88K pc bulb. They are about 6" from the water surface and they are doing great!