Help!

JY13131 · 08-16-2006, 04:33 PM

It looks like someone has been chomping on the stony part of my torch coral. I have all soft corals and a mandarin goby, cleaner shrimp, basslet and cardinal fish. I already took out a ginormous bristle worm and I actually did find him first because I saw him doing that (Probably in an attemt to get to soft noughouty inside!). But I am pretty sure he is gone. Is it possible another one in there doing it?

Wiskey · 08-16-2006, 04:55 PM

This is an LPS coral, so you might get more help in the LPS section, or General reef discussion.

When you do post it there you might want to include all the water peramiters you test for, flow, tank size, and lighting, this info will help us help you.

Whiskey

Geoff · 08-16-2006, 08:03 PM

could you post a pic? do you have an urchin in the tank? not sure what you mean by the stony part of the coral. the stony part is all dead and not important to the fleshy part on top.

G~

JY13131 · 08-16-2006, 08:05 PM

I do not have a pic. The fleshy part (polyps?) are fine. It is the stoney structure it sits in that seems to be deteriorating. Can that part be regenerated? Where does that part come from anyway?

Geoff · 08-16-2006, 08:23 PM

as the fleshy part grows it deposits the skeleton. they just grow up. this is how they are fragged. you just break off one of the branches and the coral will keep growing. every now and then the polyps will start to split. these split polyps will then keep growing away from each other leaving a new branch.

not sure what could be eating the skeleton. not much likes to eat just calcium carbonate. as long as the fleshy part is not near the deteriorating part you should be fine.

G~

JY13131 · 08-16-2006, 08:54 PM

I recently moved my tank when I moved homes, and i bet it got a little crunched at some point. Thanks, I feel better.

chandlerchris · 08-16-2006, 09:05 PM

either that or a parrotfish! lol