Sinularia problems

[Rich-n-poor]

I'm having problems with my sinularia.

It started by developing some necrotic parts which continued to get worse until I cut the necrotic parts off.

I then gave it a 30 min dip in a lugol's solution of about 30 drops in a 2 gallon bucket with a power head for circulation.

the necrotic parts have not come back, but it hasnt opened in a week. I occassionally see polyups extend but the coral itself doesnt elongate as it did when I first got it.

I have tried high flow/low flow neither makes a difference. all other leathers are fine and open everything test 0 except nitrate which is less than 5 ppm. calcium 450 alk 3.2 meq/lt

all I can think of is that it demands more light than I have which is 110 watts of pc's on a 37 gallon tank.

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Stress Forum

 

[Anonymous]

You don't mention how long you have had the coral - was it doing fine for awhile then started devloping necrotic tissue or did it become necrotic fairly quickly after adding?

Usually a coral that is suffering from inadequate lighting will be fully expanded to maximize the surface area of zooxanthellae exposed to the light source. However if it has been in the aquarium for quite some time and has only rescently been closed up and not expanding then insufficient lighting could be the issue.

 

[Rich-n-poor]

<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by MickAv8r:
<strong>You don't mention how long you have had the coral - was it doing fine for awhile then started devloping necrotic tissue or did it become necrotic fairly quickly after adding?

</strong><hr></blockquote>


well it expanded fine for about 2 weeks then closed up and began to get the necrosis.

its in a area of high flow now, it has shed about 3 times in two weeks a waxy film.

actually 30 drops in a 2 gallon bucket is well within the recommended limits of lugols and it certainly cured the necrosis. my kent marine brand lugols solution says 40 drops per gallon on a 15-20 min dip.

if you check the link in my signature there is a picture of this coral fully expanded, I did have a drop in calcium to around 320 ppm when the problem started but this has been corrected for 2 weeks.

I pretty much apistia free I have 1 in the tank and no where near this coral the only thing near it is a cabbage leather which was added after the problem started.

just retested water cal 450 ppm alk 3.2 meq/lt

it just wont expand ?

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Love Advice

 

[reefhope]

More likely than not your sinularia is getting plenty of light. I kept several under 110watt pc in a 46gal bowfront. They did fine on the bottom and also about midway up in the tank.

Easy on the lugol's dips, 30 drops in 2gal is an awful lot and 30min is very long. What type of waterflow is around it? Perhaps try more current at/around it. Does it have a waxy film on it, this is normal for leathers to close once in a while then they will shed the waxy film. Good waterflow will help it shed the film.

Also check to see if it is too close to neighbors (polyps or other stinging corals). Mine was once getting stung by an aiptasia that was on a rock about 4-5 inches away.

Leathers are tough, give it time.

 

[Rich-n-poor]

UUUUUMMMMMMMM>>>>>>>>>>HELP_!!!!!!!!!!!!

ok a powerhead knocked this coral over while I was at work. I came home after a double shift to find it laying against a rock.

everywhere the coral was in contact with the rock just disintegrated when I righted the coral.

everything else in the tank is open and thriving but this one is starting to look like a goner

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ak47 photos

 

[reefhope]

Sounds like your coral may have some type of bacterial infection.

If you have a qurantine tank I suggest moving this piece to it otherwise you run the risk of the infection, if there is one, spreading to other corals.

If no quarantine then you may want to consider fragging healthy-looking areas to save what you can. I did read a post in the past that suggested squeezing a leather coral to determine if it is rotting inside. If I remember correctly if you squeeze it and goop comes out of it it is rotting, otherwise if it feels firm and nothing comes out then it is probably not rotting. If rotting, prop healthy areas and discard the rest. Good luck.

FWIW, lugols is a much more concentrated form of iodine/iodide than Kent, just be careful with it. I once gave a leather a dip in the recommended treatment ratio on the bottle of lugols. When I reintroduced the leather to my tank all other corals reacted badly quite quickly, some of them actually expelling material - perhaps coincidental but I definitely think the lugol had something to do with it. After that I never used more than 1/2 recommended dosage. HTH