lost torch

[spectoriep]

I have a 120 gal reef incorporating the miracle mud filter system. My tank is very stable and all of my fish and corals are healthy. I placed a torch coral in my tank about two weeks ago. All seemed fine for the first 6 days. Then I noticed about ½ of the coral’s polyps did not open. I moved the coral thinking it was getting two much current. Within the next week almost all of the polyps have disappeared. What do you think caused this? I have a hammer in my tank that is doing great and I know that these corals are in the same family.

Thanks for your comments.

Mark

[Chuck S]

Well so all is too late for this latest addition it sounds like. An answer to this one you may not like as it is quite ambiguous. If everything indeed is al right with your main tank then it narrows the answer down to about a dozen variables. Sometimes even though they look healthy and there is no apparent cause after you buy the animal they waste away. This could be by shipping damage or a fungal infection(not seen when bought). It could be from shock to your system as some corals are already weakened from transportation and are being held alot of times in substandard condition at LFS tanks.

I highly would suspect that it did not like something checmically in your water. Whether the PH was too high or the organic load too high. Also what is the lighting like? It could also be shocked from all the light? With the animal only being in your tank two weeks I would not worry to much. I do not think there is a reefer out there who has not felt this pain sometime in their hobby. I in my infancy of caring for critters I loved Elegance Coral(Cataphyllia jardinea). I even tried keeping one twice but both wasted away. Now as a result I never tried cared for one again even though now I have heads of SPS corals the size of softballs and some the size of basketballs. But then again that is my burden. I know not to try again as I do not like to see something waste away. Thats the thing about this hobby is we learn and grow.

I guess the main thing to ask since I can only assume is that is he only closed or is he wasting away??