hammer coral dying... (1 Viewer)

[rxonco]

I've got a hammer coral that is slowly starting to fade away. It started with just the very end of the "S" shape of the base. The polyps just stopped coming out of that spot. Well, in the last two days, it seems to be steadily spreading. Making its way up the "S" about a 1/2" per day. The rest of the coral seems to be doing fine. The opposite end has had its polyps extended and still looks great. Is there a way I might be able to save this guy? Maybe somehow separating the bad side from the good?

I tested all of my water parameters last night. Everything is normal, nothing has changed any. All of the other corals in the tank are doing fine.

What should I do.

 

[Cakepro]

I would just make sure it has nice flow and watch & wait. There's really nothing you can do unless you want to try to save the unaffected portion by cutting away the bad part. You'll need a good hacksaw if you choose that route.

~ Sherri

 

[rxonco]

Ouch! A hacksaw...
I think I'll just go with the watch and wait.

At what point should I call it quits out of concern for the rest of the tank. I just don't want a rotting coral poisoning the rest of the tank.

 

[Cakepro]

That is such a tough call. Just yesterday I talked to a friend in the hobby who thought her rose anemone was dead. She put it in the toilet and then saw it move. She removed it from the toilet, rinsed it in RO water, and put it back in her tank. The damn thing not only lived but it split, and now she has two!! LOL

I guess the point of the story is that you never know if your coral is just shrunken deep within its skeleton for whatever reason but will recover or if it's a goner and should be removed so its decomposition doesn't pollute the tank. A picture would be very helpful. Also, if you see it covered in a gelatinous mound of brown jelly, that's a baaaaad sign.

Wish I could help more,
Sherri

 

[Guest]

gelatinous mound of brown jelly

I assume you're not refering to apple butter, cause that's good!

I didn't sleep well last night and now I can't keep myself from being silly

 

[rxonco]

I gave it a little more flow and it seemed to do better. I've not noticed much more progression since. Thanks for the advice...hopefully it has weathered the storm.