Torch issue

[sdergar]

Not sure if it's sick or not but I have a torch and got it just over a month ago. The last week and a half I've noticed it doesn't extend it's tentacles all the way. Its not clamped shut but right now they only have extended say 1/4". Does this happen sometimes? Should I move it? It's in an area of med to fast flow. I have T5 HO lighting and parameters are listed below. Thanks.

Steve

Temp 80.1
Sg. 1.025
Ph 8.2
Alk 3.2
Cal 390
Ammonia 0
Nitrite 0
Nitrate 0

 

[austinsdad]

I'd try to move it to a med to medium flowarea. "Fast" has me concerned.

 

[sdergar]

Thanks Ray. It's not direct fast but the flow in that spot alternates a bit. I'll move it and see how it likes it.

Steve

 

[melosu58]

You dont want fast or heavy flow. Will cause trauma to the fleshy part causing Brown Jelly disease.

 

[sdergar]

Well the torch still has not extended it's tentacles. It eats fine when I target feed it and I've also noticed it expelling waste. I'm just wondering if it might be producing more heads? A couple of the heads aren't as round as they used to be and are more like the outline of a figure 8. Currently I have 3 sets of 2 head branches. Do torches have their heads in pairs only? Can one branch have more than two heads? Thanks Steve

Parameters:
temp 80
SG 1.025
PH 8.2
Alk 3.2
Calcium 390
Ammonia 0.0
Nitrite 0.0
Nitrate 0.0

 

[mr_X]

watch for brown jelly disease. from what little is known so far, it's a bacterial infection that plages LPS, and especially euphyllia. if you see a head start to get a brown jelly-like substance on it, cut it from the colony immediately.

the cause of this is unknown, but it is NASTY!

 

[sdergar]

Thanks Doug. I've been keeping an eye on that but no brown jelly so far. The stalks are fairly white and clear. Should I need to cut it how do I go about that? At the base of the specific head? Razor, snips, etc?

Steve

 

[Jaybird]

How close to the top of the tank is it? If it is getting a lot of light it will not expand all that much.

To frag torch coral, like hammers and frogspawn, use a pair of snips (scissors or wire snips or bone cutters) as far down the stock as possible. The base structure branches and you can cut at the base of the "Y"s. Just don't cut any living tissue.

 

[mr_X]

yep. like jaybird says.
btw, you don't want to look to the stalks. you want to look at the actual flesh. the BJD will be seen on the flesh, eventually covering it completely.