Green Favia brain coral help

[pugpops]

hi everybody! i just became a member of Aquarium advice yesterday and i wanted to know if you guys could help me... i have a 120 gallon saltwater tank that just started a couple or more months ago. i have a green favia brain coral that is on the bottom of the tank and somewhat on live rock. so its touching sand and rock! but anyway.. it appears that it's 'peeling' its skin and turning brown! is it dying? thanks

 

[melosu58]

Moved to Sick coral forum.

 

[Sniperhank]

What are your current tank parameters? What kind of lighting do you have over your tank? How much flow is in your tank?

 

[pugpops]

i checked with my local saltwater aquarium store and they said everything (temp., calcium, magnesium, etc.) was perfect except i still needed to add some pH buffer weekly and normally... and i have the best lighting system around! i have the Aquaillumination LED system and the light changes daily representing morning, day, and night with "white" lights, "blue" lights, and "royal" lights. and for flow i have a VorTech MP40. but, with that said, the powerhead is on the opposite side of which my green favia coral is on. so i doubt it's getting a lot of flow... any advice with that?

 

[kdpuffer]

My first thought is it's getting to much light, LEDs are powerful and most coral has to be acclimated to them. Favia are typically a bottom coral that need med-low light and medium flow. I would suggest turning down your LEDs if you can or you need to find something to "shade" the favia. You may also want to add some more flow but I think the main thing right now is the lighting. It's a nice coral so hopefully it will bounce back.

 

[reefrunner69]

My first thought is it's getting to much light, LEDs are powerful and most coral has to be acclimated to them. Favia are typically a bottom coral that need med-low light and medium flow. I would suggest turning down your LEDs if you can or you need to find something to "shade" the favia. You may also want to add some more flow but I think the main thing right now is the lighting. It's a nice coral so hopefully it will bounce back.

All that as may be, the coral appears possibly to have a brown jelly infection. Use some airline tubing and siphon off the dead tissue. You will probably want to do a Lugols dip, or a freshwater dip to kill the bugs (protozoans, I think), then follow the above advice. If memory serves, brain corals like indirect light, so maybe place it under an overhang.

Prior to following this advice, look up the treatment and identification for a brown jelly infection I am doing this from memory and a picture and I haven't had a coral with brown jelly in about 15 years.

 

[pugpops]

thanks a ton for the help! i talked with my local saltwater aquarium store and they will dip it for me. and i will also place it out of direct light and into a better place in the aquarium.