Coral loosing colour

[wendi]

I have inherited full set up 90 gallon reef tank in the last month. The fish are all doing doing great but the coral is looking bleached out. When we bought it it was bright yellow and now it appears shrunk and almost white. Pieces appear to be floating in teh tank. i believe it is a soft coral. We have other coral that died when we moved the tank and is now black. The toad stools and some other kinds (unknown to me) are all doing very well. We have been checking our water and all is fine. I have no idea how old the lights are. We have the 3 light system with blue, moon and I believe a flourescent. Could jsut needing new bulbs cause this?
Any advice would be very appreciated. I love the tank and want it to do well.

 

[Curtswearing]

WELCOME TO REEF FRONTIERS!!!

First off, I would recommend removing the black (dead) coral and throwing it away.

For the yellow coral, can you attach a picture so we can determine what type it is and additionally, see it's current state.

 

[Anthony Calfo]

I'm going to take a guess that it was dyed and is not dying. Do see my article here:

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2002-09/ac/feature/index.php

but yes... a picture please if/when you cannot provide a name (genera/species)

 

[Ed Hahn]

Thanks for teaching me somthing new!

Thanks again Anthony!
Fish and Corals too!

 

[wendi]

I have tried to get a picture but it seems my children have broke the cord for my camera. I will send the picture tomorrow!

 

[wendi]

Thank you! I almost hope that is what it is.

 

[wendi]

Picture

Here is the picture - any help would be appreciated, Thanks

 

[vaporize]

Doesn't look good at all,looks like it's completely bleached.

One question, why is it 'floating' around? Isn't it sold attached to a rock?

 

[Anthony Calfo]

Hmmm... its so badly bleached that even the dye, if it was there, is gone. My gut says this was not dyed frankly. There is no remnant pigments... just a touch of lingering zoox (zooxanthellae).

This is an Alcyoniid (family) "finger leather" coral. And it is in very bad shape. The concern here is that its polyps are too small to feed organismally and recover faster.

If you do not have a heavy fish load, or lingering nitrates... or some other source of nitrogen, this coral will slowly finish starving to death in a matter of months.

Please insure that it makes it into a tank with some nitrogen (5 ppm or so) or give it to someone that can, my friend.

You could set up a QT tank by a window and get some fertilizer (sodium nitrate) and does a little bit weekly to help the coral recover. That would be best by far and the QT tank is critically necessary for other use if you do not have one already (please understand/learn that you must quaratine every single purchase for a minimum of 30 days to avoid adding pests, predators or disease into your displays. QT everything wet... snails, corals, fishes, live rock, plants and algae... everything please)

 

[wendi]

It is attached to a rock but it just doesn't show in the picture.