Ricordia being eaten?

[lavenderfish]

Is my ric being eaten? What can I do to help this poor thing? Suggestions are quite welcome.

 

[tike]

It isn't being eaten,but it is VERY unhappy. Give us your tank params (cal,alk,no3,lighting) and we can better access the problem.


willie

 

[spongebob lover]

i agree with Willie, it seems very unhappy.
what do you have around it or close to it?
what are you water param?

 

[Anthony Calfo]

it is displaying messenterial filaments in response to stress (usually aggression or mishandling). If you have poor water quality and/or a heavy load with especially aggressive corals in the tank (green star polyps, leather corals, lots of algae such as Caulerpa, etc) you may have your answer to why you are seeing defensive signs here.

Leave the specimen in place (DO NOT move it and cause more sress)... and size up the neighbors (post a list of all species in your tank) and do a large water change for starters.

 

[lavenderfish]

amm-0
nitrite-0
nitrate-25 yup I know that's high
dkh-11.2
ca-test sheet mia

I will be doing a 5 gallon water change today and again tomorrow. I usually do a 5 gallon water change every 7-10 days in 20h with 150w MH lighting. I have an AquaC remora skimmer and an aquaclear 110 that I throw carbon in every two weeks and use the remaining space as a reverse lit chaeto refugium.

Mishandling is a suspect as I only bought this ric about two weeks ago and the 15 other rics in the tank look quite good and are reproducing.

List of species
GSP-approx 2x2 clump 6 inches away from ric in question
rics
zoas
cynarina
mushrooms
pocillapora-free throw in frag that is living in spite of all the posionous soft
corals
xenia
frogspawn
hammer

I was planning to switch the contents of the tank to a 50 gallon this week.
Should I hurry up and get this all in a greater water volume of mostly freshly made water?

The ric is starting to disintergrate. Is there any hope or should I just throw it now?

 

[Anthony Calfo]

if it really looks bad... do pull the specimen back to a quarantine tank, but be sure not to move it any more for weeks to follow so that it can stabilize (shreds often will survive and form new polyps)

 

[lavenderfish]

Does it do anything harmful to the tank as it disintegrates?

 

[Anthony Calfo]

aside form being a source of pollution... it may become infectious to other healthy creatures in the tank.

Please do read about/learn/use a quarantine tank... it is crucial, my friend to save creatures lives rather than "get rid" of them when they look weak/scary.

 

[lavenderfish]

Setting up a quarantine isn't a problem. I am just trying to weigh the trauma of moving it versus the pollution of leaving it where it is?

 

[Anthony Calfo]

if you siphon out decay and loose tissue daily, you might let it stay where it is and have the best of both worlds in this case