what should i do to revive this?

[darklight2ooo]

well it seems that one of my corals is withering away... im not sure what i can do to save it. i have a 12 gallon tank, protein skimmer, my light is a 120 vac 60 hz. i have been doing water changes. any ideas? there are some before photos and after. or maybe this is normal?

 

[Krish]

How long has the tank been up before adding the corals? The reason I ask is because it looks like you are going through an algae cycle which is usually associated with new tanks or those that haven't quite matured yet. If this is the case, then corals shouldn't particularily shouldn't be added until the tank has matured which may be the reason for the decline of the coral. Just an assumption though... Let us know a bit about your tank so we can know how to help

 

[darklight2ooo]

well i had the tank running with no life for about 3 weeks. then i added the live rock and i was luck enough to get some live rock with the coral already attached otherwise i would have waited. the live rock has been in for about 2 weeks it came pre cured. thats where things sit now.

 

[Krish]

Yeah...You are basically just cycling now and thus the reason the coral isn't doing so well. Have you tested your ammonia, nitrite and nitrate levels? The first 2 are very toxic and at this early in the cycling process, depending on the condition of the rock and how much die-off you may have experienced/are experiencing etc, chances are your tank may not be ready for much livestock yet. I'd test to see where everything is at, but most definately, too early to have corals right now IMO

 

[darklight2ooo]

is there anything i can do to make sure my corals live through this stage?

 

[Krish]

Not really. You need to allow your tank to cycle which during this time, the necessary beneficial batceria will populate your rock/tank which will be responsible for converting very toxic ammonia produced by waste, die-off, rotting food etc into less-toxic nitrite and then into even less toxic nitrates. This is what happens during the cycling period. During this time while you are reading traces of ammonia and nitrite, you shouldn't have any livestock in there. Some people will toss in a very very hardy damsel fish during this time to help with the cycle, but some prefer not to. Corals on the otherhand shouldn't be exposed to it at all. Now once your tank has dropped off all traces of ammonia and nitrite and you start reading just nitrates, you still shouldn't add in any corals. While fish can tolerate pretty high levels of nitrates, corals don't do so well. It is recommended that you wait it out until you aren't reading any traces of nitrates which will happen when the necessary bacteria resposible for converting nitrates into nitrogen gas populate/colonize your rock etc. It took my tank 1 year to get to this point. Some tanks take less time while others could take longer. At this point and so early in the cycling process, there's not much you can really do, but take things slow, remove any livestock (ie corals) and allow your tank to mature. Just muy 2 cents

 

[darklight2ooo]

where would i put my corals? i dont have a tank that is fully cycled yet so should i just put them in a heated tank with a light nothing but the corals? i have a little 5 gallon tank i could put them into for the time being. how would i go about removing them from the live rock they came on?

During this stage would it also be good to get some clean up crew going on? hermits and snales?

 

[Krish]

I would personally either put them in an established tank or take them to a LFS. Corals don't just need a tank void of ammonia, nitrite and nitrates, but they also require a certain amount of calcium, magnesium, alk as well as proper ph, salinity, temp all within balance and not fluctuating much. Just popping it in a seperate tank won't just help if the requirements aren't met. Also, some corals require a lot of flow and a food source other than just lighting...

About the cleanup crew, I'd wait it out a bit. You want the tank to cycle out a bit first. HAve you checked your ammonia, nitrite and nitrate levels yet to see where you are sitting?

 

[darklight2ooo]

i was going to go get them checked today but it got to late ill be going to get them check probably Friday. as for water changes is 10% enough at this point or do i need to be doing more?

excuse my lack of knowledge but was is a LFS - live fish store?

if you take them to a live fish store will they house them till i could plant it back into my tank? does that cost money?

 

[Krish]

Where water changes are concerned, it all depends on your parameters now. If you are still reading ammonia or even nitrites, then you want to wait it out a bit on the water changes. The whole idea behind cycling is allowing the necessary bacteria to grow to support your system. You don't really want to dilute anything during this time but allow the tank to do it's thing. However, it all depends on what your readings are now so once you get the test results, then you can know where to go from there.

AS for LFS, yeah...It's a local fish store. I'm not sure if they will keep the coral for you until you are ready for it. I guess you'll have to ask. The worse part about having someone keep your coral is the chance of it possibly getting parasites etc which could be transferred back into your tank so be careful what you do. I always like the option of putting it in a friends tank who's you are familiar with. That way, you know it will be taken care of properly and also, it limits your chances of transferring something bad back into your tank