What's wrong with this Scolymia???

[reverendmaynard]

I've had this scolemia for about 9 months now, and have seen somewhat of a steady decline. The first symptom I think I noticed was a gaping of the mouth, accompanied by mesanterial filaments indside the mouth, starting about 6 months ago. There's also some deterioration of the tissue surrounding the mouth. About 2 months ago or so, I saw what I thought was a small rock lodged inside the mouth. I got some tweezers and tried to pull the rock out, but before I applied much pressure at all, the "rock" broke open revealing what appeared to be sand and other debris inside. I kind of waved the loose material around, but didn't go digging around in there to get it all out (remember, I thought I was pulling out a pebble, not performing exploratory surgery ). So, for the past 2 weeks or so, I started seeing what kind of looked like a black pebble in the mouth. A couple of days ago, I got out the trusty tweezers again and poked at the "rock". It was actually more like a sack of tissue, enclosing who knows what, so I stopped before piercing the sack. Today the sack had ruptured, exposing what again looks to be a pile of sand and debris.

This first picture is with the black sack intact (apologies for the dirty glass and actinic lighting )

And this one after the sack had burst...

Any ideas what the problem is, or what I can do about it?

Thanks for all the help.

 

[Anthony Calfo]

this deep water LPS is extremely hungry by nature... they require near daily target feeding. Else the slowly stave to death and show symptoms in 8-12 months typically. Yours sounds classic (starvation).

The messenterials are a further indication of duress and likely a noxious neighbor or overall poor water quality (accumulated effects of alleopathy from other corals from weak monthly water changes or less often... little or no carbon/ozone use, etc)

All in all... the effects of flaws in husbandry over time.

 

[reverendmaynard]

Thanks Anthony.

I run carbon 24/7, as well as 10% wcs every other week, and have never noticed any difference in the coral after changing carbon or water.

I do try to feed it often, but since this problem developed it hasn't been able to eat much, what with the strange growth/debris right in it's mouth. It may may be ingesting very small foods, like flake, but if I feed it a piece of silverside or a mysis shrimp it tries to engulf it but eventually gives up. What, if anything, should I do about this blockage of the mouth area?

 

[Anthony Calfo]

very good to hear about the carbon... and pending the bioload, the water changes may need stepped up (read: 90% of all other noxious matter is left behind each week and accumulates)

Nothing to do about the blockage. I strongly suspect its part of the animal. Anything else that came in could easily be pushed out.

Attrition is often evidenced by the gaping and sight of odd "structures" inside. Without feeding this coral mysids and like-sized zooplankton substitutes (meaty) several times weekly or better... they just starve slowly from a daily deficit (however small that may be) in feeding.

Starved corals need several weeks of training to get back into a feeding rhythm. Place a tiny bit (1/8th teaspoon or less) of thawed mysids on this coral at the same time every night for 2-3 weeks. If done faithfully... you will see normal feeding resume. And within 2-3 months the coral will look amazing I promise you.

 

[reverendmaynard]

Thanks for the advice Anthony. Will try to ramp up the feeding.

 

[Spracklcat]

I have a Scolymia that had been doing poorly as well (mostly through not enough feeding; my own fault). What made a tremendous difference for me is feeding the tank small zooplankton-substitutes 15 minutes before mysis or other small frozen food. The zooplankton (cyclop-eeze, Coral Frenzy, another dried substitute) helped key the coral int hat food was on the way, so it starts extending feeding tentacles. Plus, if it is not eating mysis, it can still get some nutrition from the tiny foods. The scolymia I have has never looked as full and lush as it has since I started the zooplankton.

good luck!

Christine

 

[reverendmaynard]

Thanks. My biggest problem is keeping the tankmates from eating the food before the coral can fully ingest it. I've started using a feeding hat made from the top of a 2 liter bottle to keep the shrimp and fish away. The only problem is, if this works and the coral rebounds and gets any bigger, it won't fit in the bottle anymore! :lol: