Alveopora help

[Nelsonius]

It's time for me to bother everyone again for some advice. Two weeks ago I bought an alveopora from my LFS. It was in their tank for 2 weeks and doing well. I put it in mine after acclimating and it almost immediately opened up. It's been in mine for 2 weeks. It seemed happy. I seemed happy. Everyone seemed happy. I thought "cool...I like it!" Four days ago I changed 20 gallons in my 75g tank. The next day it opened up 3/4 of the way. Two days ago it didn't open. It's still not open, and I think "not cool".

I got the water tested to make sure. No ammonia, nitrites or nitrates. Salinity is 1.024. Kh = 11.0, Ca = 440, temp = 69 degrees. LFS people said something was missing that was there before to upset it. Add trace chemicals ie. iodine and strontium, etc. My cabbage leather was upset too. All shriveled and greyish-pink. Ten minutes after dosing, the leather "shed" the film and is now back to normal. I thought the water change would have supplied enough chemicals for at least a week in my lightly stocked tank. Any advice would help. Thanks in advance. By the way, I don't know if it is coincidence or not, but my yellow tang I have had for three years died three days ago also. I got him out. He didn't look diseased, but was always active and slim no matter how much he ate (looked like a starving third world country tang). LFS said "coincidence".

[Reefland]

I'm guessing that you meant your temp is 79 correct?

Trying to narrow the space here a bit, what else do you have in the tank besides the deceased tang and cabbage leather? Notice anything abnormal from anything else? Are you sure what you purchased was an Alveopora and not Goniopora (Alveopora has 12 tentacles and Goniopora has 24)?

[Nelsonius]

I'm guessing that you meant your temp is 79 correct?

Trying to narrow the space here a bit, what else do you have in the tank besides the deceased tang and cabbage leather? Notice anything abnormal from anything else? Are you sure what you purchased was an Alveopora and not Goniopora (Alveopora has 12 tentacles and Goniopora has 24)?

Sorry, the temp is 76. Pretty sure it is an alveopora. It has 12 tentacles on each "arm" and glows green under actinic. I also have some colony polyps, 9 orange ricordea on a rock, yellow polyps, a dragon goby, a "coral beauty", 10 mexican turbos, 10 atreas (?) snail, and 10 blue leg hemits I added today. Everything else seems very happy. The coral beauty seems a little more agressive lately, but that is about it.

[tatuvaaj]

I agree with the LFS workers that the tang death was probably a coincidence.

In my experience many "LPS" corals can occasionally close up for a day or so but more than that does indicate IMHO a some kind of irritation (for example some fish nipping the polyps).

After you changed the water, did other corals close up or produce excessive slime? Maybe the salt was not completely dissolved (corals just hate undissolved salt grains) and it just takes the Alveopora longer time to recover... ?

[Nelsonius]

[QUOTE=tatuvaaj]I agree with the LFS workers that the tang death was probably a coincidence.

The yellow polyps, zooanthids, and orange ricordea didn't reopen fully (original size) till the next day. The cabbage leather and alveopora opened within an hour. The next day the cabbage and alveopora began closing and the others looked great. The next day they were both closed fully. I added the chemicals about 5 hrs after the lights were on and within 10-15 minutes the cabbage began opening up and getting rid of a slime coat. No change in the alveopora. The others didn't give off any noticable slime though.

I guess there could have been some salt crystals. I had the water mixed and aerating for about 6 hours before changing. I wonder if that coral beauty fish is pecking at the alveopora. I have't ever seen him do it, but that means little.

[tatuvaaj]

I wonder if that coral beauty fish is pecking at the alveopora. I have't ever seen him do it, but that means little.

It is certainly a possibility

[Nelsonius]

It is certainly a possibility

I gave him a big meal tonight, so hopefully he'll leave the coral alone long enough to come back out. If it is him and I catch him he might have to go back to the LFS after 3 years. Hopefully, it is just upset about something and will come back out though. Thanks Tatuvaaj for the fish suspicion. I would be grateful to hear any and all theories on my problem. Thanks in advance.

-Nelson

[kevinpo]

The Alveopora species of coral have a very low long term survival rate in the home aquarium and should not be collected IMO. They are very similar to Goniopora sp. in that respect. The normal progression is less and less polyp extension over a period of 6-12 months followed by slow tissue recession for another 3-6 months then eventual death. In your case I think it's too early yet to be seeing these effects yet but rather something irritating the coral (like a inhabitant in the tank).

Regards,
Kevin

[Nelsonius]

I am going to keep a closer eye on it today. I just started turning on the lights. Under the actinics I can see the bright green tentacles in the recesses. I couldn't see those yesterday. I will be watching that pygmy angel to see if it is nipping. Hopefully today is a turnaround day. I should have read a little more before buying an alveopora, I guess. I was told at the LFS they were pretty easy to keep. If it gets better today, I'll post an update.

Can anyone recommend any LPS or SPS species to a beginner/intermediate? How about frogspawn, a tongue coral, xenia, or anything like that? For lighting I've got 2x 10k 65w, 2x 65w actinic, 2x 10k 55w, and 2x 55w actinic. Thanks so much kevinpo, reefland, and tatuvaaj. Thanks to everyone else too in advance.

-Nelson