is it dead?

I got a finger leather about 4 days ago but it looks really bad it looked fine when i got it from the shop but since i have put it in my tank its been completely flat! my paras are all ok. I have had a better look and it looks like the wheeit attached to the rock it looks like its wasing away.
Hummm is it dead should i take it out?
K

 

Hi again, yes, as we touched on earlier, the Corals are going to have a difficult time in a cycling tank. Some better LFS will take your Coral back and hold them in a tank for you until the cycle is complete. Be up front with them about your situation. If that is not an option, make sure there is adequate flow for the corals to be able to orient themselves. Also as dicussed in the other post, work on your parameters.

 

lfs store wont take finger back. do you think its dead or how can you tell? thanks

 

Hmm... I'm afraid your leather finger is really in bad shape. if I were you I would try to frag it! However, suggestion with taking it to LFS could still work!

 

cant take it back.....Frag it??????
K

 

wait, you put this coral into a cycling tank? If so, fragging it wont help because you will just put the frags back into the uncycled tank. What are you parameters? and what type of lighting do you have?

 

my tank is cycled! and has been for 2 months.
my params are all normal apart from nitrate is 20, but amm is o so is nitite
KTank is 3 & half months old , 68 gallon 30inch deep
has 1 405 fluvale filter with live rock rubble filter media
1 fluvale 305 with pho remover , carbon nitrate remover
coral sand bottom,
vector (the biggest noe they sell) uv sterilzer,
octopus dual Bh 300 hang on skimmer
over 40KG live rock
4 x T-8 lighting 20 watt in whites & blues , pink
i x heater
1 pwer head for flow ( i have the 2 outlets from the filters one at the top to add air and 1 about half a foot down in the water)
1 tunze stream flow pointing down the tank from the top which did help at first with the rusty algea but then i added the two leathers so had to point it near them!

Stock :
2 peppermint shrimp
1 cleaner shrimp
2 clowns
1 scooter blennie
1 sand sifting star
1 sand sifting snail
2 turbos small
2 bumble bee snails
1 leather toadstool
1leather finger
1 button palp
1 rido mushroom
1x blue coloured mushroom rock cluster

params
ammo :0
nitrite :0
Nitrate: 20 (am tryin to lower at the mo)
phosphate was o.25 (but i added more pho remover and have not tested since)
Ph 8.1-8.3 never changes really
calcium was very high 550 about 2 weeks ago

I do 35 liter water changes every other sunday which i use a gravel syphon to stur up the sand at the bottom off the tank which im now not to sure if thats good to do or not!
I used tap water with tectra tap purifier as our water is quite good here but have now got a ro machine to swich to which i started to do on my last water change.

 

Hi, no, it doesn't look dead, just stressed and needs more flow. Leathers need moderate to strong flow over/to them. The reason I and others keep saying you have a cycling tank is because the tank isn't fully cycled. It will go through months of adjusting and "cycling". When beginners (2 years and less) read the parameter tests and get the initial "good" numbers they think the cycle is complete when in essence only the first phase of the cycling process has been attained. Increase the flow to the Finger. After looking at your pic, try also moving it to the floor of the tank to see if that helps.

 

Ok, thanks for the advice it really is a help as the shop i buy from said it would be fine, they even miss sold me a carpet anemone which after iding i insisted they take back but they kept going on about how i was being silly and that my tank lighting (4 T-8 in 30 inch deep tank) for more then fine for it! They did take it back in the end but they made out i was being over the top! made me fell really bad really but i reserched and new that they were not being truthfull. So this forum & my own reserch is all i really have!
Anyway ill stop rabbiting on.... I to my param 2day could you let me Know if theys are all ok they have stayed at this for the past 3 months:
salin : 0.024
Amoni : 0
Nitrite : 0
nitrate: 20
kh 12 drops = 120mg?
Calcium 27-28 drops = 540
ph : between 8.1-8.3 (find it hard to read one or the other!)
My test kit is hagen master test kit and also has phops & iron but i didnt test them. Is ther any others i should be testing?
Thanks again,
K

 

Hi Kiarah, I know at times it can all seem a little overwhelming! You're cool. Parameters look great. Nitrate at 20 and under is the goal but don't obsess over the "zero Nitrate" thing. My 55 gal had 20-40 for months in the beginning and is now zero but the 14 gal biocube has been at 20 since day 1 and is still there. You should be checking for Magnesium as that is a co-adjunct to Calcium as Alkalinity is to PH. A phosphate test is a good idea also. Come on......keep your chin up! You are doing o.k.