Help ID this growth on my torch

[HeiHei29er]

I'm quickly losing my torch and may just pull it tomorrow.

There is an unknown growth on the side of my torch. I originally thought it was a new head popping out, but I don't think so anymore.

This torch started as a two branch with a head at each end.
http://i871.photobucket.com/albums/ab279/turbulence_2010/Aquarium%20031713/IMG_18641024x683_zps8d90b32b.jpg

However, I lost the left side branch shortly after this photo. There was a growth of some kind at the base of the coral (you can barely see it as a dark spot with white edges just above where it's mounted to the rock), and head just wilted away over a 4-5 day period until there was nothing left. I split the branches and remounted the right side because it was still healthy.

I noticed this growth over the last 4-5 weeks. It started about the size of a pencil eraser and is now about the size of a dime. I've also seen it "retract" or close a couple of times when disturbed. Here's a picture of the torch now and a close up of the growth.

Any ideas?

Thanks in advance.

http://i871.photobucket.com/albums/ab279/turbulence_2010/IMG_20211024x683_zpsb706d541.jpg

http://i871.photobucket.com/albums/ab279/turbulence_2010/IMG_2021_21024x972_zpsf0da0672.jpg

[Tom@HaslettMI]

That's a hitchhiker clam... totally harmless. Try moving the coral to see if it does better. Torches need low flow and low to moderate light. My guess is it is getting too much of one or both where you currently have it.

Tom

[dputt88]

it may be a chiton, some of them eat algae, others may eat coral.

[MizTanks]

That's a hitchhiker clam... totally harmless. Try moving the coral to see if it does better. Torches need low flow and low to moderate light. My guess is it is getting too micj pf both where yoi have it.

Tom

micj pf?? Short for Miller Time? ;)


Sent from my iPhone 4s using Tapatalk

[Tom@HaslettMI]

micj pf?? Short for Miller Time? ;)


Sent from my iPhone 4s using Tapatalk

Nope... Short for "fat fingers on an iPhone keyboard"! I fixed my earlier post.

Tom

[HeiHei29er]

That's a hitchhiker clam... totally harmless. Try moving the coral to see if it does better. Torches need low flow and low to moderate light. My guess is it is getting too much of one or both where you currently have it.

Tom

Thanks for the input.

Does that go for all euphyllias or are torches the most sensitive to it? I really struggle with "low" or "high" flow. What does that really mean? :)

Here's a video that has the torch in it. I think it's low flow, but I may be way off base. This was the flow when the first head died. I've changed it since then, but it's not much different.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_f4hmoxaU0s

Thanks again for the help.

---------- Post added at 11:40 AM ---------- Previous post was at 11:39 AM ----------


it may be a chiton, some of them eat algae, others may eat coral.

I may have to pop it off just to be sure...

[dputt88]

your flow description is spot on IMO.

[Tom@HaslettMI]

That amout of flow looks great for the torch. Another thought is light shock. I lost a whole colony of torch coral back in 2000 when I switched all of my VHO bulbs at the same time. The colony was several years in my care. Is this a newer coral? What type of lighting do you have?

Tom

[HeiHei29er]

I have mostly T5HO with one strip of DIY Steve's LEDs.

It was about 2 months in my care. I lost the first head after about a month, and sadly, lost the other one today. When the lights came on this morning, there were no tentacles left in the head above the bi-valve. The other head is not doing any better than in the photo above.

UPDATE: Pulled it last night and it was definitely septic. The bi-valve was just atteached to the skeleton and didn't appear to be doing anything. It must have been bacterial, but I never saw any signs of brown jelly. Hope it doesn't spread to the other euphyllias.