My new torch coral

[floral9]

Just got my hands on a torch, and it's a real showstopper - 10-13 heads for 60 bucks, what a steal. My euphyllia collection's coming along great, just need a hammer to complete the set. I usually go for smaller pieces, 2-3 heads, and let them grow out, but this one was too good to pass up. Got one head that's struggling, about half out of the skeleton, trying to nurse it back to health. Heads die off sometimes, but I'd hate to lose one now. Thinking of fragging a nice piece for myself and selling the rest - anyone interested?

[floral9]

Just had a bit of a scare with the torch - noticed some brown jelly on the head I was trying to save. Cut that part off, got the colony back in the tank, and I'm keeping my fingers crossed. First time dealing with brown jelly, and I gotta say, I'm not a fan. Got some nice LPS pieces in the tank, and I'd hate for that stuff to spread. What are the chances I caught it in time and that's the only head I'll lose to it?

[robinleaf]

Can't help with the brown jelly issue, but glad to see another reefer with a similar tank size - I've got a 37 gallon tank as well. Had a similar experience with a torch I added three weeks ago, it had 2 heads and was a bit concerning since it wouldn't fully open, but today it finally did and it's fully extended now. It's actually pretty close to a Xenia, so I might need to relocate it soon.

[nixora]

I've seen brown jelly on my hammers before they kicked the bucket, it's basically the coral's dying tissue shedding off. From my experience with torches, they can't handle super strong water flow, so you might wanna check that out. Also, make sure your alkalinity is in check.

[finnix25]

Removing the infected head was a good call, now just keep a close eye on the rest for a bit and make sure your water quality stays on point.

I've found my torches have different preferences when it comes to flow and light - my thin-stalked neon green torch does well with moderate flow and moderate to moderately high light, whereas my thick-stalked gold torch prefers it a bit more chill with low flow and moderately low light. Just watch the tentacles, they should be able to move against the current every now and then, not just getting blown around like they're in a storm.

For my euphyllia, I've found they seem to thrive with a dKH of 9, calc around 420, and mag around 1350. Just remember, happy coral is way more likely to fight off infection.

[floral9]

Thanks for the help guys, 8 days since I removed the infected head and so far, so good - no more losses. Picked up a sweet 2-head duncan today, really looking forward to seeing it grow out.

[floral9]

Just when I thought I was in the clear. Came home from work and boom, 2 more heads gone. I'm at my wit's end here. Thinking of fragging what's left and getting rid of the rest. Don't want to risk losing my frogspawn, it's a big one and I'm not willing to take that chance.

[floral9]

I'm now left with just a couple of healthy-looking pieces - a 2-head frag that seems fine, and a 6-head frag that's already lost two heads overnight. My other LPS corals are doing great, which makes this torch situation even more frustrating. This is my first major setback in the hobby, and it's got me pretty bummed. I've had my tank for about six months, and aside from losing a small frogspawn at the start, everything's been smooth sailing. I'm starting to feel like I wasted my money on that torch, but I'm holding out hope that my 2-head piece will grow into something nice.

[ravenoak]

I'm wondering if you checked your alkalinity levels. I've got a gold torch myself, and I've found it to be super sensitive to alkalinity and phosphate.

I had four branches when I first got it back in March or April, but I lost one about a month ago - everything else in the tank was looking great, except for that one branch. When I checked my alkalinity, it was way off - 4 something. This coral can be a real pain to keep happy, but it's great at letting you know when there's a water issue.