Torch branch closed over!!

[essexboy73]

I recently purchased a branching torch coral for the lfs...for the past 14 days it has been doing fine, mostly extended throughout the entire day cycle. Yesterday i noticed that there was one branch that had retracted itself for about the last 8 hours of the day cycle. Then at night i noticed that it actually retracted all the way into the skeletal system of the branch. Today it is actualy forming a layer of of thin "skeleton" over the holes where they retracted to.
Anyone know what it is doin any maybe why it is doin it??? As of right now it is ony one branch that has done this, the others are still looking pretty good.

[Sugar Magnolia]

Can you get a picture for us?

[FishinInTheDark]

I agree: a pic would really help. :)

[essexboy73]

Well theres no need now for a pic
It evidently died and i guess it was some kind of mucus covering over the end...i had a red hair outbreak at the same time this all happened and the water started smelling really bad. SO i took it out of the water and sure enough it smelled like...
Thanks for the reply..

[Gryz]

You still might want to figure out what exaclty happened so it doesn't happen agian.

[essexboy73]

welll...i didnt say this in the origonal post but when i first placed it in my aqarium...i wanted to make sure it was ancored in the substrate. So i was kinda pushing it down in the sand with a heavy hand and broke it in half. One half with three branches and the other with two. I broke it down really low and i didnt think that it was goin to affect it. The side that had three died and the side with two is still doin pretty good.
Didnt realize how fragile they are. My first coral!

[gman0526]

So what was different from the 2 places you had the frags located?

[essexboy73]

nothing they were right next to eachother... the only thing that i can think of is that the one that died, the break must have been un far enough on the skeleton to affect it???

[gman0526]

The branches are dead coral skeleton, so the cut itself can't have any effect whatsoever on the health of the coral. All i can think off is that the heads that died were squished against the sand and the wound got infected.

[cwrenge]

The branches are dead coral skeleton, so the cut itself can't have any effect whatsoever on the health of the coral. All i can think off is that the heads that died were squished against the sand and the wound got infected. i had an experience with mine about 4 mts. ago.... as i was cleaning my glass..... i knocked-over my branching hammer into the sand..... well it retracted for quite a while.... and it seemed like from the sides a sorta fungus was starting to grow on it.... so i placed a moderate flow at the hammer ( my power sweep ) well it did recuperate.... tho it went thru a tough time... by it dropping into the sand ... it picked up some type of bacteria that infected the injured tissue.... so the only thing i could do was direct a moderate/low water flow at it.... its now has grown alot since... kinda has shown to me that the can Regenerate them selfs.......... cw. :neutral: