What's wrong with my fairly new LPS Coral?

I've been in many LFS's across the country and have seen employees all over this country SERIOUSLY STRESS LPS corals at best and GIVE THE CORAL A DEATH SENTENCE at the worst. Why would an employee do this to a coral? It's the owner's fault for not teaching proper bagging technique.

Let me give you some background. Once I do, proper bagging technique for certain LPS corals will make complete sense. Many (obviously not all) LPS corals have a substantial amount of tissue that is hanging in the water. While the coral is in the tank, this water inside the tissue of the coral is in equilibrium with the water from the aquarium. However, once you pick that coral up out of the tank to bag it, you are not effectively hanging "water balloons" from their skeletons. Merely the effects of gravity can cause tissue to separate from it's skeleton. If you want to experiment with this, get a balloon, fill it up with water, put it in your tank and move it around while only holding on the the knot. Pick it up out of the water while holding onto that same knot.

If your tank conditions are perfect, your coral that was mistreated at the store will fight off the infection at the cut and you never even would have known it was mistreated. However, if the coral wasn't perfectly healthy when you bought it or if your tank conditions aren't perfect (or both), there is a chance of some tissue recession happening or possibly even losing a "head" ([Soapbox mode ON] They are called "polyps" people....not "heads"[Soapbox mode OFF]).

I would guess that at least 50% of Brown Jelly Disease in Euphylliiads was caused at the moment of purchase. Elegance corals impossible to keep? Nope.....they are hard for sure. However, if it was bagged improperly, there is pretty much going to be a 100% mortality rate on those. Once one fills up a water balloon and sees what is going on, one sees the importance of proper bagging.

If you're buying a LPS that has a lot of tissue far away from the skeleton, ask the employee to "tease the tissue back into the skeleton with water swishing under water and gentle touching" prior to bagging it underwater. It will pull into the skeleton and then you're good to go.

Footnote: Obviously, LPS corals is a term invented by hobbyists. Not all LPS corals need this treatment. Remember my water balloon example. Just because something is an LPS doesn't mean it needs this treatment. If someone wants a Favia, I fill the bag with water, grab the coral and then drop it in and I know it's going to be fine because there's just not a lot of water in in their tissue and there's tons of connection points with the skeleton.



What should you do when buying

 

Thanks for a heads up ;D

 

Very informative! Thanks for sharing.

 

Well written - well said!!!

Very true that people don't realize how many times corals are already dead or dying when they take them home!!!

 

Thanks for the reminder

 

Very helpfull info Inwall. Thanks

 

I've seen some people at one of my LFS do this. For example: A customer's looking at this coral and I just start talking to him and ask him if he's going to get it. The coral was a medium sized hammer coral with many, many tentacles that were fully extended.
The guy said "Yeah! He's going to bag it for me in a minute" So there came the employee with a bag and a rubber band. Grabs the coral from the rock where it was mounted and drags it all the way up to the surface and holds it right in front of a Koralia 7 while filling the bag with water!!
You could see the coral tentacle's go with the flow like a long green haired punk in a convertible, then the tentacles retracted quickly. The employee dropped it in the bag, tied the rubber band around it and said "There you go! You're all set. Take it to the front if you're ready to check out"

I was looking at the whole scene with my eyes like

I would have said something if it was my coral. This store has a 7 day guarantee, providing you bring your water for testing along with the dead/sick coral. So I decided not to say anything to the employee or the new owner.

- Mag.

 

As an LFS employee and LPS owner, I always make sure to bag them underwater and make sure to lodge them (not forcivly) into a corner of the bag so thed do not wasve around during transport. I also try to pet them a little so they close up and are not losing flesh.
Thank you inwall

 

except punks don't have long hair or drive convertibles...