Dead kenya tree?

[Mohaynow]

I got a nice small piece of kenya tree when i started my tank up about 8 months ago. it has since grown into an awesome canteloupe sized chunk of glory. However, a couple days ago it started staying mostly closed up for most of the day and today it didnt open up at all. it is just lying there all shriveled up and it has developed some brown mushy looking patches. i took pictures of it when i first noticed the patches and showed them to my lfs guru. He said not to worry about it and they go through phases like that and it should snap out of it. I think he's tired of dealing with fish problems and just wanted me out of his hair (i came to this conclusion because he recently sold his shop (the only saltwater shot for 30 miles) and was only there showing the new owners around) Anyways, does anyone know whats going on. is it dead? is it "going through a phase"?

 

[littleyea1]

i bet its going to shed some branches soon, or your water quality would have turn real bad real quick for it to die , its probably just growing

 

[littleyea1]

if they are really mushy then its bad but if you take a tooth brush and the brown comes right off its nothing in my opinion

 

[yote]

+1 Littleyea
Kenyas will go through a phase where they close down for a few days.Then when they open back up,you end up with 100 more little kenyas.

 

[dcantucson]

Don't most people want these things to die? I've never had one. Do I want one?

 

[Bifferwine]

You DO NOT want one. As I have said over and over, getting one little kenya tree was the biggest mistake I have ever made in this hobby. Even bigger than my kalk overdose. That one kenya tree was the cause of the deaths of thousands of dollars of corals, me having to tear down my entire 240 gallon tank, and me having to boil on my stove over 500 lbs of rock. You do not want one, and I wish LFS wouldn't sell them. People that buy them thinking they are getting an easy coral have no idea what they are in for.

 

[dcantucson]

Wow. Thanks Biff.

 

[SeattleDarko]

I am sure its not dying.... I haves some in a bucket of LR with a power head no lights no heat and its still alive & looks good... I am with Biff its a weed and you don't want it in your tank in the long run.

 

[reeffreak]

You mention that you have had it for 8 months and it has grown tremendously.You never mention of it spreading so that has me thinking that it might be something else,maybe nephya or something similar.

The mushy brown stuff could be the beginning of brown jelly disease.If parts start to disintegrate,I would look into doing an iodine dip.

 

[Mohaynow]

well, its been dumpy for almost a week now.
is it even worth worrying about or trying to save
or should i just count my losses and ditch it?

 

[Bifferwine]

Did you read my post? I think you should count your blessings and ditch it, whether it's healthy or not.

 

[Mohaynow]

yea i did read it, someone else suggested that it may be something else. Which is why i asked if i should wait it out or just ditch the thing. anyways, thanks for the advice. its being flushed shortly

 

[Bifferwine]

Yeah it could be a colt coral. They tend to look similar to each other. Google colt coral. Does it look like that? Colts tend to be 'fuzzier' or 'fluffier' than kenyas.

 

[Mohaynow]

it looks just like this when its open and not playing dead

 

[Bifferwine]

That definitely looks more like a colt than a kenya tree!

 

[reeffreak]

Like I mention earlier ,it looks like a colt,nephya rather then a kenya tree.Kenyas reproduce really fast where the others do not.Kenyas are indestructible too.It looked even worst in the second pic.I doubt if an iodine dip will do any good now.IMO,I would still try.Even if you can't save it at least you will have a bottle handy for the next time.

 

[Mohaynow]

yea its toast, i cut it off the rock and flushed it today. any tips on how to get the last bits off, i dont want them rotting in my tank

 

[yote]

A razor blade will take them off.