High Tide Aquatics

Bailed Banana torch journal (help welcome!)

tribbitt

tribbitt

Supporting Member
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Hello everybody! As the title (vaguely) implies, I'm going to be documenting the recovery of a banana torch, and the shenanigans that this process entails. It's been almost a month and it's gotten healthier the longer I've had it, so I thought it's time for a project diary about recovering this piece!

It was given to me by some kind reefers (who I think are members, but I don't know their tag) when they began the breakdown process of their tank. At that point, the tank was receiving less care than usual, and the torches started to bail.

By the time I got the torch, it was half off its skeleton, and by the time I got home, it fully separated.

This is the beginning of the process of rescuing the torch.

The CONTRAPTION:

A mushroom cage would allow the torch to tumble around, get squished against a side, or simply move around too much from jostling by passing livestock. So, I designed something that I think is easily replicable and accessible, and would be great if it could lead to a success.

At the bottom of the cage I put a concrete frag plug (couldn't find aragonite), with most of the stem cut so that it would be flush on the bottom so it could sit on the sandbed. I superglued this plug in place with a tiny dab of glue, so it doesn't shift or rotate.

I then cut the top of a plastic water bottle and placed it upside down in the cage. In this way, the torch would always be funneled back on top of the plug. I cut a wavy pattern into the top and bottom of this funnel, as well as perhaps a hundred pinholes, in order to permit limited flow through the cage.

Here's a high-fidelity technical rendering of my design:

IMG_5891.jpg



Here is the actual coral polyp that I'm trying to save, on day 1


IMG_5888.jpeg



And here it is today, nearly one month later (I boosted the blues for the photo):

IMG_6521.jpeg



It's at 250-280 par, but I don't know how much light truly makes it past the cage. I guesstimate ~1/2. Flow is pretty unidirectional, but the torch doesn't seem to care.

If anyone has had success with a similar method, please share your secrets. Fingers crossed for the torch, and happy reefing!
 
Last edited:
tribbitt said:
Hello everybody! As the title (vaguely) implies, I'm going to be documenting the recovery of a banana torch, and the shenanigans that this process entails. It's been almost a month and it's gotten healthier the longer I've had it, so I thought it's time for a project diary about recovering this piece!

It was given to me by some kind reefers (who I think are members, but I don't know their tag) when they began the breakdown process of their tank. At that point, the tank was receiving less care than usual, and the torches started to bail.

By the time I got the torch, it was half off its skeleton, and by the time I got home, it fully separated.

This is the beginning of the process of rescuing the torch.

The CONTRAPTION:

A mushroom cage would allow the torch to tumble around, get squished against a side, or simply move around too much from jostling by passing livestock. So, I designed something that I think is easily replicable and accessible, and would be great if it could lead to a success.

At the bottom of the cage I put a concrete frag plug (couldn't find aragonite), with most of the stem cut so that it would be flush on the bottom so it could sit on the sandbed. I superglued this plug in place with a tiny dab of glue, so it doesn't shift or rotate.

I then cut the top of a plastic water bottle and placed it upside down in the cage. In this way, the torch would always be funneled back on top of the plug. I cut a wavy pattern into the top and bottom of this funnel, as well as perhaps a hundred pinholes, in order to permit limited flow through the cage.

Here's a high-fidelity technical rendering of my design:

View attachment 61088


Here is the actual coral polyp that I'm trying to save, on day 1


View attachment 61089


And here it is today, nearly one month later (I boosted the blues for the photo):

View attachment 61090


It's at 250-280 par, but I don't know how much light truly makes it past the cage. I guesstimate ~1/2. Flow is pretty unidirectional, but the torch doesn't seem to care.

If anyone has had success with a similar method, please share your secrets. Fingers crossed for the torch, and happy reefing!
Click to expand...

Are you saying the polyps started to.bail out of the skeleton, or the top broke off the skeleton?
 
I tried this with an open top mushroom cage but it kept blowing away. Maybe a clear lid would work. Hopefully it works for you! I've heard it can take over a month to start producing skeleton.
 
MichaelB said:
Are you saying the polyps started to.bail out of the skeleton, or the top broke off the skeleton?
Click to expand...
100% bailed. No more skeleton, it was like a nem but no sticky foot.

Darkxerox said:
I tried this with an open top mushroom cage but it kept blowing away. Maybe a clear lid would work. Hopefully it works for you! I've heard it can take over a month to start producing skeleton.
Click to expand...
Adauqua said:
I have some clear white net in south SJ if you want to use it to cover the top of mushroom case + rubber band.
Click to expand...

So far, for the past month, the regular lid has worked pretty well. Is there a particular reason you guys think a net/clear lid would be better? Is it just for better light penetration?
 
tribbitt said:
100% bailed. No more skeleton, it was like a nem but no sticky foot.




So far, for the past month, the regular lid has worked pretty well. Is there a particular reason you guys think a net/clear lid would be better? Is it just for better light penetration?
Click to expand...

Wow, I honestly never knew they could do that and live. I'm Really Intrested in what your try to do here. I will be sure to follow along.
 
tribbitt said:
100% bailed. No more skeleton, it was like a nem but no sticky foot.




So far, for the past month, the regular lid has worked pretty well. Is there a particular reason you guys think a net/clear lid would be better? Is it just for better light penetration?
Click to expand...
You may not have enough light/par with regular lid for it to produce new skeleton. I used a hollow dead lobo skeleton + clear white net + rubber band with naive hope it binding to the skeleton; unfortunately mine dead after a month with totally different reason ie. bacteria infection spreading from a wild torch.
 
Adauqua said:
You may not have enough light/par with regular lid for it to produce new skeleton. I used a hollow dead lobo skeleton + clear white net + rubber band with naive hope it binding to the skeleton; unfortunately mine dead after a month with totally different reason ie. bacteria infection spreading from a wild torch.
Click to expand...
Torches can tolerate like 100 par right? I can't imagine the par being lower than that. The lid blocks, by blind speculation, 1/2 to 2/3 of the light. 250-280 -> 80-120 par, which seems OK??

I won't experiment with binding it to another coral's skeleton or even its own. The skeleton was a weird shape, kind of trying to split in 3. Plus, the septa are just different on different corals. I don't think a healthy torch would fail to lay down skeleton at 100 par. The question is whether a bailed one would.

I would not mind giving it more light, but I can't turn up my lights, nor can I raise the coral, so perhaps I will try a screen like suggested.

My worry with fine mesh, screen or net is that biofouling could 1) block flow and 2) restrict light even more than the original lid. I'm also a little hesitant to move the container at all, fearing that the slightest bump could reset any progress the coral has made in attaching.
 
tribbitt said:
Torches can tolerate like 100 par right? I can't imagine the par being lower than that. The lid blocks, by blind speculation, 1/2 to 2/3 of the light. 250-280 -> 80-120 par, which seems OK??

I won't experiment with binding it to another coral's skeleton or even its own. The skeleton was a weird shape, kind of trying to split in 3. Plus, the septa are just different on different corals. I don't think a healthy torch would fail to lay down skeleton at 100 par. The question is whether a bailed one would.

I would not mind giving it more light, but I can't turn up my lights, nor can I raise the coral, so perhaps I will try a screen like suggested.

My worry with fine mesh, screen or net is that biofouling could 1) block flow and 2) restrict light even more than the original lid. I'm also a little hesitant to move the container at all, fearing that the slightest bump could reset any progress the coral has made in attaching.
Click to expand...


Maybe with a dremel using a bit maybe a little tedious but you could make a round mushroom box lid that would be 100% clear.

It should be easy to match if you a extra mushroom box lid to trace on a peice of tape, than use that as a template to carve it out and make the holes etc.
 
If you want a 3d printed lid in transparent lmk. I can even print you a different cage.

I'm pretty sure I have clear PET-G in my pile of filament.

That being said, if it was me, I wouldn't touch anything. I didn't know they could even survive at all after a bail out.
 
I think I'd have to pull it out to replace the lid. I'll let it be for now, if it starts shrinking or otherwise looks light-starved I might consider a better lid.
 
Alexx said:
I would keep it like this. did you try to feed it some coral food?
Click to expand...
Briefly tried reef roids, way early on. It didn’t eat and I never tried again.

I do occasionally puff a tiny bit of Brightwell Restor but I don’t actually trust that it does anything
 
Update. It's been many more weeks, and the polyp has survived (albeit barely so). Today I noticed something weird

I just happened to look at it, and the polyp seems to have split?? Upon closer inspection there are at least 2 discrete polyps. A week ago it was one whole piece, and I think this splitting might be it finally dying. What's confusing me is that it doesn't look like it's completely dead, and there's one half that looks pretty alive - just like a tiny version.

Something to mention is that when it bailed, it was actively trying to split in 3.

Should I try to separate the halves, in case one decides to melt (to avoid infection) or just leave them to figure it out? Calling all coral experts.

IMG_7499.jpeg
IMG_7496.jpeg
 
tribbitt said:
Update. It's been many more weeks, and the polyp has survived (albeit barely so). Today I noticed something weird

I just happened to look at it, and the polyp seems to have split?? Upon closer inspection there are at least 2 discrete polyps. A week ago it was one whole piece, and I think this splitting might be it finally dying. What's confusing me is that it doesn't look like it's completely dead, and there's one half that looks pretty alive - just like a tiny version.

Something to mention is that when it bailed, it was actively trying to split in 3.

Should I try to separate the halves, in case one decides to melt (to avoid infection) or just leave them to figure it out? Calling all coral experts.

View attachment 63377View attachment 63378
Click to expand...
Hands off lol. They are looking colorful. They are still surviving I would let them do there thing.
 
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