thephoreefer
Supporting Member
TORCH GUIDE
Information in this thread is what I’ve accumulated in hobby for 3 years now and still learning, one of the joys of this hobby. I’ve lost plenty of torches and coral to trial and error. This guide is my opinion of torch coral keeping. Use the information within your discretion.
Feel free to ask questions on this thread or message me privately. I will update the guide on more information that is need.
Parameters
Salinity: 1.026 (35)
Ph: 8.0-8.5
Alkalinity: 8.0-9.0
Calcium: 420-450
Magnesium: 1300-1500 (elevated magnesium keep algae away)
Phosphates: .05-.15
Nitrates: 4-20
Temperature: 75-78
Stable Parameter is important, swings in parameters can make torches not open or kill them over night. A well cycled tank is also important, ammonium and nitrite can cause harm to torches making them not open or kill them. Swings in these parameters are like a roller coaster for torches. Long exposure to high nutrients can stall the growth of torches. Overall stability is VERY IMPORTANT.
Par
180-300 (maybe 300+ with adjusting over time) high par you need nutrient at least .06 phosphates or higher, 5 nitrates or higher or may experience bleaching.
Recommend Salt Mix
Currently using Red Sea Blue Bucket (It matches the parameters that I strive for and doesn’t swing the parameters in tank.)
PH
***CO2 scrubber with Color Changing CO2 Absorbent Media (Soda Lime) to control ph high,
-higher ph more growth of skeleton.
- low ph stall the growth of torches.
-under 7.8 ph I’ve notice stall in consumption of alk, calcium,and magnesium.
Dosing
BRS Soda Ashe 1 gal mix (Alkalinity)
BRS Calcium Chloride 1 gal mix(Calcium)
BRS Magnesium 1 gal mix (Magnesium
BRS has calculators to adjust the amount dosing for your tank, pretty accurate.
-honorable mention B-Ionic 2 part calcium and alkalinity.
Water change
-10-20% weekly, can skip water change if dose trace elements
-Recommend Tropic Marine Pro Coral A- and Pro Coral K+
- water change basically get rid of unwanted elements like aluminum that can accumulate from phosphate removing products like gfo and chemipure elite/blue.
-Aluminum can leech from magent products such as the frag holder or wavemaker magnet such as in mp10s. Aluminum lid can leech as well due to condensation of the corner edge(where the cuts are made). Aluminum hurts torches if elevated. Cause recession and maybe death if severe.Water change keep it in check.
DONT Recommend —->All For Reef,
-product is too unstable and hard to control sometimes the parameters are high on a certain parameter and very low on the other. Good if you don’t have a lot of time or equipment since it’s a dosing all in one. Use within one’s discretion.
Don’t Recommend —-> amino acids and ab+ dosing, I tried and use several times because of cool video showing green tank while feeding, each time I develope torch issues like bacterial infection and recession. If you use it and it doesn’t hurt your torches keep using, I straight avoid it,(other torch collectors found issues when using it). I don’t notice any difference with dosing amino acids and/or ab+, now my torches are happier without dosing.Use within one’s discretion.
Current lighting
Radion xr30 g5 blue (lps template)
+ reef bright led light
-shadowing is a thing for torches too, torches not getting enough light and under should be fragged or they will slowly wither away or stress out and cause disease in your tank.
Indo region torches
**longer and smaller tentacles, smaller skeleton
+fast to split
+easier
+ good beginner torch( recommend getting torches from local reefers than lfs and imports due to the stress of new arrival torches, ask how long they have it in their system (at least 2-3 months)
Malaysian region torches
**Stubby tentacles, larger skeleton
+brighter color, more saturated yellow/gold tentacles
- slow splitter
-more sensitive
Both Indo and Malaysian torches almost look the same difference is the coloration. Just really hard to tell difference. Overtime some Malaysian torch can turn like Indo torches in tentacle shape but coloration different.
Recommended beginner torches :
-dragon soul torches, hellfire torches, New York Knicks torch.
-buy from reefer who kept for a while, more likely to survive. The longer the better because it has adjust and survive our up’s and downs in reefing.
Imported Torch
- wouldn’t recommend to beginners.
- stressed out torches due to long travel, some vendors sell them fresh off of plane, mostly due to they can die within weeks and they want to make their money back. Flesh is usually barely there and more likely to polyp bailout
- experienced is needed to keep these. Stability and slow adjusting to reef tank need, start in low flow, low par area and slowly increase .
Always Dip Coral
- Dipping new coral is a must, it keep bad pests away and help people out, sometimes people don’t even know they have certain pests like flatworms or planaria, dipping helps you and them out.
-Recommend using CoralRx Dip,
-doesn’t hurt coral and is great in removing unwanted pest, sometime the dip only stun or aggregates pests for removal, sometime it kill them, pests eggs are not kill during dipping, you have to manual remove them. Dipping is not 100% removal so you have to watch the coral.
Information in this thread is what I’ve accumulated in hobby for 3 years now and still learning, one of the joys of this hobby. I’ve lost plenty of torches and coral to trial and error. This guide is my opinion of torch coral keeping. Use the information within your discretion.
Feel free to ask questions on this thread or message me privately. I will update the guide on more information that is need.
Parameters
Salinity: 1.026 (35)
Ph: 8.0-8.5
Alkalinity: 8.0-9.0
Calcium: 420-450
Magnesium: 1300-1500 (elevated magnesium keep algae away)
Phosphates: .05-.15
Nitrates: 4-20
Temperature: 75-78
Stable Parameter is important, swings in parameters can make torches not open or kill them over night. A well cycled tank is also important, ammonium and nitrite can cause harm to torches making them not open or kill them. Swings in these parameters are like a roller coaster for torches. Long exposure to high nutrients can stall the growth of torches. Overall stability is VERY IMPORTANT.
Par
180-300 (maybe 300+ with adjusting over time) high par you need nutrient at least .06 phosphates or higher, 5 nitrates or higher or may experience bleaching.
Recommend Salt Mix
Currently using Red Sea Blue Bucket (It matches the parameters that I strive for and doesn’t swing the parameters in tank.)
PH
***CO2 scrubber with Color Changing CO2 Absorbent Media (Soda Lime) to control ph high,
-higher ph more growth of skeleton.
- low ph stall the growth of torches.
-under 7.8 ph I’ve notice stall in consumption of alk, calcium,and magnesium.
Dosing
BRS Soda Ashe 1 gal mix (Alkalinity)
BRS Calcium Chloride 1 gal mix(Calcium)
BRS Magnesium 1 gal mix (Magnesium
BRS has calculators to adjust the amount dosing for your tank, pretty accurate.
-honorable mention B-Ionic 2 part calcium and alkalinity.
Water change
-10-20% weekly, can skip water change if dose trace elements
-Recommend Tropic Marine Pro Coral A- and Pro Coral K+
- water change basically get rid of unwanted elements like aluminum that can accumulate from phosphate removing products like gfo and chemipure elite/blue.
-Aluminum can leech from magent products such as the frag holder or wavemaker magnet such as in mp10s. Aluminum lid can leech as well due to condensation of the corner edge(where the cuts are made). Aluminum hurts torches if elevated. Cause recession and maybe death if severe.Water change keep it in check.
DONT Recommend —->All For Reef,
-product is too unstable and hard to control sometimes the parameters are high on a certain parameter and very low on the other. Good if you don’t have a lot of time or equipment since it’s a dosing all in one. Use within one’s discretion.
Don’t Recommend —-> amino acids and ab+ dosing, I tried and use several times because of cool video showing green tank while feeding, each time I develope torch issues like bacterial infection and recession. If you use it and it doesn’t hurt your torches keep using, I straight avoid it,(other torch collectors found issues when using it). I don’t notice any difference with dosing amino acids and/or ab+, now my torches are happier without dosing.Use within one’s discretion.
Current lighting
Radion xr30 g5 blue (lps template)
+ reef bright led light
-shadowing is a thing for torches too, torches not getting enough light and under should be fragged or they will slowly wither away or stress out and cause disease in your tank.
Indo region torches
**longer and smaller tentacles, smaller skeleton
+fast to split
+easier
+ good beginner torch( recommend getting torches from local reefers than lfs and imports due to the stress of new arrival torches, ask how long they have it in their system (at least 2-3 months)
Malaysian region torches
**Stubby tentacles, larger skeleton
+brighter color, more saturated yellow/gold tentacles
- slow splitter
-more sensitive
Both Indo and Malaysian torches almost look the same difference is the coloration. Just really hard to tell difference. Overtime some Malaysian torch can turn like Indo torches in tentacle shape but coloration different.
Recommended beginner torches :
-dragon soul torches, hellfire torches, New York Knicks torch.
-buy from reefer who kept for a while, more likely to survive. The longer the better because it has adjust and survive our up’s and downs in reefing.
Imported Torch
- wouldn’t recommend to beginners.
- stressed out torches due to long travel, some vendors sell them fresh off of plane, mostly due to they can die within weeks and they want to make their money back. Flesh is usually barely there and more likely to polyp bailout
- experienced is needed to keep these. Stability and slow adjusting to reef tank need, start in low flow, low par area and slowly increase .
Always Dip Coral
- Dipping new coral is a must, it keep bad pests away and help people out, sometimes people don’t even know they have certain pests like flatworms or planaria, dipping helps you and them out.
-Recommend using CoralRx Dip,
-doesn’t hurt coral and is great in removing unwanted pest, sometime the dip only stun or aggregates pests for removal, sometime it kill them, pests eggs are not kill during dipping, you have to manual remove them. Dipping is not 100% removal so you have to watch the coral.
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