Flower Pod..Need Help!!

[Milly]

I purchased this really nice flower pod from AA about a week and a half or two weeks ago. It was doing great for a while, extending out beautifully, but the past 2 days it's been tucked in. And I've noticed on one of the sides it's slushing/dissolving away. I can see the rock beneath it and I'm not sure why it's dying or is something's eating it.. I checked my parameters yesteday and 0's across the board ( nites - 0 nates - 0 ammonia -0 ph-8.2) Has this ever happened to anyone?? or any ideas? I'll post pics here soon.

[jpond83]

they don't really do well in aquariums.

[Milly]

pic's of current condition..

[msmith619]

Here is some information about your flower pot coral. Unfortunately, they rarely survive in any but the best maintained reef systems. COPIED from Dr Foster's and Smith and similar info from other web sites:

The Goniopora Flower Pot Coral is a large polyp stony (LPS) coral, often referred to as a Ball, Daisy, or Sunflower Coral. The flower names refer to its appearance when all of its polyps are opened. It takes on the visage of a bouquet of flowers. Once open, the Flower Pot Coral is a gorgeous hard coral with free-flowing short polyps.
It is aggressive, and ample space should be provided between itself and other neighboring corals. Its polyps can extend far past its base into the reef aquarium, where they can sting other species of corals. Clownfish, will often play in its polyps if no anemone can be found in the reef aquarium. This may actually be detrimental to the coral.
Goniopora sp. require PERFECT water conditions, the proper trace elements, and the habitat must match its requirements. In general, the Red form of the Flower Pot Coral does better in an aquarium than other Gonipora sp. However, any damage to the meaty section of the Red Flower Pot Coral almost always means a lost specimen. One can only do this Goniopora Coral justice by leaving its care to the experienced hobbyist with the expertise and time to keep the coral properly.
The symbiotic algae zooxanthellae hosted within its body provides the majority of its nutritional requirements from photosynthesis. It should be fed phytoplankton or brine shrimp daily.

[JTrott]

Totally agree with Mike.......but with perfect water conditions, it should be doing fine......I would recommend testing you water again, or try a differnent test kit....I have never seen 0 nitrates.......that would kinda trigger me to think it may be the test kit.......

BTW......that stuff coming off is called "brown jelly".....you can TRY to save it by syphoning(sp?) it off.......

JTrott

[DrMark]

Flowerpots, except (sometimes) red ones, tend to not do well in reef aquariums. Seems almost universal. I tried one and had it survive about 6 months. I wont buy them and encourage people not to.

[robalv]

Totally agree with Mike.......but with perfect water conditions, it should be doing fine......I would recommend testing you water again, or try a differnent test kit....I have never seen 0 nitrates.......that would kinda trigger me to think it may be the test kit.......

BTW......that stuff coming off is called "brown jelly".....you can TRY to save it by syphoning(sp?) it off.......

JTrott

I agree, I have never had 0 Nitrate always hover around 10-20, Find it funny everyone seems to have 0-0-0 when posting perimeters.

[MKCindy]

Mine did great for months, then I found a hermit crab eating on the skull. It was fine one day, gone the next. :(

[Milly]

Thanks everyone. As for the test kit, it may be faulty I'm just relaying the results...

I'll keep an eye on it and see how it does..