What might cause this?

[mchippo]

I have (had) a green highlighter monti that was growing just fine for about 8 months. Saturday I noticed a white bleached spot near its center. Today it is more than 50% gone (bleached white). What would cause this? Tank params are as follows:

 

Salinity: 1.024

pH: 8.2

Alk: 8

Mag: 1280

Calc: 480

Temp: 79.5

Nitrate: under 5 ppm

Ammonia: trace if that

 

Other tank symptoms include an open brain that previously was swelled puffy now is very retracted...and a Green Slimmer Acro that also was previously bushy with polyp extension but now is retracted to the point of dying. Other corals look just fine...

 

Only recent change has been a switch from Bio Assay salt to NeoMarine. Initial reaction to NeoMarine was very happy corals. Switch was done with 10% water changes at a time. My Maxima clams also look retracted....hmmmm

 

Advise would be greately appreciated...Thanks!

[Nate]

I had this same problem with a green monti cap. Never found out what the cause was. At the time it was one of 10 other monti caps in the same tank and the green one was the only one to show sings. Anyone got an answer?

[Jan]

Have you added any new corals? Nudibranch?

 

I have (had) a green highlighter monti that was growing just fine for about 8 months. Saturday I noticed a white bleached spot near its center. Today it is more than 50% gone (bleached white). What would cause this? Tank params are as follows:

 

Salinity: 1.024

pH: 8.2

Alk: 8

Mag: 1280

Calc: 480

Temp: 79.5

Nitrate: under 5 ppm

Ammonia: trace if that

 

Other tank symptoms include an open brain that previously was swelled puffy now is very retracted...and a Green Slimmer Acro that also was previously bushy with polyp extension but now is retracted to the point of dying. Other corals look just fine...

 

Only recent change has been a switch from Bio Assay salt to NeoMarine. Initial reaction to NeoMarine was very happy corals. Switch was done with 10% water changes at a time. My Maxima clams also look retracted....hmmmm

 

Advise would be greately appreciated...Thanks!

[mchippo]

Have you added any new corals? Nudibranch?

 

 

New corals yes. I add one or two a month...Why?

[steveoutlaw]

I'm not sure what the problem could be, but I've heard countless stories of this. It's happened to me before as well..........the whole tank is healthy and my green bali slimer starts bleaching. My suggestion would be to frag off any of the good that left in the hope of saving something. Leave a little space between the bleached part and where you're cutting the frags. You might be able to salvage something.

 

On another note, I'll ask the standard question; What are your current parameters?

[ctenophore]

I have (had) a green highlighter monti that was growing just fine for about 8 months. Saturday I noticed a white bleached spot near its center. Today it is more than 50% gone (bleached white). What would cause this? Tank params are as follows:

 

Salinity: 1.024

pH: 8.2

Alk: 8

Mag: 1280

Calc: 480

Temp: 79.5

Nitrate: under 5 ppm

Ammonia: trace if that

 

Other tank symptoms include an open brain that previously was swelled puffy now is very retracted...and a Green Slimmer Acro that also was previously bushy with polyp extension but now is retracted to the point of dying. Other corals look just fine...

 

Only recent change has been a switch from Bio Assay salt to NeoMarine. Initial reaction to NeoMarine was very happy corals. Switch was done with 10% water changes at a time. My Maxima clams also look retracted....hmmmm

 

Advise would be greately appreciated...Thanks!

If you have even a trace amount of ammonia registering on a hobby test kit, it's possible the level is much higher, enough to kill coral. Why would you have ammonia? Maybe a fish death? Ammonia should be zero in a healthy tank.

 

If all measurable parameters look "normal", then a lot of water changes are probably necessary since a wide range of animals are having trouble. Also look for possible contamination problems. Activated carbon might help as well.

[Jan]

I didn't read everythingyou wrote. Sorry. Nudibranch wouln't afect the brain coral and clam. +1 make sure no dead fish, etc..

New corals yes. I add one or two a month...Why?

[Brian Ward]

It sounds like an STN or RTN event rather than bleaching. With STN or RTN (slow or rapid tissue necrosis) the coral tissue actually dies and pulls away from the skeleton. This is different from bleaching (I found out recently). I still can't really tell the difference, but when I have problems, it's usually STN. The only way to save something that begins an STN or RTN event is to frag out the dying part and hope the undying part doesn't RTN.

 

As Justin said, you should have absolutely no ammonia in a healthy tank - the nitrifying bacteria should be processing all of it into nitrite and then nitrate as fast as it's produced in the tank. Be sure there is absolutely no color when you run the test.

 

I would look into pests - flatworms, red bugs, etc. or contaminants. Do you QT your corals? If not, it is possible and likely that you have introduced a pest such as redbugs into your tank. Symptoms of redbugs are a complete lack of polyp extension, muted colors and virtually nonexistant growth. The retracted brain coral is a concern since redbugs only affect smooth-skinned SPS.

 

Have you added any fish? Do you QT? Do you add the bag water to your tank? Contaminants can get into your tank in many ways - the most common is to add the bag water from an LFS to your tank when you bring home new fish. Many LFSs run a low dose of copper in their fish systems to keep disease at bay. Introducing copper into your system would definitely stress, if not kill, your corals. If this is a possibility, get a copper test kit and check. Otherwise, run carbon as Justin said to see if that will filter out any contaminants.

[mchippo]

steveoutlaw: Parameters are posted...are you looking for something else?

 

ctenophore: I used a Tropic Marin Test kit for Ammonia testing...normal / trace reads yellow...increasing green means increasing ammonia. The test kit was old so I will get a new Salifert one tonight and retest. I really think I have 0 Ammonia. I do run Activated Carbon...

 

Jan: No dead fish...mine are courteous enough to jump out of the tank when they want to call it quits...

 

Brian Ward: This is not RTN / STN. I have had that from time to time and know what that looks like. This was a bright green monti that turned white as if it was bleached. True, RTN/STN ends up the same...but with this, you see tissue flaking off. I do 10% Water changes every week. I don't think water changing is my problem... I do worry about red bugs and/or flat worms. I am constantly on the look out...but they are very hard to see (and I would not even know if I saw one...).

 

I do not QT my corals...yes, I know that is bad... but I have six wrasses that, I am told, would guarantee that I don't have either (6-line, Yellow, Potters, Green, Possum, and Clown Fairy). Polyp extension and growth is not an issue. Most everything else seems happy. The open brain is a concern. It use to swell up like crazy, to nearly 3 times the size it is now. It has been retracted now for about 3 weeks...about 2 weeks before the monti bleeching.

 

I have not added any fish recently (within last month). I do not add much of the bag water...I acclimate and then dump all but a small amount before adding the fish...and I do not QT fish (my bad again). Fish are all happy fat and eating like pigs...

 

Hmmm...the copper thing does have me thinking tho...wouldn't hurt to test for it.

 

I think the open brain is the key to this. The thing was so beautiful...now its contracted and shrunk...What else would cause that?

 

Thanks for your help all....

[ctenophore]

Since you're having problems with corals that arent affected by parasites and the clam is showing stress, my guess is a contaminant and/or misreading test kit. Try your nitrate kit against a known value or test with a known-good nitrate kit. That's my guess, I've seen a lot of cases where nitrate is a lot higher than people think and it causes many of the symptoms you report.

[Sikryd]

I realised that I have one of the columns in the dead center, it would have to be to the right of it about 8" off center..

 

 

Since you're having problems with corals that arent affected by parasites and the clam is showing stress, my guess is a contaminant and/or misreading test kit. Try your nitrate kit against a known value or test with a known-good nitrate kit. That's my guess, I've seen a lot of cases where nitrate is a lot higher than people think and it causes many of the symptoms you report.

 

 

+1

 

If it was me, I would do 40-50% water change, maybe a little more, then see what happens.

[quazi]

What are the ages of your light bubls? I have had similar problems with old bulbs.

[zygote2k]

Why don't you do your normal routine and record your parameters on a weekly basis. That way you might notice a trend that is affecting the corals negatively. If for instance, your alkalinity were dropping you might not notice it this week but would notice it over the course of several weeks. FWIW, i've had brains and clams mysteriously die and all other inhabitants are fine. It might be something you can't see or test for too.

[lanman]

Since you're having problems with corals that arent affected by parasites and the clam is showing stress, my guess is a contaminant and/or misreading test kit. Try your nitrate kit against a known value or test with a known-good nitrate kit. That's my guess, I've seen a lot of cases where nitrate is a lot higher than people think and it causes many of the symptoms you report.

 

+2

 

I KNOW high nitrates... and all of these symptoms could be caused by high nitrates. HIGH meaning well over 20ppm. Everything in my tank seems to do just fine at 20ppm except birdsnest type corals.

 

bob