SPS frag - dying / sick?

[Ryan S]

 

I got this blue branching acro frag this past weekend. It was all a solid light blue in color.

 

Right now this brown stuff appears to be covering the branches, and after it falls off, all that is left are the bleached white dead branches. You can see in this photo some bleached ones, 2 covered in the brown, and a couple that still have the blue on the branches.

 

I used revive for 5 minutes when I brought the piece home. I also tried to shake off the brown stuff and held it in front of the vortech, but it doesnt fall off or blow off. Should I try putting it in revive again for another 5 minutes? is the coral getting too much or too little light? my alk is 8dkh and the cal is 400ppm...

[Mando77]

It could be a number of things, but my first guess is light. That coral should be placed up high. If your tank is new than I think you might want to give it some time or start with some more forgiving SPS like montiporas or millipora.

 

 

[Ryan S]

I also recently acquired this torch coral and it has a weird brown bubble in it. Any idea what that is? Should I leave it alone or pop it?

 

 

I have the radions at 40%, I just turned them up to 60%. I am afraid to run them at 100% because lots of people fry their corals that way. Maybe I should move everything to the sand bed and turn them up to 100% and raise the corals up on the rock little by little each week or something?

[Mando77]

I would do some research, but I wouldn't touch it.

[CaptainRon]

Can't really see what's going on in the picture clearly, but I've seen misc. bubbles in torches and frogspawn that have not been anything to worry about. My off the cuff response is just leave it.

[surf&turf]

Just keep an eye on the torch, looks like it could be the start of brown jelly disease. Will it blow off with a turkey baster?

[surf&turf]

The SPS problems could be a number of things. Could be lighting. With any new coral, you should start them in the sand bed and move them up over a course of several weeks. Could be difference in water parameters, you really never know.

 

Definitely looks like RTN.

Edited March 1, 2012 by surf&turf

[Max Ivers]

My torch coral (same color) has bubbles around the mouth from time to time. It's no big deal at all in my opinion, but keep an eye on it just in case. In fact I've noticed that since I started observing the bubbles it has grown faster.

[Steve175]

Acro is def RTN. I would try to frag off the part that is still viable (neither the white nor the brown) and reglue it and hope it takes. The white part is dead and the brown part is on its way out.

[trockafella]

Honestly its probably a bit early for SPS. If you wanna get some SPS I would get some easier ones, or atleast ones that are already encrusted on a plug. Corals that are somewhat fresh cut are already somewhat stressed. I wouldnt worry about the torch, there usually very hardy.

[Ryan S]

I definitely think it is RTN. The pics i found on google look identical to what happened to this coral. Should I be concerned it will spread to other corals in the tank?

 

i removed the piece this morning from the system. the blue ones werent even blue anymore.

[surf&turf]

Most SPS will brown out somewhat when moved to a different system. I've had them brown out somewhat just moving them around the tank.

 

As long as they aren't losing tissue, I would move them to the sand bed and let them rest for a while.

[Coral Hind]

RTN doesn't really spread to healthy corals. It is more of a side effect of other issues which stressed the coral out or caused it to get infected. The pics aren't clear but to me it looks like the dark area is where tissue did die and it is now covered with algae. The other parts look like the tissue just lightened up or lightly bleached.

[Der ABT]

WHAT ARE YOUR PARAMETERS

 

ALK??????mainly

 

for sps that the first place i go

then Amonia, PO4, PO3, nitrate, nitrites etc.

 

RTN doesnt spread by stuff in the water (well not usually)

[Novi]

How long from the time that frag was cut till it was put into your tank? If it was freshly cut from an established system and then put directly into your new system there ya go. Also I agree I wouldn't be adding hard core SPS yet into your couple week old tank. I made that same mistake years ago :(

[Inspector]

+1 on the RTN. I too got a blue acro about 3 weeks ago and after about a week showed the same signs. I did a betadine dip and placed it back in the tank. 2 weeks later it is getting it's color back, but still has a 1/3 tissue loss. better than the 1/2 to 3/4 loss it had 2 weeks ago. Getting better every day.

 

 

[Ryan S]

How long from the time that frag was cut till it was put into your tank? If it was freshly cut from an established system and then put directly into your new system there ya go. Also I agree I wouldn't be adding hard core SPS yet into your couple week old tank. I made that same mistake years ago :(

 

It came from Mr. Coral, so the time was probably very minimal. I'll hold off on more hardcore SPS for a while. Luckily it was only $20.

 

Parameters look good. Calcium 400ppm; Alk was 8dkh. 0 nitrate. Need to test phosphate, but I am sure it's low.

[Reefoholic]

My experience with LEDs proved that SPS moved from a tank lit by MHs (which I know Mr.Coral has over the tanks) will brown all around in order to adjust to new lighting. In your case it is a fresh cut SPS and a very young tank. I am heavily voting on lighting for that frag's RTN.

 

I would try to break off a healthy branch and move to somewhere with good flow and moderate lighting in the tank. After that, all you can do is good husbandry. Nature will take its course and it might make it. Also, apart from Revive, iodine bath might help with the frag of that frag as well.

 

In addition, I completely agree with others that for a young tank like yours, you are better off with some hardy Corals like montiporas or maybe a birds nest. Montiporas are the only things that survived serious stress and crashes in my tanks.

 

If I were you, I wouldn't dwell on saving that SPS frag so much. After you do all you can, there is very little to be done to salvage it from RTN.

 

Good luck!

[Ryan S]

I've lost 3 more SPS frags it looks like. A bali green slimer, a rose mille, and a yellow mille that's starting to brown.

 

The rose went white pretty fast; the green slimer I thought was fine but today came home and the green was falling off and there is brown on it now. the yellow mille is still yellow but faded and is starting to brown.

 

What am I doing wrong???

 

The torch is fine; the zoanthids are fine. the bonsai sps frag looks healthy. the wrasse is happy. the florida ric group buy is coming friday and i think should be fine... i thought green slimer / mille's were hardier/easier to keep SPS frags?

 

should i do some water changes and remove the frags and just wait a month or two before trying any more sps at all?

 

i will run all the tests when i get back from dinner, but the last time i checked phos, nitrate, nitrite, ammonia, calcium, alk they were all fine.

[Ryan S]

Salinity = 1.023

Calcium = 520 ppm

Alk = 8.34 dkH

Ammonia = 0.0 ppm

Nitrite = 5.0 ppm

Nitrate = 0.0 ppm

Phosphate = 0.04 ppm

 

Could the cycle I thought was over, because my Ammonia, Nitrite and Ammonia all tested 0, actually not have begun yet? And I am in the cycle right now, which is why I am losing the SPS frags?

[STEVE]

1.023 salinity concerns me a little. Was that measured on a refractometer?

[CaptainRon]

I'm not certain what effects Nitrite has on corals, but I believe if you have nitrites, you're still going through something of a cycle. I wouldn't add any fish until nitrites are not detectible.

[rocko918]

i think your tank is still too new to add so much stuff. Your going to fast. Slow down young grasshopper.

[Ryan S]

1.023 salinity concerns me a little. Was that measured on a refractometer?

 

It was measured on this:

 

http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/store/products/test-kits/refractometer/milwaukee-digital-seawater-refractometer.html

 

I plan on bringing it back up to 1.025 this weekend with the next 10% water change.

[Ryan S]

i think your tank is still too new to add so much stuff. Your going to fast. Slow down young grasshopper.

 

I definitely will!

 

That's partly why I've only got some small frags to get going. Just to make sure the tank is good to go.

 

I'll hold off on fish and the shrimp for a bit too.