LPS Bacterial Infection

[tpallas]

Copying this from my build thread. Tank is automated so there is pretty stable salinity/ph/alk/ca/mag/temp. The non-affected corals look very happy. 

 

It's been a bad couple of days. We had one trachy that was looking ill, I had originally thought from bleaching. Now we have lost that trachy, one additional one on the way out, and the final two (rainbow and green) showing signs. They tighten up, gape at the mouth for several days, and then start to come apart. Also spread to the torches to varying degrees (lost on this AM, others half closed), the gonis are closed up, and a plate. Looking at all of the numbers, and how happy the SPS and zoas look, I think it's a bacterial infection. Alk has been really stable hovering around 9. It's only LPS, and some LPS at that. In fact it's going for the NICEST LPS! It's incredibly frustrating. I did a Coral RX dip yesterday, a 1:1 hydrogen peroxide/saltwater dip today, iodine is on its way and should be here tomorrow. Highly worried about losing this prize trachy, everything has gone totally downhill in a matter of 48 hours. Any other ideas or thoughts?

[tpallas]

Pink trachy falling apart. This is after several days of shrinking up with gaping mouth

 

[tpallas]

Rainbow during and after peroxide dip. Been closed up mouth gaping for about a day

 

[tpallas]

Ditto for green trachy 

 

[WheresTheReef]

Maybe @ReefdUp can help?

[YHSublime]

While you're pointing to a bacterial infection, do you have enough nutrients in the tank? Any detectible nitrates?

 

[smokythemattman@gmail.com]

For what its worth I am going through something right now only with SPS that I suspect is bacterial. I am about to send a water sample out to get some bacterial analysis. I watched some SPS colonies that were huge and established just wither away out of no where over a week or so portion. But over the past few months it has been only a couple SPS colonies at a time affected. 

 

I would cross off nutrients as a problem source for you. LPS are always one of the 1st the first thing for me to get mad when my nutrients drop to low. Especially the bigger fleshy ones. They always hungry for whatever they can get. I'd crosd nutrients off the list and then do an ICP test and or a test for bacteria. A good bit of us recently with unexplained losses and people suspecting bacterial infections... is strange

[YHSublime]

2 hours ago, smokythemattman@gmail.com said:

I would cross off nutrients as a problem source for you. LPS are always one of the 1st the first thing for me to get mad when my nutrients drop to low. Especially the bigger fleshy ones. 

 

This, that's my theory above as well. When you hear hoofbeats, think horses, not unicorns. 

[JJKK]

I had a bout with bacteria issue at the end of February with torches BJD and also non-BJD related bail outs after introducing some wild torches into the tank.  I even reached out to Reefdup to see if she would take in some of my prize torches as a hospital service.  For various logistical and regulations reasons which I totally understood, she is not able to perform this service.

 

If you have ruled out the suggestions above regarding nutrients and stability and still thinks some sort of bacteria infection is in play, I will share that CIPRO treatment did help me.  I had to do the 3 dose regiment twice(back to back weeks after the massive water change after the 3 dose treatment).  It did stopped my otherwise unexplained torch losses.   Here is the link on the article and the dosage:  https://www.reef2reef.com/ams/experimenting-with-in-tank-antibiotic-treatments-for-brown-jelly-disease.791/

 

I know Telegram(another WAMAS member) has a video documenting his CIPRO and other actions when he had bacteria issues as well: 

 

Good luck.  Let me know if you have any follow-up questions.

[ranger]

R2R AQUABIOMICS...........Test is under a 100.00 bucks.

This researcher is worth a follow.

 

[ranger]

emyers[aquabiomic]uses ciprofloxacin at 0.125mg/liter 3 separate doses 3 days apart.

You can get this stuff without a script if you look around.

[tpallas]

5 hours ago, YHSublime said:

 

This, that's my theory above as well. When you hear hoofbeats, think horses, not unicorns. 

 

Doubtful, we direct feed regularly and dose aminos, but will double check the #s.

 

Dipped 1x 1:1 hydrogen peroxide to water (1 min) and 10 mins in lugol solution (40 drops per gallon). Should I dip the lugols daily?

[AlanM]

sorry you're having this issue, and I really hope it doesn't do in that rainbow trachy! 

 

I don't see how it could be a nutrient problem if you're direct feeding the trachy unless the low water nutrient level is causing dinos or something to bloom, but those would kill your inverts and SPS too. 

 

The cipro idea is interesting.  This is getting off topic, but I don't really understand how it would work to dose in a full tank.  I've recently been on a few rounds of that and levaquin myself over the past few months and one of the things you have to avoid is calcium and magnesium.  The calcium binds to it and prevents it from working somehow.  I couldn't take it anytime near eating dairy or taking any multivitamins that included calcium or magnesium.  Since reef tank water is full of both I'd think it would deactivate the cipro.  I'm not a biologist or a chemist, so maybe it's more of a metabolic thing where it just causes your body to flush it out rather than preventing it from killing bacteria.

[lynn.reef.nerd]

In high concentration of cipro, it is a controlled substances that's why most of the time you will see them requiring a prescription. 

 

I get the OTC one from chewy https://www.chewy.com/fish-aid-antibiotics-ciprofloxacin/dp/185215. 

 

I used this mostly to treat mushroom with good success but have never tried it on LPS or SPS before. 

 

 

[AlanM]

There ya go.  500mg is basically a full adult human dose, so I'm surprised that's available without a prescription for fish, but I guess it's because it isn't as dangerous as something like interceptor which they control more carefully.

[lynn.reef.nerd]

As a clarification, I do not dose my tank with cipro although I know some that has. 

 

I use it more of a dip. 

[tpallas]

Phos .14. SPS look very happy. Zoas unaffected. Corals affected are all trachys (2 dead), 1 fungia, 4 torches (2 dead, 2 recovering), 1 frog spawn. Duncan, lobo and scolys unaffected. Gonis afffected but recovering. Did a doxycycline dip yesterday on the trachys, I hope to you god I can save this rainbow trachy but the trachys are getting hit the hardest.

[therootcause]

How are things looking today after the H2O2 dips?


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