Unknown acro dieing? UPDATE!!

[reeferRob]

I got home and noticed one of the branches completely or VERY nearly all white today. It had been doing better and starting to color up. I got this coral for free from a friend who let it turn dark brown, he says it should be purple w/neon green polyps. He got it free from Dr. Foster's due to the entire back half arriving white and dead, but I know if I can just revive it it will regrow. There is an acro crab living in it but thats good right? My paramaters are as follows:

SG 1.025
temp 78
Ca 420-450
dkh 10-11.5

I think it may be lighting, but I don't even know what this coral requires. I run 4-96W dual actinics from 6-12 am, 3- 150W XM 10k from 11-6pm, and actinics again from 5-10pm every day. When I first got it I was afraid to put it too close to the top right away so I put it about midway to bottom, almost directly under (but not quite) a halide, and like I said it seemed to be doing good and getting some color. Then when I get home from work today I see one branch dead.

I don't see any redbugs or other pests anywhere.

Any Ideas??
Thanks

Rob

Here is the same coral I posted in April that wasn't doing do well, it is now recovering and doing WAY better! Still has a ways to go yet though!

http://www.photohost.org/gallery/data/500/1454recovering_Acropora_samoensis001-med.JPG

[BIGBIRD123]

That's one of those ...Neverseemtomakeit corals. Looks like a Samoensis or a Humilis and they are next to impossible...they look good for a couple of months and then go real fast. I tried to keep several and that's what happened..ask Ace.

Steve

[reeferRob]

AWWW man, that BITES!!! I never knew that about those corals, thanks for the good info and quick response!! Such potential to be such a nice coral too..


Thanks again

Rob

[BIGBIRD123]

They make some beautiful corals, if they live...I had one that was the sweetest red and another that was cobalt blue but they only made it about two months.

Sorry,

S

[Bill S]

Good term for it, Steve: "Neverseemtomakeit". I've had those.

[BIGBIRD123]

I've had several....Gorgeous, then walk in and they're totally white, all in one day. Really stinks because they have such brilliant color.

Steve

[reeferRob]

An updated photo of a dieing coral I rescued from a friends tank!

[hobogato]

you might also want to check very closely for AEFW. look for eggs and tiny bite marks on the interior of the branches. the damage shown is fairly consistent with damage that AEFW can cause.

[reeferRob]

I will tomoorow when the lights come on, I know he had them, I threw 1 coral out as it was infested with them. I have never seen any on it, but I've never pulled it out and looked up close either. But I have had this coral for months now and it has just gotten better, more polyp extension (before they didn't open at all) and more color (it was dark brown when I got it). I guess I should repost the original pics I posted in this thread in April, that would better illustrate the difference it's made in the past 3 months.

Thanks Ace