sps frags

[donduncan]

I recently got some sps frags. One of the frags base is getting white. What can I do? Water parameters are all good.

[gjuarez]

Check your phosphates and your nitrates. It might be signs of RTN.. Thats normally the case when they start receeding from the bottom, when they receed from the top is mainly due to alk. If it starts RTNing, i would chop of the bottom half and start fresh with a new base

[Gilbert]

when that would happen to me it was always a heat issue

[aggman]

the same thing is happening to me with my 12g nano, my other tanks never did it. i have checked all parameters with my own api test kits, then took them to the lfs and had them test-all was good.

i am siding with gilbert, i think it is a heat issue. my tank goes from 78-81 depending on time of day. hard to keep these stable. i just took out the 50w heater and removed the glass cover. hopefully this helps.

does anyone know if the corals will recover from this or are the white parts gonna stay...

~alex

[donduncan]

I dont thing that is a big swing in heat. My tank has the same heat range and everyone that I talked to said that a 3-5 degree swing is not that major.

[ErikH]

Inspect the frags with a magnifying glass, and look for AcroporaEatingFlatWorm, or redbugs. The symptoms don't sound the same as what you have, but there is a reason for the RTN. How old are the frags? Were they encrusting when you purchased them? Definitely cut them from the base, I doubt the RTN frag will recover after you frag it, but the other may make it.


This is from WWM: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/corldisart.html
Conditions:

RTN (Rapid Tissue Necrosis)
Though sometimes referred to as if it were a disease, RTN is not a disease. It is only what its name implies, rapid tissue death. This is when, for any variety of reasons, a coral's tissue begins to rapidly die off (usually leaving the entire coral dead within a few days if not a few hours). Once it starts, RTN is nearly impossible to stop, especially when the cause is unknown. Sometimes a sudden and drastic shift in tank parameters (such as temperature, salinity, pH, etc...) can cause RTN.
IMMEDIATELY remove any coral you suspect to be suffering from RTN. Though it's not known what causes RTN, it has been shown to spread to other corals. This could be because it is caused by an infectious agent. Or, it could be that when one coral dies so rapidly, a significant amount of toxic chemicals are released into the water causing other corals to start dying (a kind of chain reaction).

Starvation
Unfortunately, many aquarists do not properly feed their corals. Slow tissues recession/death is often a sign of starvation. If you suspect that your coral is starving, please see Coral Care (http://www.asira.org/caresheets) for information on feeding your particular coral.
Stress
Most corals, particularly wild caught colonies, suffer considerable stress before arriving at your local aquarium store and into your tanks. Inappropriate and/or highly unstable tank parameters, excessive handling/falling/moving, and unfriendly tank neighbors are some common causes of stress. Stress can lead to slower tissue recession, poor polyp expansion, slowed growth or just an overall decline in coral health. When severe, stress can cause RTN.

[aggman]

wow, that was great info. i might not be feeding them right because it has been a week and they still have color-minus a few spots here and there and no polyp extension. i have been feeding dt's every other day or so and reef nutrition oysterfeast in between. is this not good? also, might the light be burning them?

~alex

[glennr1978]

wow, that was great info. i might not be feeding them right because it has been a week and they still have color-minus a few spots here and there and no polyp extension. i have been feeding dt's every other day or so and reef nutrition oysterfeast in between. is this not good? also, might the light be burning them?

~alex

are you feeding all of that in a 12g? If so, I think you should probably ease up on the feeding as it may very likely be doing more harm than good in such a small tank, unless you are running a large skimmer (in comparison to the tanks total volume).

The API kits are generally good, but from what I've read the PO4 kit is junk. How often do you have to use your mag float to clean your gl***** If it's more than every few days (3 or 4) then you probably have higher than what's generally accepted levels of PO4 in the tank.

Better just bring all of those frags over to me for safe keeping, just in case, lol.

[glennr1978]

why is gla.ss edited out?

[aggman]

hey glenn, well i feed only a little bit with a medicine dropper. i don't think its enough to mess up my params. also i haven't even put the mag float in the tank. i used some soft filter floss like two weeks ago, and still nothing to clean. if i get close i can see a little stuff here and there but seriously algae isn't growing. but i also have a 225gph return, koralia nano, and an extra fluval 205 canister filter providing flow. this biocube was butchered by the last owner-so i only use the back compartments for a skimmer, and a mini live rock and caulerpa fuge. the fluval is providing most of the mechanical filtration. it probably isn't the most dynamic set up, but my water is crystal clear and all tests are coming up good. i dunno what the problem is. maybe sps is just not my thing...

~alex

[glennr1978]

maybe sps is just not my thing...

~alex

I thought the same thing, and was about to throw in the SPS towel after killing about 5 frags over a few months. Then I decided to try one more frag........and I haven't lost a single coral since.


yes, I'm knocking on wood as I type, lol.

[aggman]

I thought the same thing, and was about to throw in the SPS towel after killing about 5 frags over a few months. Then I decided to try one more frag........and I haven't lost a single coral since.


yes, I'm knocking on wood as I type, lol.

yeah i have seen your tank...so yeah you might be on to something, lol.

i don't think i will quit anytime soon. considering my superior nature-it's quite interesting finally facing a challenge...:bigsmile:

~alex

[donduncan]

did my thread get jacked? I decided to cut the frag from the base that was white. I will see how it does

[donduncan]

How long does it take for SPS to encrust?

[aggman]

did my thread get jacked? I decided to cut the frag from the base that was white. I will see how it does

oops sorry for that.:red_smile:

about your corals. i think it depends on the coral. shouldn't take too long though. assuming your params are up to par and tank is doing okay.

mine are still bleaching out. i dunno what it is. hopefully yours fair better.

~alex

[Gilbert]

How long does it take for SPS to encrust?

some people have better luck then others, as for mine it takes forever

[glennr1978]

mine encrust pretty fast, but they tend to take a little while before the grow upward.

[DrMark]

always seems the case, encrust, then they sit and do nothing for a long time before taking off.......OR........new sprouts come off of the encrusted base and grow well while the original frag doesnt grow much, if any, at all. My experience.
mark

[aggman]

well, i hope your new cuts grow quickly and stay healthy. i know i hate losing corals. still relatively new to sps-so still losing some, but working on it.

news: ok i figured out what my problem was. i had the sps to high/close to the mh. the fixture sits about 4 inches from the surface, and the corals were sitting less than 4 inches from that. on a whim, i moved a couple of them down to the sandbed. they have started to color back up. slowly of course, but it is noticeable. i hope that fixes the problem.

~alex

[ErikH]

the same thing is happening to me with my 12g nano, my other tanks never did it. i have checked all parameters with my own api test kits, then took them to the lfs and had them test-all was good.

i am siding with gilbert, i think it is a heat issue. my tank goes from 78-81 depending on time of day. hard to keep these stable. i just took out the 50w heater and removed the glass cover. hopefully this helps.

does anyone know if the corals will recover from this or are the white parts gonna stay...

~alex

Set your heater to 81, then it wont swing :angel:
My tank swings from 75 to 81 daily, (much slower change than a nano) and I have a decent little tank coming along. None of my SPS have died or shown any stress from it.
Keep your CA, and Alk in balance, and KEEP A LOG OF YOUR LEVELS! I just started this practice with my CA reactor, and it has proved invaluable. If you find that you are needing to dose significantly higher amounts than normal, your mg is probably low. If that's the case, a WC is in order to replenish it.

SPS in a nano is very difficult! Especially right out the gate.

Oh, and in time the corals should grow new tissue over the burned areas.