SPS Parasite ID

[ErikH]

Ok, so I have had my first colony bleach. Not completely though, and there in lies the debacle. The tips were unaffected, but they eventually died after 48 hours. I removed the coral, and the base looks unaffected as well. So I checked the middle. I found this, and scrubbed it with a toothbrush to try and remove what is inside the decayed area. It didn't budge, so I busted out the macro. Remember that the macro can see much better than we can by eye, so once I saw the picture, I was a bit freaked out. It appears to be a parasite that lives inside the SPS.

I am posting this because I have 0 ideas as to what it could be. It's only a green slimer, but it has some sentimental value as it came from Texas Todd's old righteous 215 brick. Any help or suggestions on where to start trying to ID it are greatly appreciated. If we can't ID it for sure, I will submit it to WWM for further evaluation. Feel free to use this picture for reposting if you need to! :)

http://i183.photobucket.com/albums/x315/erikharrison/Fish/Dead%20Corals/GreenSlimer-CenterOnlyBleach-Parasi.jpg


Again, the center was where the bleaching occurred. The tips died after 48 hours, and I still have the base. I am trying to see if the base will regrow.

[Gilbert]

:hypnotyized:

[ErikH]

I attached a pic of it as well to show size comparison.

[Mr Cob]

Crazy mahn!

[Gilbert]

i want to say that i have seen a coral with something like that on it, and out of the little hole a feather duster would pop in and out.

[ErikH]

Crazy mahn!


Yeah, I thought so as well. If anyone wants me to post my parameters, I will just say this; no. :p Before I took the coral out, I quintuple checked my alk which has been steady at 9. I also have a fuge light on 24/7/365 so there is no change in my PH.... ever. :) It's a PAIN seeing it happen, I just thank GOD it was only my slimer. My RPEs which are right at the base of the slimer did retract from about 30 polyps to 15, while my pink lip zoas on the otherside were unaffected. There is also a small frag of Ugly coral (which is NOT ugly) right by the RPEs, so it's growth may be the reason for the RPEs retraction. I sincerely hope this is isolated, otherwise I am getting a wrasse for the display, and one for the Sumpfugium and pray it's something they will rid my tank of.

[hobogato]

cant see your first pic here at work, but the attached pic just looks like a barnacle - not harmful the coral.

[hobogato]

did it look like this before the coral died?

http://www.reefsanctuary.com/photopost/showphoto.php/photo/1510/si/UFO

[Gilbert]

did it look like this before the coral died?

http://www.reefsanctuary.com/photopost/showphoto.php/photo/1510/si/UFO


thats what i was thinking it was also, and i have seen those on living/thriving corals

[JimD]

This is an FYI not necessarily an ID, although...
http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.3reef.com/forums/attachment.php%3Fattachmentid%3D7774%26d%3D1201997 013&imgrefurl=https://www.3reef.com/forums/coral-diseases/predator-acro-eating-flatworm-montipora-eating-nudibranch-eggs-45006.html&usg=__4RCu4N4zhYl28STPugcsd4PGYHA=&h=324&w=324&sz=47&hl=en&start=1&um=1&tbnid=Qy13YR3uLHEE0M:&tbnh=118&tbnw=118&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dacro%2Beating%2Bflatworms%26ndsp%3D20 %26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN%26um%3D1

[ErikH]

Well, not sure if there was ever a barnacle in it.... I could not see that side of the coral itself. Jeremy and I cut the frag above and below, and that was a very contained spot. Nothing went into the middle, up, or down the only real affect being visual. The base is still green but there is 0 polyp extension, it looks dead, and there is nothing on it. The base appears to be fine, no warring with neighbors unless it's zoas, and all of my clams, sps, gorgo, zoas, fish, and my rbta all are flourishing.

That's the part I don't get!!!!! I am frustrated in the loss of this coral, not because of price. I really do not want to lose any others as the rest of my SPS is "name brand". The declination was very fast, and I never once saw it without polyps until it was dead. I didn't bother trying to save the tips because it was probably too late.

Again, if you look at the top picture closely, the dark part still has the same texture as the rest of the coral, it's just sunken in and discolored. That's why I am not thinking it was a barnacle. It was about the size of a pinky nail too, which seemed too large. It's wierd, and frustrating. :)

[Joshua]

That doesn't look like anything to worry about, certainly not any of the common SPS parasites that everybody knows about.