Dying sps, help!

P

peterlin

[It's been several weeks now. This is another one SPS colony that is dying slowly. I place it on top of rock where SPS is blasted with strong current. But it is still dying - you can see the white part - and some that is turning brown.

The last SPS colony - I tried to frag some - but only a small part of it survived.

Other corals in the tank are okay.

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[I'm afraid you will have to take aggressive action to avoid further loss. Cut the damaged branches back to all good tissue. I have had some luck with covering small RTN areas on the base with superglue gel after removing the sick branches. You best defense though is to write that coral off, frag a few nice branches and grow a new colony. If you can save 4 or 5 branches and glue them to the same rock you will have a new colony within a few months. If you want me to come over and give you a hand let me know.]
 
@peterlin wrote:
[It's been several weeks now. This is another one SPS colony that is dying slowly. I place it on top of rock where SPS is blasted with strong current. But it is still dying - you can see the white part - and some that is turning brown. The last SPS colony - I tried to frag some - but only a small part of it survived. ] said:
[DAS is right, but it's not RTN. RTN definitely isn't that slow. There is something going on in your tank that these corals don't like. When you say blasted, you don't mean a pump is blowing directly on them do you? That is a bad thing. Coarals can only handle turbulent flow, not direct flow. What lights do you have it under and what lights was it under before going in your tank? What are ALL of your tank parameters? Specificially, ammonium, nitrite, nitrate, calc, alkalinity, ph, temp, salinity, etc. And how do you have these placed in your tank? Do you have anything toxic that might have happened in your tank? like a sea cucumber that died, an SPS that very severely RTNed (I'm talking turned totally white in less that a day's time). The brown part suggests tissue deterioration/death. I would definitely look at the tank parameters and where its placed 1st of all. If all else fails, *IF they are *not* *RTNing* find a friend that will loan you some tank space until you can get your tank parameters under control.]
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[I agree with both DAS and Kevin. RTN is Rapid Tissue Necrosis, and people lose a coral over a day or two.

And as Kevin pointed out, we can have our corals in front of spa jet-like flow. It will blow the soft tissue right off the calcium skeleton.

Have you considered lowering the light a little bit closer to the tank perhaps? (Totally random thought on my part.)

Definitely post all of your parameters. Include in that what type of salt you use, what type of water (ro/di?), temp, salinity, etc.

Hopefully we can help.]
 
[:;):
Yes,
I would agree with the good old fashion fraging operation. If nothing else, this problem might not spread to other parts of the tank. It might be a unique and slow bacteria in action.
I would also do as said above, cut good growth, super glue up on the frags a bit, into the good growth and mount all the frags close enough, on a new crisp rock covered with good purple, and then the frags will think they are still in the same colony and keep growing on.
It looks like the two other pieces on the right are also turning brown from the bottom up.
It would seem that tank Pars are a bit skued, but it might just be a normal, but unique, type of bacteria die off.
Act fast, so the problem does not get out of hand, is my sugestion.
Good luck and please post again,(with more pictures) keeping us informed to what the outcome is.
Happy coral growing. :;):]
 
[???
By the way?, I forgot to ask?
Is there something that is eating at the coral?
Is there something in the night that is on the coral and munching away?
I would look at the tank at night and see what might be having lunch!.
Good luck, please fill us in. :)]
 
[hmm peter.. I can come over and take a look if you want. I was loosing a gorgeous green table acro the other day, wrote it off and fragged. Better to have some nice frags then nothing at all.

Direct current is bad, if its too much.... Thee are diseases that will kill your SPS besides RTN. RTN is horrible, 1 day will kill your coral. I think if you take some steps you should be able to keep that colony alive. Maybe even try superglueing over all the dead or diseased areas. The coral will grow over it eventually.]
 
[I'm not familiar with your systems Peter, but as you know there are hundreds of variables that could be causing your losses. Have you eliminated the likely suspects? IE, water chemistry(CA, ALK, Temp, SG, Ph etc....), toxic substances anything rusting near the tank? All the impellers sound? Are other corals stinging, etc... Parasites?(the dreaded red bugs) Physical factors such as lighting, current etc??]
 
[I have a sps, that the tips started bleaching when
I used biossay for water change.
I have since switched to instant ocean for changes.

Now, a month later, during the last week in started to spread
and now I come back out of town, it's completely white/dead.
Do I take it out and throw it away?

Thanks :no: :very sad: :shocked: :sniffle:]
 
[???
Yes, pitch dead white coral, it will bread cano/red slime/green slime. I never get rid of the skeli's completly, just wash them off,(Very hot water) dunk them in Bleach water for a few day/week, or until they are very white and clean.
Then PAINT from Hobby store. Get neon colors and do it up.
Paper weight time and or TV deco.
You could also clean it up, NO! bleach, crunch it up, clean detris of again and set into DARK bio-ZONE and this will help clean the system when it get bio-full.

Best of luck and keep on the horse. Buy another and keep tweeking. Some coral just die and that is that, you can not save every piece, only an act of God would be able to do that.

Have fun and good times ahead will reward a person.
M&J T :nod:]
 
[Interesting,
I snapped the coral off to save the piece of liverock and inside
the base of the sps was still alive.
Maybe it will start growing again. :Oo:]
 
[Maybe it is just me, but whenever I see a branch on a coral bleach, I break it off where the coral is alive to prevent it spreading further.]
 
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