Acro bleaching and its dead

[Darbna]

So I have been keeping my 125 for the better part of a year. Mostly LPS until the last month or so. Everything is stable and I got a doser for the 2 part down to a science, almost. Cal. at 430-440 and Alk at 8.8-9.3 depending on when I test. I have been running alk a little higher to encourage growth. Anyway, I had a purple colored Acro at the top for about 2 months near a red cap Monti. Monti is growing like crazy, was a small frag and is nearly 3 inches now with peaks and valleys growing on it. The Acro all of the sudden bleached in half and died a day or 2 later. I moved a green hairy Millie up top shortly there after and has been doing great. I went away this past weekend and the wife was sthe only one here, fed fish and emptied skimmer. Other than that no change. All the levels are the same and all other acro doing well. Only thing I can think of is the cap but cant find anything says its aggressive, and I never see any type of polyp coming out of it. Any thoughts?

 

[CodyRVA]

Did it bleach from the top down or from the bottom up? Any chance there could have been a pest or coral warfare?

 

[Supurderek]

Sps are fickle creatures and once they start going, it usually bleaches fast. Had a few colonies in the past so that just because of temperature change of two degrees. They are just that sensitive.

 

[McMullen]

That sucks! If other acros are okay then likely not nutrient or alk issue. Sometimes they just die.

 

[CodyRVA]

That sucks! If other acros are okay then likely not nutrient or alk issue. Sometimes they just die.

Agreed, or the opposite; I had a nutrient issue and many of my SPS colonies died, but 2 in particular didn't ever fade in color and continued to have polyp extension and seemed to thrive while the others browned out or bleached. :eek:

 

[aslmx]

It sucks. I had a huge divicata colony that all the sudden started going. I fragged it up but all of it ended up dying. Don't know what happened.

 

[Darbna]

Did it bleach from the top down or from the bottom up? Any chance there could have been a pest or coral warfare?

It was a tabling coral and litterally half of it went over night, and the other half after that. I think its a little of warfare and temp change. I was running at 78-79 degrees and I added a fan about a month ago because it got up to 81. Other than that I cant figure it out. Polyps were extended right up to the very end

 

[CodyRVA]

It was a tabling coral and litterally half of it went over night, and the other half after that. I think its a little of warfare and temp change. I was running at 78-79 degrees and I added a fan about a month ago because it got up to 81. Other than that I cant figure it out. Polyps were extended right up to the very end

Hmm my tank often fluctuates a full degree, can't say I've ever heard of 1 degree causing that much stress. You'd think your other corals would be affected if it was something as impactful as temp? I mean, if you got up to 81 a month ago and saw no issue... why would 1 degree matter now?

As mentioned, sometimes they just die off...

 

[Darbna]

Hmm my tank often fluctuates a full degree, can't say I've ever heard of 1 degree causing that much stress. You'd think your other corals would be affected if it was something as impactful as temp? I mean, if you got up to 81 a month ago and saw no issue... why would 1 degree matter now?

As mentioned, sometimes they just die off...

Ya everything else is going great. Thing was this was a large coral and seemed to be doing the best, polyps were always extended and it was colored up really good? The sometimes they just die I get, I have had it happen. My thing is I have, up until now, been able to see if something wasnt doing "great". Maybe doing OK, but not great in response to target feeding or lighting or levels in tank or something. This guy was one of my best thats why I am so troubled. I keep thinking the close proximity to the red cap had to do it.

 

[CodyRVA]

Ya everything else is going great. Thing was this was a large coral and seemed to be doing the best, polyps were always extended and it was colored up really good? The sometimes they just die I get, I have had it happen. My thing is I have, up until now, been able to see if something wasnt doing "great". Maybe doing OK, but not great in response to target feeding or lighting or levels in tank or something. This guy was one of my best thats why I am so troubled. I keep thinking the close proximity to the red cap had to do it.

Yea it's very possible. I had no idea GSP could do harm until it grew too close to my green Millie colony... stung it at the base one day and it never recovered, entire thing died [emoji58]