Are they bleaching?

[Mengchhorn Chhun]

Hi !!! I never have any SPS before because my reef tank just half year old so what i have just soft and lps, I just order and get these Acropora colony from live sale and get it last yesterday, and yesterday i see them turning like in the picture, so are they breaching or what ?

PS. i also order other sps and lps along with it and all of them look really healthy.

 

[tankstudy]

Looks more like tissue loss versus bleaching.

 

[Mengchhorn Chhun]

Looks more like tissue loss versus bleaching.

by any chance, can they growing back ?

 

[tankstudy]

by any chance, can they growing back ?

If it is indeed tissue loss, it will not grow back. Some people will frag off the remaining live tissue in attempts to save it.

 

[Mattrg02]

Yeah, that's rtn. Time to start checking your parameters and considering possible swings. If you can frag a piece such that there is zero rtn on it, I'd do it now.

 

[Mengchhorn Chhun]

i might just let it be because during shipment some piece break off and i put them on frag and place in different position in the tank and that still look like breaching

 

[Mattrg02]

i might just let it be because during shipment some piece break off and i put them on frag and place in different position in the tank and that still look like breaching

What are your parameters, alkalinity in particular?

 

[Mengchhorn Chhun]

my parameters
alk: 10.9
Cal: 563
mg: 1470
phosphate: 0.7
ph: around 8

PS. I’m been trying to get Cal down by switching salt from Red Sea Coral pro to Aquatic Sea Salt but it still high so that why i though of getting SPS to consume them some.

 

[Mengchhorn Chhun]

I know my phosphate is high, i’m trying to run Chaeto Reactor and it grow like crazy but still high, also been trying to lower it down with bluelife Phosphate RX and it keep comming back.

 

[tdileo]

Your alk is higher than most people keep it at but I’m not sure if that’s the problem as long as it is stable.
I do think you should have started off with an SPS like birds nest or montipora before jumping straight into acros, but it’s not a huge deal. Hope you can find the issue.

 

[Mattrg02]

Is your phosphate 0.7ppm or 0.07ppm? 0.7ppm could be the culprit.

 

[Mengchhorn Chhun]

Is your phosphate 0.7ppm or 0.07ppm? 0.7ppm could be the culprit.

that 0.7 :( i know that high

 

[Mengchhorn Chhun]

Your alk is higher than most people keep it at but I’m not sure if that’s the problem as long as it is stable.
I do think you should have started off with an SPS like birds nest or montipora before jumping straight into acros, but it’s not a huge deal. Hope you can find the issue.

well that the issue acropora i got, i have other 2 frag that look very happy

 

[Mattrg02]

I'd work on finding the source of your phosphates. I have to actually dose phosphates in my tank.

 

[Axe]

If it is indeed tissue loss, it will not grow back. Some people will frag off the remaining live tissue in attempts to save it.

I respectfully disagree on this. I've taken in many sps corals from our lfs (my stepson works there) that have had tissue loss and gotten them to grow back. I have a colony right now that all but died off to 2 tiny little pieces of tissue, almost the size of a single polyp and it is starting to grow back. I've never had much luck with fragging personally but I know others have.

 

[Mengchhorn Chhun]

I'd work on finding the source of your phosphates. I have to actually dose phosphates in my tank.

i try to run everything, Chaeto Reactor, Refugium with variety of algae, Biopellet Reactor also a bag of both carbon and GFO in back chamber. I use to have a bunch of GFA growing on my back chamber and refugium but now they all gone. Still phosphate around 0.5 to 0.8ppm and i test with Hanna

 

[Mengchhorn Chhun]

I respectfully disagree on this. I've taken in many sps corals from our lfs (my stepson works there) that have had tissue loss and gotten them to grow back. I have a colony right now that all but died off to 2 tiny little pieces of tissue, almost the size of a single polyp and it is starting to grow back. I've never had much luck with fragging personally but I know others have.

I never witness that but heard some claim to be coming back so let see what happen. Also i have a frag of birdnest that almost breach out, only the tips left and it still be here quite a few months now.

 

[tankstudy]

I respectfully disagree on this. I've taken in many sps corals from our lfs (my stepson works there) that have had tissue loss and gotten them to grow back. I have a colony right now that all but died off to 2 tiny little pieces of tissue, almost the size of a single polyp and it is starting to grow back. I've never had much luck with fragging personally but I know others have.

Sections of dead tissue will not grow back but sections that are live will grow back. I think you may have misinterpreted my statement. You can frag living sections and possibly save the hard coral. However, if you frag just the white skeletal parts that have no tissue left, it will never grow back from that.

 

[Axe]

Sections of dead tissue will not grow back but sections that are live will grow back. I think you may have misinterpreted my statement. You can frag living sections and possibly save the hard coral. However, if you frag just the white skeletal parts that have no tissue left, it will never grow back from that.

Yes, I misunderstood your comment. I thought you meant the coral as a whole will not grow back. I agree fragging can be a great way to save a coral. Like I said in my earlier post that it has not worked well for me. I do believe it's almost always necessary if the coral is showing signs of disease however. I personally have never been able to identify if a coral is diseased or not so I'm not much help with that. I have read a lot of people having success with antibiotics but it sounds like a long shot. Sorry for the confusion :)

 

[DSC reef]

Looks to be your chemistry is out of whack. Calcium and phosphates are high. What are your nitrates at? Possible swings could be causing these issues too. Are you dosing, regular water changes?