First SOS indicator for SPS

revhtree · Jan 21, 2019

I was changing out my water yesterday and noticed I didn't have as much polyp extension from some of my sps corals and it got me thinking. I'm sure my issues were me messing around in the tank and with the water but I wanted to know your thoughts.

What is the first indicator that your sps corals might be in trouble?

image via @bubbaque

Waters · Jan 21, 2019

My first indicator is normally a change in ALK/CA consumption. If my ALK slightly rises after being stable for a long time, it is usually a prelude to the coral taking a turn for the worse, and no longer using the ALK/CA as quick as it once was. From that point I normally just start watching everything a little closer.

Charlie’s Frags · Jan 21, 2019

Zero polyp extension. I know this happens if they get touched by a snail or crab but if there’s zero polyp extension for 24 hours, I know I need to keep an eye on her. That usually leads to stn/rtn in my experience.

madweazl · Jan 21, 2019

I have one acropora that will brown out if you look at it wrong so it is usually the first thing I notice.

DLHDesign · Jan 21, 2019

Usually when I've added them to my tank, that's the first sign of trouble...

I'm hoping that the new build will be far more stable and easy to manage than the old one, so I can get back into keeping such lovely and interesting creatures!

Backreefing · Jan 21, 2019

DLHDesign said:
Usually when I've added them to my tank, that's the first sign of trouble...

I'm hoping that the new build will be far more stable and easy to manage than the old one, so I can get back into keeping such lovely and interesting creatures!

lol at that first paragraph
The second paragraph good luck to you

trido · Jan 21, 2019

I pay attention to color more than polyp extension. If my red prostrata is turning brown that is an indicator of the whole tank not being great. If one coral starts to pale though, I typically will look to see if there is any changes to flow or lighting on that one piece.

PanchoG · Jan 21, 2019

trido said:
I pay attention to color more than polyp extension. If my red prostrata is turning brown that is an indicator of the whole tank not being great. If one coral starts to pale though, I typically will look to see if there is any changes to flow or lighting on that one piece.

+1

DesertReefT4r · Jan 21, 2019

I did not vote either way. I like to think I know the signs of sps stress but claiming so would be ignorant. I have been keeping sps for a while and so have run into a few issues.
Loss of color either paling, browing or greening. Several days of no polyp extension. Loss of tissue any where on the coral. All these either are or can be a sign that something is off causing sps to stress. If I see any of these signs first thing I do is a full water test, take a close look at effected corals for pests, any near by corals that may be waging war, fish, then light and flow.
Change in color ime is less of an issue especially with new corals. Not browning or greening just a change in color. Sps can in many cases change color after a few weeks in a new/different tank. Things like lighting spectrum, intensity, source, water chemistry and nutrients, even flow of new different system than a coral is used to can effect color.

markalot · Jan 21, 2019

I've had so many go south, unfortunately. Here's what I've observed.

1. A change in coloration, even if it doesn't appear worse at first. I had a beautiful red and yellow acro that started to lose the yellow coloration but hold the red. Poly extension declined, then after a couple of weeks RTN and gone. Reason was my calcium dropped too low due to a doser error and me not testing regularly enough. All the signs that screamed TEST were there, didn't do it.

2. Alk starting to increase after being steady. I lost most of my acros because I did not react to this issue. Fault was a rapid PO4 drop because I was messing around with GFO. Alk usages dropped and instead of stopping all dosing I lowered it a bit. Next test Alk was over 9, after that 10, after that most acros dead. This was the incident that turned it around for me in the end. Chuck the GFO, let the tank stabilize, and this time aim all dosing on the low side (7KH). If a test showed something unexpected stop all dosing and see where I was at. Acros can live with very low KH for a little while, a KH spike kills them. If your KH is rising and it's unexpected don't try and stay stable, turn dosing off, let it fall, start over. Once dosing is dialed in a rise in KH is a very bad sign.

3. Light tan tissue, thin and weak colored, not a thick brown. Polyp extension doesn't seem to matter, if you see that sickly light tan odds are you either have a pest or the tank is too clean and the acros are dying. If the other acros are healthy but one is showing this weak coloration, and it's not new, odds are you have a pest of some sort.

Look at the tank daily, note any changes. Many times changes can take weeks to happen so you want to make sure to react by testing, unlike me with that yellow/red acro I lost. There was plenty of time to react.

jda · Jan 21, 2019

If the tissue looks rough (like fine sandpaper) and the color goes south, then get ready for some bad things. For actively growing acropora, then if they stop growing, this is a problem.

You can see acropora issues coming with the coralline... if the coralline takes off with tons of new growth, expect the acropora to follow... if it slows down, then expect the acropora to do the same.

Polyp Extension is an indicator of nothing to me... unless none of the corals have any, anywhere.

WWIII · Jan 21, 2019

I usually know when algae starts growing on them or I wake up and they are bone white!

Seriously though.

Streetcred · Jan 21, 2019

Colour fading or browning ... PO4 climbing. Sometimes a bit of slow regression from the base ... light quality. Alk can 'never' be too high ;-) and careful of starving sps through too low levels of nutrient and nitrate.

CoralNerd · Jan 21, 2019

Mine sent me a message in a bottle

vetteguy53081 · Jan 22, 2019

Me: loss of color, tips not healthy, no polyp prescence and fish nipping on surface constantly

Ubans13 · Jan 22, 2019

I have a WWC Yellow Tip that starts to lose it’s yellow tips. This usually means my Alk is a little off.

Sneakimonky · Jan 22, 2019

I usually see a change in my ph (witch indicate less alk is used)

Pe on my stylo, as strange as it is this one is the first to react even faster than my acros.

If I have missed these signs one white acro with pink polyps is showing none pe and slowly turning brown.

itsforte · Jan 22, 2019

I have a method to observe that SPS is healthy or not,
but first of all, definition is important.

I will

[DEF] HEALTHY : the tips of SPS keep growing.

The first question, which tips are healthy?

ANS: the tips in red colour

Ok this is the first step to determine SPS is healthy or not.

Second question, Is this SPS healthy?

ANS: no, the tips died after few weeks.

So, how can we determine the SPS healthy or not?

Please observe the tips when your light is off.

Color is the less thing you can speak the SPS is weak.
The evidence below that all of SPS keep growing.

So, return to second question, when I observed the tips in night time were not normal, it means the SPS became weak and sent you SOS.
I know that coral is dying. and took picture for reference.

By my observation, this is the earliest signal they send.
The sequence from healthy to unhealthy is that, tips polyp normally extended in night time #1> tips abnormal in night > tip poly with brown color or extension in light time > tips color changed.
This is also the secret of some fantastic "frag" are so colorful, but you cannot keep same color when your SPS are healthy.

in picture, the tip polyp become to normal polyp, with red color. This SPS looks awesome, but never grow. it will STN ot RTN in the future.

I don't take any color as consideration because I saw many SPS in the real reef are brown color. but they are healthy.

#1 some of the healthy tips extended in day time. Can you tell which one is healthy?:);)