How to save this coral!

[DmitryB]

With the latest dino outbreak, I'm having a few corals (mostly frags, but not this one! This one is a big piece) starting to decline. This is one of them. Some parts of it get the polyps come out, but other parts are now covered in algae. What can one do in these situations??

 

[EnterName]

That's a tough one...

If the coral isn't capable of protecting itself from epiphytic algae/protists it is beginning to get serious. A short hydrogen peroxide dip of adequate concentration could bring short-term relieve, but dinos will be covering it in no time again, and again. You will have to hope that the issue resolves itself before too much damage is caused. Even if you manage to get rid of the dinos in time, cyanos and algae like to overgrow the dead spots if the coral can't fight them off anymore.

 

[slingfox]

What kind of coral is that? Very hard to tell with the blue lights without orange lens filter.

 

[Privateye]

You can sometimes coat the algae-covered parts in glue or epoxy. Or if you think the algae would die-back in a few days of darkness, you could move the frag to the sump and then move it back.

 

[DmitryB]

What kind of coral is that? Very hard to tell with the blue lights without orange lens filter.

That's Jose's Pink Stylophora. This was the photo of the frag I got from POTO. (I've contacted POTO about his one and the Trachy - to see if they had any advice - and they did not respond.)

 

[DmitryB]

You can sometimes coat the algae-covered parts in glue or epoxy. Or if you think the algae would die-back in a few days of darkness, you could move the frag to the sump and then move it back.

This is worth a try, I think. If it's already struggling, this won't be the cause of its demise.

 

[DmitryB]

That's a tough one...

If the coral isn't capable of protecting itself from epiphytic algae/protists it is beginning to get serious. A short hydrogen peroxide dip of adequate concentration could bring short-term relieve, but dinos will be covering it in no time again, and again. You will have to hope that the issue resolves itself before too much damage is caused. Even if you manage to get rid of the dinos in time, cyanos and algae like to overgrow the dead spots if the coral can't fight them off anymore.

It says Stylophora is Low/Med 50-70ml.

What's 50-70??

 

[EnterName]

It says Stylophora is Low/Med 50-70ml.

What's 50-70??

50 - 70mL of 3% Hydrogen Peroxide (H₂O₂) filled up to 1L with tank water (bath the coral for 5 minutes).

 

[slingfox]

That's Jose's Pink Stylophora. This was the photo of the frag I got from POTO. (I've contacted POTO about his one and the Trachy - to see if they had any advice - and they did not respond.)

That is a pretty hearty type of SPS. I agree with the recommendation on hydrogen peroxide dip. I unfortunately have had limited success in saving corals which declined during major Dino outbreaks. Doesn’t hurt to try something though.

What has worked for me is to frag off the healthy portions in order to isolate from the uglies and to increase the number of dice rolls.