RTN From Base Question

denverjon · Nov 7, 2010

A few of my sps are showing some signs of rtn. I've had people tell me that you can oftentimes tell the problem by how the corals are losing their tissue. Any thoughts on the problem if it's doing it from the base? Thanks!

Joost's reef · Nov 7, 2010

what are your water parameters? light? any dosing?

denverjon · Nov 7, 2010

Water paraments are stable. I've been fighting a problem for about a month and thought I had it solved. In the past, if I had rtn issues, there wasn't any pattern to it. It could start at the base, the tips, halfway up, etc. With the issues I'm having now, it's starting at the base. I'm just curious as to whether you can tell anything when it starts at the base as opposed to other areas.

bmooney31 · Nov 8, 2010

has your salinity been stable? I had this problem and I was using a hydrometer and I thought my sg was 1.025. well when my LFS checked my water with a refractometer it was 1.032 I soon bought a refractometer and havent had the issue since. Just a thought.

Troylee · Nov 8, 2010

Really hard to say with rtn to be honest.... There is no know cause or cure for it....:(

LBA · Nov 8, 2010

I've been through RTN, mostly with wild corals. My advice would be to chop off the good tissue while you still have it and toss the rest. Painful I know, but chances of saving the whole coral are slim.

If it's more of an STN, maybe areas unexposed to light? If your parameters are in check.

reefer916 · Nov 9, 2010

I have the same issues on a few of my colonies and it seems to be most persistant, where the colony doesn't get light. Everything on top looks great with vibrant colors and polyp extension. I'm interested in what others have to say because I've just been watching it. Does your's seem to be spreading? Mine are a Garf Bonsai Colony and a ORA Blue Bottlebrush colony. There also a few small frags that are showing signs, but it's where they don't get light. I believe it's STN because it's very slow and it seems to not have spread for awhile. I guess similar to the ORA Green Birdsnest, where the lower branches will die off.

Murfman · Nov 9, 2010

I have found that reefer is right, when the corals grow out to the point that the branches underneath don't get light they just kinda die off. As for the STN/RTN issue, mine has always been because of alk. If you can keep the alk at the higher end and very stable, things should clear up. You can try putting super glue on the dead area to stop it but I would always cut a good piece of frag and use it as a back up in case you loose the coral.

schminksbro · Nov 12, 2010

Sometimes as colonies grow they choke out flow as well. It could be light being shaded out, flow being cut off or alk. I know I am painting with a broad brush but it could really be anything but those would be my first guesses.