SPS ID please

[VintageReefer]

I obtained this over 2 years ago, it’s resilient as heck and survived a tank crash that wiped out nearly everything.

It lives through alk swings and doesn’t miss a beat and in 2 years all it’s basically done is encrust. I’ve forgotten what it is and honestly all along I’ve assumed it’s some kind of encrusting Monti

Well. I’ve changed placement. And in the last 2-3 months out of nowhere it started shooting out branches.

Purple and green, but doesn’t seem like a purple bonsai in person

Any other suggestions?

Pics are terrible because it’s far back and hard to focus on. If needed I can move it closer and get better photos.

This is a pic dec 2022 and it pretty much looked like this. Just more encrusted. Until about 2-3 months ago
Dec 2022

A “canopy” growth blob over a rock peak and some encrusting on the plug.

Daylight pic, it’s on far left closed up
Dec 2023 a year later. Alive but almost no growth in a year

Looked like a encruster to me. A slow one

But now…

 

[VintageReefer]

Nov 2022 - pre reboot - almost everything lost. Green hair algae take over. 1 year of complete tank neglect. And there it is. Top left. Annoyed. But alive in the middle of it all lol. Every other acro died.

 

[VintageReefer]

 

[JonoH]

Maybe a type of branching cyphastrea coral?

 

[JonoH]

This is obviously different colours and edited heavily

 

[SliceGolfer]

A Tri-Color Valida stunted by spionid worms perhaps?

 

[JonoH]

Or a tri-colour Purple and Green Acropora?

 

[JoJosReef]

I don't know SPS, but kudos to that coral for ecrusting over those spionid worm tubes! Is that the only place you have spionids?

 

[VintageReefer]

This is obviously different colours and edited heavily

Good guess and I see the similarity but I have one in the tank and they are not the same

 

[VintageReefer]

It is suggested that it’s a tricolor stunted by spionid worms. And now that it’s mentioned I do see one.

I do not think it’s likely all these sprouts are tons of worm tubes that have been encrusted over . I do have the occasional spionid and that would mean this rock is completely infested. I guess possible. But it would take a lot of time for the coral to encrust over all those small intricate tubes and I have photos in june and July and these sprouts didn’t exist

I’m searching for more recent photos.

I feel these all appeared in the last month or two well after the corals was already fully encrusted. I would think worms would bore through it and create holes, not have tubes protruding encrusted by the acro

I’m open to the possibility

Any other ideas ?

 

[steveschuerger]

It reached critical mass and getting ready to explode?
Seriously I think that it’s just happy :)

 

[VintageReefer]

It reached critical mass and getting ready to explode?
Seriously I think that it’s just happy :)

That’s what I think. Moving it from a shaded low flow corner to a shelf mid tank and in medium high flow has Mae it happy and take off. Now I’m trying to figure out what it is

PS. When are you rebuilding?!

 

[VintageReefer]

I take it back. It’s infested with spionid worms. Some of the stalks hav a clear green polyp on the tip but others have the worm feelers

I read these spionid worms can’t be dipped. Anyone have any suggestions ? I’m going to research myself also

 

[steveschuerger]

That’s what I think. Moving it from a shaded low flow corner to a shelf mid tank and in medium high flow has Mae it happy and take off. Now I’m trying to figure out what it is

PS. When are you rebuilding?!

Well the large tank is sold. When I move this year I won’t have space for a big tank. So for now I’ll be settling for this little Cube(16 gallons). At least I still have a little bit of the ocean. Maybe in a couple years I’ll go for a larger one again. This guy has the Digis, Milka stylos, 2 small and 1 larger nem, a small torch, tiny leptastrea and a couple small lps that popped on the rock several months ago. Plus I’ll be having the clowns, Jawfish and the hectors as well

 

[JoJosReef]

I take it back. It’s infested with spionid worms. Some of the stalks hav a clear green polyp on the tip but others have the worm feelers

I read these spionid worms can’t be dipped. Anyone have any suggestions ? I’m going to research myself also

I would dremel out an uninfected chunk and toss the rest. Those guys don't go away. Interceptor doesn't seem to do it. I have this problem in my branching cyphastrea.

 

[DanyL]

I would dremel out an uninfected chunk and toss the rest. Those guys don't go away. Interceptor doesn't seem to do it. I have this problem in my branching cyphastrea.

I second this.

Cut healthy tissue and glue all of the parts together in close proximity, they'll fuse together rather quickly and will regrow to a good looking healthy colony.

Edit: Also, I believe it is a A. Valida like others have already mentioned.

 

[VintageReefer]

I would dremel out an uninfected chunk and toss the rest. Those guys don't go away. Interceptor doesn't seem to do it. I have this problem in my branching cyphastrea.

I second this.

Cut healthy tissue and glue all of the parts together in close proximity, they'll fuse together rather quickly and will regrow to a good looking healthy colony.

Edit: Also, I believe it is a A. Valida like others have already mentioned.

I’m thinking of trying this…it was suggested to me as a treatment for these guys and I happen to already own it

Thoughts ?

 

[JoJosReef]

I’m thinking of trying this…it was suggested to me as a treatment for these guys and I happen to already own it

Thoughts ?

Full tank or isolation tank treatment?

 

[DanyL]

I’m thinking of trying this…it was suggested to me as a treatment for these guys and I happen to already own it

Thoughts ?

Fenbendazole does work against spinoid worms, as well as BCP and even Hydrozoas IIRC. However, from what I remember it is the long exposure to it which eradicates the pests and requires more than one treatment to be successful.

This means that a simple dip is unlikely to work here, and a full tank treatment will be required, which may harm other corals and animals in your tank.

If you are determined to try and save the whole tissue, I think your best bet would be to apply the treatment in a separate quarantine tank, where you can isolate it from the rest of your corals.

There was a quite thorough thread documenting the process with a full tank treatment, I highly suggest you to find it and see how the treatment works and what you might need to look out for.

 

[VintageReefer]

Fenbendazole does work against spinoid worms, as well as BCP and even Hydrozoas IIRC. However, from what I remember it is the long exposure to it which eradicates the pests and requires more than one treatment to be successful.

This means that a simple dip is unlikely to work here, and a full tank treatment will be required, which may harm other corals and animals in your tank.

If you are determined to try and save the whole tissue, I think your best bet would be to apply the treatment in a separate quarantine tank, where you can isolate it from the rest of your corals.

There was a quite thorough thread documenting the process with a full tank treatment, I highly suggest you to find it and see how the treatment works and what you might need to look out for.

I was considering the full tank treatment with the flakes, I don’t have any shrimp, I only have a few hermits that I could relocate temporarily. I don’t have cloves but I do have gsp, which I would not mind losing. Aside from that, I don’t think anything else is reported to be affected

I also was considering the idea of a higher concentration dip, with the crushed up flakes being given time to dissolve and then dipping this mini colony for a half hour per day. I’m making the regime up as I have not seen posts about a dip but figured it should work same as a tank treatment, just at a higher concentration

I believe the full tank treatment takes a while because it’s low concentration to minimize effect on inverts. Could be wrong