Strange Star Coral Ailment

[Cavalina]

Hi All, over the past week or so a portion of my star coral has started to die off. I'm not sure what is causing it, or what to do. Nothing else in the tank is impacted. Here's a picture below -- any suggestion(s) on what it could be or what I should do? (It's the white part at the bottom of the coral -- that all used to be "alive" last week). Thanks very much in advance!

 

[Cavalina]

Here's a better (non-blue) pic btw.....

 

[58e970b2-3f88-4897-87ba-5]

Unfortunately I can’t help, but here’s a bump.... and the next question someone will ask:

What are your parameters?

 

[Cavalina]

Good point, I should have included that. Fairly normal parameters with higher nitrates for my softies....

ph: 8.2
Alk: 9.5 dkh
Ammonia: 0
Nitrite: 0
Nitrate: .5
Salinity: 1.023
Temp: 77F

 

[58e970b2-3f88-4897-87ba-5]

That salinity looks a little low. How are you measuring?

Also how long have you been growing that patch?

 

[Cavalina]

1. Just a standard $15 plastic hydrometer. Very similar to this one.

2. It's a couple of years old. First time anything like this has happened though!

 

[saltybees]

Does the bottom of it get much light? Maybe the sympodiums ( I think that’s what’s all around it) shading it too much

 

[Cavalina]

To be honest, if anything it gets too much light. It's at the top of my live rock and closest to my Kessel. But it's been there for quite a while without issue. So I don;t think it's a light issue (?), but I could be mistaken.

It's weird, the "dead" portion of the coral appears to be creeping upward. It's almost like it's coral gangrene or something :oops: I'm half tempted to take the coral out of the tank and remove the dead parts--an amuputatino of sorts--and see if that resolves the issue before it gets much worse.

 

[saltybees]

Ya I dunno sorry I’ve never had a star coral so I have no real advice, my sympodium grows* like an absolute weed though I could see it overgrowing anything near it lol