What exactly is burnt tips?

homer1475 · Apr 15, 2020

So since we concluded my issues isn't burnt tips, can anyone post a pic of what burnt tips actually looks like so I have an idea?

jda · Apr 15, 2020

Burnt tips are dead skeleton on the end that turns brown and algae starts to grow. They are usually caused by human trying to lower N and P way too low (lower than seawater, which is already low) and the skeleton grows faster than the organic tissue - the area does not get covered. Remember that calcification is much faster in lower N and P and the artificially low N and P cannot give building blocks to the new organic tissue. You would know the look of this since this looks like death. Keep in mind that ocean levels do not do this, and they are around .5-1 ppb of phosphate and .1 nitrate and this is not growth limiting, so you really have to use some chemicals or media to get lower than this.

This can also happen a bit if people use too much light from harmful diodes, but these are mostly gone in the hobby and this was more of an issue with units from 5 years ago, or more.

I am sure that you can find some pictures in google photos.

What you have is just new growth where the zoox has not populated yet. They will. This is normal.

Graffiti Spot · Apr 15, 2020

It also looks like it’s probably not acropora yongei and is probably another type of green stag from what I can tell. Either way it should color up eventually and should look great either way. Only need to worry if the white is traveling down and covering normally colored tissue, or if it’s all turning pale or white obviously.

homer1475 · Apr 15, 2020

Pedoconfuego said:
It also looks like it’s probably not acropora yongei and is probably another type of green stag from what I can tell. Either way it should color up eventually and should look great either way. Only need to worry if the white is traveling down and covering normally colored tissue, or if it’s all turning pale or white obviously.

Couldn't really tell you otyher then where I bought it, and what it was called when I bought it. Other then plating monti's it was my first real SPS. I bought it from ARC(A reef creation) in buffalo, NY, like 2 years ago. For the first year it didn't grow much, just the dead skeleton at the bottom near the plug, This last bit of growth has only been in the last year.