What is this growing in Red Digitata? Don’t want to loose it.

RedG

Active Member
View Badges
Joined
Aug 6, 2021
Messages
106
Reaction score
78
Location
South Florida
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Hi all, I saw something on my digitata and was wondering what it is. It started a few months ago and I originally thought it was hair algae. I cleaned it a couple of times, but it kept coming back. Finally on this week water change I took a couple of pics, and it does not look like algae at all, it is like something encrusting. Plus I see two white spots.

I search the forums and I found some threads where people talk about the white spots being the beginning of bleaching, but if caught early it could probably recover.

Our tank is almost two years old, a mix reef with sps, lps, and softies. All seems to be thriving. The bird’s nest next to the digitata is doing amazing and is one of my favorites right now.

If this is the beginning of bleaching, some of the threads I found people talked about cutting it in order to save it, and move it down in the tank as lights might be too strong.

My light set up is Kessil AX500 which are at about 60%, all blue. I haven’t changed their intensity in many many months 6+ and this digitata has been growing upwards, side ways, and even encrusting in the rock.

It has good red color on the top also (white spots are on the bottom branches) I do not have a PAR meter. It receives good flow from the MP40.

We do weekly water changes 30 gallons, on a 125 DT, 35 gallon sump.

Some of the parameters are:
Salinity 1.024
DKH (use to run a 10 a year ago, then slowly over time brought it down to 8.7 per recommendation of people at frag swaps, my corals used to look better at 10 IMO so over the last month we been bring it to 9.2 range where it sits now) Hanna
NO3 4.4 ppm Hanna
PO4 .10 ppm Hanna
Mg 1240 ppm RedSea

Should we frag it cutting the affected white spots? Or is there another way to treat it?

There are some parts encrusted in the rock already which don’t seem affected, but the ones we can cut we can move it down in the tank if needed.

Thanks for your help.

1DEEB54B-54AE-4DE2-ABB1-917E499DCF64.jpeg 23EB6789-AECE-4585-83B4-5680FC6E9A5D.jpeg 3730257D-E5A7-4251-9B14-9C9ED32E04A4.jpeg BAB6BF45-33B3-43B7-874A-C1F3BC0BCFE9.jpeg
 

Saltyreef

I'm not your dad...
View Badges
Joined
Nov 25, 2018
Messages
7,041
Reaction score
6,030
Location
Central Coast, California
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Generally, algae growth on sps is indicative of the flesh already necroding to bare skeleton.

The alk adjustment may have done it...sometimes certain corals are just super sensitive to these subtle changes.

The whitespots on the underside of the coral are indicative of not enough light reaching that area. Kind of what comes with the territory of spot illumination from LEDs.
 
OP
OP
RedG

RedG

Active Member
View Badges
Joined
Aug 6, 2021
Messages
106
Reaction score
78
Location
South Florida
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Thank you for the feedback, so no the alk number so the changed might have caused it. I will keep it around 9.2 as all the corals seem happier than the 8.7

So the white spots if not enough illumination is the case, no sense on moving it down in the tank.

Lastly should I cut it to remove the affected part? Or just let it be? Will it spread and take over the whole coral?
 

Mastering the art of locking and unlocking water pathways: What type of valves do you have on your aquarium plumbing?

  • Ball valves.

    Votes: 44 48.9%
  • Gate valves.

    Votes: 48 53.3%
  • Check valves.

    Votes: 21 23.3%
  • None.

    Votes: 23 25.6%
  • Other.

    Votes: 9 10.0%
Back
Top