Less positive update - BJD struck this tank and still dealing with the ramifications several weeks later. Unknown cause, no new additions to this tank since ~March? With summer in Los Angeles area, my bet would be temperature swings. Also was trying to bring up N + P (from zero) in the week or two before first disease symptoms showed. N + P adjustments were manual and slow, aiming for never more than a 5ppm NO3 increase and a 0.05 ppm PO4 increase. Sometimes two doses per day, morning and night, but never ended up registering any NO3 above 10 or PO4 above 0.05.
Didn't take any photos of this system during because it was too sad, but documenting for posterity and in case anyone comes across this later to see symptoms. I noticed alk consumption dropping (i.e. dkh rising) about a week before symptoms showed, in retrospect that should have clued me in something was wrong. What was confusing was despite alk slowing, everything looked happy - good PE on LPS and SPS, growth tips extending on acros, etc. Tiny bit of tissue recession at base of torch, but my torch heads were a good 6+ inches tall and flesh extended all the way down to the base, and a goby liked to hang out at the base so figured he just nipped it or something and it would grow back.
Few days later, say Weds night, I noticed tissue at base of torch was starting to look loose. Not torn or receding, just looked more like a shirt sleeve than skin-tight. In retrospect, I should have dipped then and there. Work was busy next day or two so I skipped it til the weekend. BAD MOVE. I noticed actual infection, like shredded-looking tissue at the base Friday night, not yet to the heads and figured it could wait until sat morning water change. WORSE MOVE. This was a 10-headed colony, grown from ~3.5 heads over 2 years, figured it had the resources to hold off 12 hours. there were literally inches of tissue to go through. Nope. Woke up and recession / infection had reached the full polyp on one or two heads and made a lot of progress on others. So pulled colony and dip in extra-strength iodine, big water change, siphoned off all mucus/tissue shreds I could, put it back in and hoped for the best.
At this point I stopped automatic alk/calcium dosing, obviously no nutrient additions, and dropped temperature down to 77F (normally run at 79F)
Next day another polyp bit it (pulled & iodine dip). Things slowed down the next day, but following day another polyp bit it (another iodine dip, & 25% water change). Crazy thing is everything else in the tank looked GREAT - PE on acros, other Euphyllia happy, etc.
This pace continued about a week until I realized no amount of dipping and removal of infected flesh could work it, surgery was needed. Fragged to separate polyps, thought I could save 5 polyps (1 + 2 + 2 heads) but the end one of the double-headed ones had infection inside so I scrapped it and left with 3 polyps. They were obviously angry after the fragging but recession seemed to pause so I thought I made it out.
Foolish me.
Some bit of infected mucus/tissue must have gotten into my birdsnest colony and fallen into the middle of it. With how dense it grows, it was hard to see it until a few days later when it had gotten to multiple branches. Much easier to frag, but it's of course on the largest rock that has another 3 otherwise happy corals encrusted on it so removal, while possible, was avoided.
Cue another two weeks of every 2-3 days siphoning any sign of sloughed tissue, fragging off diseased branches, and 20% water changes. Lost about 1/3 of the colony by volume, but recession has slowed. Not positive I have it stopped in this coral yet, every once in awhile I see some recession or necrosis, but hard to tell with just how prone these guys are to random debris/etc falling into them and making a dead spot.
and it continues.
Had a quick weekend trip for a wedding, noticed some recession on the edge of my favites mini colony (4" diameter, edge encrusted onto a base rock) but figured it was some sand the conch kicked up onto edge. You'd think I would learn. Get back two days later to find 2/3 of tissue lost. Broke it off, fragged what I could (about a 0.5 x 1" piece), and kalk pasted over what looked questionable but was encrusted on the rock. Ended up losing its frags.
Last issues were spotted about 3 weeks ago, nothing confirmed since but I'm not believing it's gone yet.
Losses so far:
7/10 torch heads
entire favia colony
1/3 of Seriatopora colony
Current FTS:
