Acro help

[eloehr]

I have had this acro for almost 6 months. It has always been white-ish with neon blue tips and nearly doubled in size.. This weekend I noticed the tips are starting to turn brown. Please advice as I am fairly new to acros. My purple bonsai, multiple birdsnests and pocillopora are fine.

Salinity 1.024
Mg 1350
Kh 8.5
Ca 440
Chinese full spectrum, frag is in 300 PAR

 

[gacolt]

looks dead to me with a few polyps still alive i would cut off the still living polyps and glue them to a frag plug or something but more than likely it's a gone

 

[eloehr]

Some of my locals guy have told me to cut off the white and keep the dark. Probably a waste of time, but is that right? Basically keep the base. Is there anything else I could try? I am very green to the acro world and not really sure what I am looking at.

 

[itsmaaark]

That brown looks like algae..usually if algae growing on it that part is dead.i would cut the dead parts off...unless you see polyps.from what I see there isn't any but you can have a better look then the pic shows.

 

[Touring]

your corals dead. 300 par for leds is alot. its not the same as t5/mh

 

[eloehr]

your corals dead. 300 par for leds is alot. its not the same as t5/mh

Thanks. That is generally the input I have been receiving. I would say I have mastered (even though we never master anything in this hobby) LPS. I am just getting into the sticks. Can you tell me how we know it is dead? Polyp extension? The brown or the white? This piece has always been white. I have a bad feeling that I could have saved this piece if I had more experience with Acro. I have done all the research, but just don't know what I am looking for visually. I guess the "hands on" is what I am lacking. LPS easily shows when it isn't happy. That is the struggle I am having going into the sticks.

 

[ReefBum]

Looks like a goner to me. Can you tell us a bit about your setup (lighting, circulation, ca & all supplementation, skimmer, etc.)?

 

[eloehr]

Looks like a goner to me. Can you tell us a bit about your setup (lighting, circulation, ca & all supplementation, skimmer, etc.)?

125rr tank
40L sump
2 mp40wes running 60% in reef crest mode
BM curve 9 skimmer
BRS single GFO reactor
SG 1.024
Temp 78.8
Ca 440
Mg 1350
Alk 8.5
Phos .05
Nitrate 0
2 300w MarsAqua LED. 50% Blue 12 hours. 20% Full spectrum 8 hours.
Frag was 5" from surface in 300 PAR

 

[eloehr]

Dose Acro Power twice a week
Maintain Alk, Mg and Ca with AquaVitro by Seachem.

 

[ReefBum]

Thanks. What are you doing for Ca and Alk supplementation and how often do you do water changes and what volume do you change out?

125rr tank
40L sump
2 mp40wes running 60% in reef crest mode
BM curve 9 skimmer
BRS single GFO reactor
SG 1.024
Temp 78.8
Ca 440
Mg 1350
Alk 8.5
Phos .05
Nitrate 0
2 300w MarsAqua LED. 50% Blue 12 hours. 20% Full spectrum 8 hours.
Frag was 5" from surface in 300 PAR

 

[eloehr]

I test alk and Ca every other day. Dose with Aquavitro. Ca has never been more than 20 off. Alk maybe 0.5.

20g water change weekly with reef crystals. Weekly wc holds the tank pretty stable. I don't have dose much. Everything is still frags. I only have one mini colony.

 

[ReefBum]

That seems fine. Wondering if you have any pests like Red Bugs or AEFW. Too much light could have certainly been the culprit. If you are new to SPS it is always a good idea to start with some hardy pieces like Montis or Birdsnests and them move one to more demanding pieces when you master the hardy stuff. And it is always wise to start pieces down low and bring them up to the top (if that is where they are going) on a gradual basis to acclimate the coral to your light.

 

[eloehr]

Thank you for your input. I am 99% sure it isn't a bug or worm issue. None of my other Acro frags seem affected nor have white spots. I think it was a rookie mistake with my first acro. Dip, observe and plop on the highest rock in the tank. All my others I have started on the bottom. I have a Garf Bonseai, Strawberry Shortcake and two mystery acros. My birdsnest grows so fast that I am cutting it back almost monthly. With anything, there is a learning curve. I just hope that I learn quickly the signs of stress with acros.

 

[Alabamareef]

All your numbers look fine. This kind of stuff happens sometimes. LED's are not know by par like T5's, or MH.... Even the cheep LED's are fine if the intensity is ok. I"ve seen some great results from chineese LED's. Remember you can kill coral faster with to much lighe vs not enough. If your other acros are fine I would not worry to much and write it off. You could still try to clip the white off, provided no PE, and see if it grows. You may want to check for bugs like AEFW (Acro Eating Flat Worms) or Red Bugs. You could also put it lower in the tank and see if it heals itself. I've had several corals look dead and later come back to life..Good Luck