Acro tissue damage

Diesel · Aug 2, 2018

That looks like a stoma to me, Not guilty if it is.
Got some pics with light on it?

Yamil Montanez · Aug 2, 2018

That's the best I can do with my phone.

Yamil Montanez · Aug 2, 2018

Yamil Montanez said:
That's the best I can do with my phone.

I believe the back half broke of when I tried to get it off the rock.

blebs · Aug 2, 2018

There is no single cause for RTN, or rapid tissue necrosis. RTN is the result of many types of insults, but ultimately swiftly ends in coral death. it is impossible to find the precise reason for RTN. No one will ever able to verify or disprove their reason. Sometimes reefers can try to attribute it to a recent sudden swing of parameters, sometimes I hear even months prior, but no one can really say for certain. I personally do not think an insult from months prior would cause it. There has been some research associated with vibrio bacteria, the same genus of bacteria that causes cholera, but is the vibrio bacteria the cause of the infection or just simply eating already necrosing tissue ? that is up to debate.

The only real way to save RTN is to clip a frag, it will progress until coral death. RTN can happen quickly, and if you think "oh I can just frag tomorrow morning", there might be not be something to frag then.I had 1 episode of RTN, which could be salvaged by clipping a branch. I clipped too close to the leading edge of necrosis and it continued. I clipped the same frag again and the frag survived, the rest of the colony quickly shed its tissue within 48 hours. I believe my culprit was lack of nutrients from too much GFO and carbon. Some of my corals STN while one, my red planet, just completely RTN. I have not had this issue since running my tank "dirty" with no chemical filtration. My nitrate runs at ~ 1ppm without supplemenation. I do have nuisance algae now though, but better than my sps dying.

You would know soon if this was RTN, because the tissue loss of the colony will be more by the end of the evening when compared to your first pictures. There will be a leading edge of tissue that looks completely normal in color except it has lifted from the skeleton, and will not live. If it has not progressed much from earlier, it may not be RTN.

Even the best and seasoned SPS keepers will be affected by RTN.

Best of luck.