Any idea what is wrong with this coral?

[cemmerts]

I got this guy a couple years ago and has been doing fantastic. More recently, it’s gotten patches where the polyps do not come out. Mostly on the underside if the branches, but by no means isolated to only those areas. The retreated polyps do occasionally come out, so they seem to still be alive. No recent additions of inhabitants, no changes in lighting (reefbreeders), no changes in parameters. Only thing that preceded this, that I can think of, was a monster vermatid growing at the base, which I evicted. Any advice would be appreciated.

 

[fishguy242]

hi, check for monti eating nudi's,
either with dip if possible ,or flashlight 2 hrs after lights out.

 

[Glenner’sreef]

A good protein skimmer can invite some nasty airborne toxins into our tanks. A customer lost 2, 7 year old clowns because of a carpet cleaning and aerosol freshener in an enclosed fish room.

 

[NowGlazeIT]

Not a educated guess but I’m thinking bugs or flatworms. Looks like they’re eating away at that beautiful colony

 

[NowGlazeIT]

They say if you have a heavy enough vermitid population that they can sting corals while extending for food. And this coral does looks irritated.
You would see strings or webbing from the snails to the coral tho and I see none

 

[mtraylor]

I would check your alkalinity first. Then all the other parms and post them.

 

[Graffiti Spot]

Looks like the corals been irritated and stressed for a long time. The growth is thick in some spots and thin in some spots. Digit grow very oddly but shouldn’t look that varied in growth. The areas with polyps retracted and bare skeleton make me think it’s been stressed randomly for a while. Those snails will damage coral like this but the damage is widespread. I see some dinoflagellate looking bubbles hanging in some spots so it could be a combo of the two causing some of the bad spots.

 

[cemmerts]

Thanks for all the replies. I will look for the nudibranches. I’ll also get a fresh set of parameters when I get home tomorrow.

the flesh has always looked very full until about a month ago when this started. My gyre pump is fairly close and has need directed at it for quite a while. Is it possible that the frogspawn below is stinging it? They used to be a good 6” apart, but as they have grown, they aren’t to far from touching now.

 

[monkeyCmonkeyDo]

I'm gonna say alk or temp swings causing rtn or stn.
If I grew sps I'd prob be more help but that's what I got for u. Lol. Sorry! Good luck with the coral its a beaut
D

 

[cemmerts]

I think I got it identified. Checked parameters, pH 8.4, nitrate 2-2.5, Alk 8.4, Mg 1260, Ca 445. Looks like im out of my phosphate test, so i'll have to get a new one. No nudibranches identified, but i'm pretty sure I have found Dinos on the microscope. I think two different kinds though? One smaller that seems to move in a circular motion and another which is larger and moves linearly....I guess it's lights out, skimmer off, temp up, check my phosphate and raise it?

 

[sculpin01]

Ostreopsis, a toxic dinoflagellate.

Treatment is: UV + lots of carbon + no amino dosing + increase your nitrate and phosphate.

 

[cemmerts]

Ostreopsis, a toxic dinoflagellate.

Treatment is: UV + lots of carbon + no amino dosing + increase your nitrate and phosphate.

Fantastic. I got a cheapo API phosphate test and it shows that it is more than 0. I have a hannah ULR coming for more precision. I don't currently have a media reactor or UV sterilizer, but will get one. Anyway you can go to big with a media reactor for the carbon?

Another problem I guess I have now is that I have a new 125g that I just started cycling on Saturday with the intentions on upgrading my current 75 when I move in 2 months. I threw some shrimp and dry rock in the new tank and a threw some macro algae in from my now infested 75g. So i guess I likely brought some dinos with me to the 125. Anything I should do while I have the opportunity to nuke whatever I cross contaminated into the new tank? I'm ultimately going to be taking the corals and stuff from the 75 and put it in the 125, so i'm not sure that it is even worth it?

Thanks for all the input...

here is a picture from today. Some areas of yellow/green where the polyps are missing.

 

[sculpin01]

Jebao black plastic “pond sterilizer” is the cheapest bang for your buck for a short term, high yield UV (if used long term, the plastic casing degrades). Two weeks of UV (can be only at night), no amino dosing, and shoot for 10 nitrate/0.15 phosphate. You need to run loads of carbon to remove the toxins that Ostreopsis secretes.

 

[sculpin01]

Jebao black plastic “pond sterilizer” is the cheapest bang for your buck for a short term, high yield UV (if used long term, the plastic casing degrades). Two weeks of UV (can be only at night), no amino dosing, and shoot for 10 nitrate/0.15 phosphate. You need to run loads of carbon to remove the toxins that Ostreopsis secretes