Anyone known what this is

[jduong916]

This has been happening when i feed, I recently made a new batch of food and i added a lot more coral frenzy than I normally would. The smaller corals have been doing this but much less. Some sps seem to be losing tissue around the tips

 

[Dr. Reef Verified Sponsor]

acro is releasing mucus, usually sign of unhappiness.

 

[reef lover]

It' a feeding response.

 

[Krzydmnd]

If it's only doing it when you feed then I agree on feeding response.

I have a millepora that streams mucus like this all of the time just in one small area that was damaged so I'm guessing that is a stress response.

White just in the tips could also just be growth. Is it flaking off or receding at all?

Nice looking coral!

 

[BoomCorals]

If it's only doing it when you feed then I agree on feeding response.

I have a millepora that streams mucus like this all of the time just in one small area that was damaged so I'm guessing that is a stress response.

White just in the tips could also just be growth. Is it flaking off or receding at all?

Nice looking coral!

Agreed. Looks like slime and filaments. Feeding response!

 

[J. Austin]

Agreed, feeding response. I have a few acroporas that go nuts every time I feed and some that don't do this at all.

 

[jduong916]

I think you guys are right about the feeding response, but I dont think it's a good thing. Some of the smaller acros are doing this (not near the severity as the last pic) and the tissue around the tips seem to be leaving the skeleton. I'm going to feed something else and see if it stops.

 

[29bonsaireef]

What are you guys feeding? IMO, if your coral looks like this its never a positive reaction. If this is a feeding response then something in the food is ******* off the coral. Polyps out could be a feeding response, filaments come out the coral is irritated.

 

[jduong916]

What are you guys feeding? IMO, if your coral looks like this its never a positive reaction. If this is a feeding response then something in the food is ******* off the coral. Polyps out could be a feeding response, filaments come out the coral is irritated.

I agree, I think it's something in the food. I just made a new batch and I added more coral food to the mix than normal.

 

[29bonsaireef]

My acros do this every time I rip out Xenia, paly's, encrusting gorgonian. The slime that comes off them irritates the acros and they send out filaments as a reaction. Honestly, unless you're trying to bring up nutrients. I would only feed just enough for the fish to eat. I know some people swear by feeding their corals, but it's not necessary if you have fish.

 

[DSC reef]

What are you guys feeding? IMO, if your coral looks like this its never a positive reaction. If this is a feeding response then something in the food is ******* off the coral. Polyps out could be a feeding response, filaments come out the coral is irritated.

I have to disagree, this is not always an irration response from the coral. Anytime reef nutrition or LRS frozen hits the water I get a feeding response and I know those foods are high quality and safe. I'm a believer in feeding corals as well.

 

[29bonsaireef]

Imho, filaments are always a response to irritation. A happy coral will not send out filaments, they are an indication of stress or a coral trying to protect itself.. The food is irritating the coral, it's not sending them out to try and catch food.. that's not their purpose. I'm not saying it will kill the coral or even harm the coral, but it's definitely a negative reaction caused by foreign particles and food being added to the tank.

I know there's different opinions on feeding corals and wether its beneficial. However, It's not at all necessary. I put just a pinch of flake food as a treat for my fish maybe once a month.

 

[Scorpius]

Very rarely do I get messenterial filaments when feeding. When I do see them something is wrong chemistry wise that I need to fix asap.

 

[Skynyrd Fish]

What is your ALK? burnt tips or dying tips are a sign of ALK possibly being high.

 

[jduong916]

alk stays between 8-8.5 dkh. Ca is at 370, slowly dosing it back up to 420. Mg 1350, No3 4ppm, Po4 .03ppm.

 

[Dr. Reef Verified Sponsor]

Large amount of mucus is sign of stress and white tips probably are growth. They always are white before taking on color on tips. I don't find that to be burnt tips due to alk. That happens in ULNS where alk should be close to NSW around 7 dkh. According to your parameters you are close but not true ULNS.

 

[jduong916]

My nitrates will go to zero if i dont dose. I have been dosing 4 ppm of nitrate a week. I don't think the tips are burning from alk as well. Its not really burning tip but tissue loss thats seems like its directly related to the mucus.

I really think its the food. I stopped feeding my homemade mix today and only added pellets, did a 25% water change and will continue to monitor. Not very many filaments on the coral today, I'll just have to see what happens tomorrow.

 

[Dr. Reef Verified Sponsor]

If you are keeping Nitrates and Phos that low to almost 0 then I would reduce the alk down under 8 dkh more like 7 to 7.5 range. Not all but some people have reported burnt tips due to higher alk levels.
But take one thing at a time. Let's see the reaction of corals with your change in water and food. Once that settles and if you still don't see tips as growth and rather burnt then slowly start reducing alk down.
Good luck and happy reefing

 

[Graffiti Spot]

I have seen this when feeding pemysis shrimp, and the corals are always very healthy. In fact I haven't seen an unhealthy coral produce filaments like this. So why would it be a sign of stress if only health corals do it, and there is never a sign of actual harm done to the coral? What makes people think it's a sign of stress? Do corals really do this because food particles are in the water irritating it?
I don't think so. I have seen the reaction happen when the food is not even entered that part of the tank yet. So it couldn't be irritating anything. It's like the corals can sense the food in the water and instantly react. Try adding selcon to the tank and see how fast certain corals react.
Also it's always only certain corals that do this so why would only a few corals react badly to something that's irritating everything?

 

[29bonsaireef]

Never meant to start a debate. Wether you agree or disagree. Filaments stringing out of your coral is not a sign of "happiness" or a "hungry" coral. The corals may do this in a response to foods being added to the tank, but it shouldn't be looked at as a "positive" feeding response. They are being irritated by all the fleshy food and food particles floating around. Filaments are a corals defense mechanism. They come out when threatened, stressed, or irritated. Same thing will happen if you're cleaning anything in the tank, glass, rocks, removing corals etc.. Think about it for that matter of time food is present in the tank the corals are surrounded by miniaturized fish chum.. not a very healthy or happy environment for the corals. Never said it indicates the coral is unhealthy, its just not happy at that time.