Big SPS colony white in the valley

[kirinreef]

Is it normal for a big sps colony to turn white in the valleys? Even whiter than the under side.
Is it flow or light?

 

[lemonade]

It's not normal. Kind of hard to tell what's going on in the pic. Could be from flatworms, could be that not enough flow is getting to those areas and detritus has settled causing infection/TN. How quickly has it happened?

 

[kirinreef]

It's not normal. Kind of hard to tell what's going on in the pic. Could be from flatworms, could be that not enough flow is getting to those areas and detritus has settled causing infection/TN. How quickly has it happened?

Slowly happening, I don't see any signs of flatworms, and no detritus settling.

 

[kirinreef]

Added a few new pics, taken when lights off with a spotlight

 

[homer1475]

Shading?

I have a rather large colony of stylophora(sp?), it looks exactly like the one you posted. Everything else in my tank is fine. It's just the stylo has turned white in the center. The only exception from yours to mine, mine is white, but it still has polyps and they are also white.

The larger it gets, the more the center turns white.

 

[ScottB]

Great pics. I have experienced some of this in my larger colonies but then not on others in similar flow and light settings. In one case, it was definitely AEFW so I would rule that out first. Next would be flow which can be a real problem once multiple colonies start choking out the flow.

 

[kirinreef]

This is a shot from underside of the colony, which is very clean, healthy and doesn't have bit marks from AEFWs.
So I think I can rollout the flatworms?

 

[ScottB]

This is a shot from underside of the colony, which is very clean, healthy and doesn't have bit marks from AEFWs.
So I think I can rollout the flatworms?

Agreed. They would've started there eating flesh and laying eggs. Looks clean to me. Got some decent flow over the top of the colony?

 

[kirinreef]

Agreed. They would've started there eating flesh and laying eggs. Looks clean to me. Got some decent flow over the top of the colony?

I have a power head just sweeping flows over top of the colony, I guess I will add a another one just pointing at it.

 

[Eagle_Steve]

Do you by chance have a pair of damsels or any clown gobies? I ask as my springerii did that to a large colony to lay eggs in. The just mowed down a section and that was that lol. Removed them, as they were just there to be there and not used for what most people use them for, AEFW. everything grew over in a month or 2 and has been fine since.

Clown goby, is only as they have been known to eat sps polyps.

Just throwing some other ideas out there.

 

[kirinreef]

Do you by chance have a pair of damsels or any clown gobies? I ask as my springerii did that to a large colony to lay eggs in. The just mowed down a section and that was that lol. Removed them, as they were just there to be there and not used for what most people use them for, AEFW. everything grew over in a month or 2 and has been fine since.

Clown goby, is only as they have been known to eat sps polyps.

Just throwing some other ideas out there.

Thanks. Very interesting, I don't have any damsel or clown gobies, all my fishes are well known reef safe fish.

 

[Charlie’s Frags]

Thanks. Very interesting, I don't have any damsel or clown gobies, all my fishes are well known reef safe fish.

Any recent changes in lighting?

 

[TheDragonsReef]

The bottom looks pretty normal but the top should not be losing color, somethings up for sure

 

[kirinreef]

Any recent changes in lighting?

Indeed, I renewed t5s in July, however the symptoms shown before that, just not as much

 

[Charlie’s Frags]

Indeed, I renewed t5s in July, however the symptoms shown before that, just not as much

Did it begin when you added the original t5 hybrid? What’s your hydra 26 schedule?

 

[kirinreef]

Did it begin when you added the original t5 hybrid? What’s your hydra 26 schedule?

It only began around June, since the colony was getting really big. And I haven't changed the led settings for a year.

 

[happyhourhero]

I’d vote flow.

 

[jda]

It can be both. Reflected light helps a lot, so if you have this already, then look to flow. If you don't have reflected light, then get some... and in the middle more than the sides. Lots of flow from a pump might not do it - I like to have a Tunze Wavebox in my tanks since they wash the entire water column back and forth ever few seconds get into the center of colonies when even lots of MPs, Gyres and Tunze Flow pumps can just go around them. I like to have both when stuff gets to colony sized.

People have seen me post before that colonies are different than frags - totally different animals. I don't mean the teen moms with 6 branches that people think are colonies anymore, but bonafide colonies like what you posted. Most probably don't even know how to help. You are going to get lighter color in the valley - no way around this - but white is a problem for me.

 

[kirinreef]

I moved pumps, so a tunze steam 3 is nearly pointing at it. Will see how that changes.