Birds nest is 99% dead. How to save it?

[living_tribunal]

Ordered it two days ago actually!

It’s very rare that a miracle cure comes along in the reef community that’s legitimate but fluconazole is one of those rare cures.

Make sure to keep nitrates and phosphates in your tank though or you risk dino afterwards.

Birds nest are hardy as h***, mine thrived during events that lps got upset over including a Dino outbreak. At first, I was nervous when my birds nest didn’t display any of its polyps but they came out a few days later in full force.

As long as your params aren’t catastrophic, your salinity is stable, and it’s receiving decent flow and light, he’ll come back.

 

[SimplyVibing]

If you really want to save a piece of this I agree with others, I'd make this cut and superglue the piece in appropriate place.

If no adhesive is available, I'd at least cut off as much of the dead you can and just leave that space as a nub,
just my .02

Will the live polyps not survive on the dead coral?

 

[SimplyVibing]

Thanks for the advice!

 

[living_tribunal]

What C Eymann is right, I do use the API test kit. To add to that, ammonia testers come from the freshwater kit so it’s hit or miss with that. Lots and lots of live rock in my tank (probably 2-4 pounds of rocks per gallon of water), as well as lots of filter media with nitrifying bacteria around all the intakes of my filter and pumps to preserve the life of my lettuce nudibranch lol. On top of that, I have a 30 gal filter on a 20 gal tank. Lots of copepods /amphipods /bristleworms /etc.
Do you have a better recommendation for testing? Not the first time ammonia has tested abnormally.

Ammonia readings are a little different for saltwater vs fresh. I think it’s similar to phosphate kits that have darker yellows for 0 phosphates in a reef tank. If this tank has been up for a year, you have 2lbs of rock per gallon, and you feed the tank at least once a week, you for sure have bacteria and a .5 ammonia reading seems wildly inaccurate.

If you’re still freaked out, go buy some fritz turbo start or biospira, and chunk it all in there.

 

[SimplyVibing]

It’s very rare that a miracle cure comes along in the reef community that’s legitimate but fluconazole is one of those rare cures.

Make sure to keep nitrates and phosphates in your tank though or you risk dino afterwards.

Birds nest are hardy as h***, mine thrived during events that lps got upset over including a Dino outbreak. At first, I was nervous when my birds nest didn’t display any of its polyps but they came out a few days later in full force.

As long as your params aren’t catastrophic, your salinity is stable, and it’s receiving decent flow and light, he’ll come back.

thanks for your advice!

 

[C. Eymann]

Will the live polyps not survive on the dead coral?

Its possible they can, that exposed skeleton will cover with competing algae soon, just giving you my opinion from experience, it's what I would do if I wanted to save a piece this small.

 

[living_tribunal]

Will the live polyps not survive on the dead coral?

Is he showing any color on the areas void of polyps? If there is a sliver of color then I’d keep him in tact. Zoox can always come back to the skeleton followed by the polyps.

 

[living_tribunal]

Its possible they can, that exposed skeleton will cover with competing algae soon, just giving you my opinion from experience, it's what I would do if I wanted to save a piece this small.

This happened to a lepto I’m trying to nurse back to health, it’s a veryyyyyy long road with a faint light at the end of the tunnel. Once the algae gets on there, it’s so hard to get off without damaging the living pieces of coral.

He used to look so good :/ learned the hard way that leptos don’t tolerate any freshwater nor turkey basting whatsoever

 

[Bastray]

Unfortunately I think the birdsnest is a goner. I would get your tank issues under control and then try again if you want to keep a birdsnest.

I have never been able to keep a birdsnest alive. I have a tank full of Acropora, but every birdsnest and stylo I’ve put in the tank hasn’t lived for more than 3 months. Every time I get a even a little STN they die every time. I just gave up on them personally. People say they are easy, I have always thought they were finicky.

 

[SimplyVibing]

This happened to a lepto I’m trying to nurse back to health, it’s a veryyyyyy long road with a faint light at the end of the tunnel. Once the algae gets on there, it’s so
hard to get off without damaging the living pieces of coral.

He used to look so good :/ learned the hard way that leptos don’t tolerate any freshwater nor turkey basting whatsoever

[/QUOTE]
Thank you and thanks to everyone else for the suggestions! I’ll definitely try fragging off the living bits, seeing as I don’t have fantastic luck regarding algae lol. Does anyone have any tips on what tools to use? Hammer? Hedge clippers?

 

[SimplyVibing]

Unfortunately I think the birdsnest is a goner. I would get your tank issues under control and then try again if you want to keep a birdsnest.

I have never been able to keep a birdsnest alive. I have a tank full of Acropora, but every birdsnest and stylo I’ve put in the tank hasn’t lived for more than 3 months. Every time I get a even a little STN they die every time. I just gave up on them personally. People say they are easy, I have always thought they were finicky.

I’ll have to try acropora then. They’re just always so much more expensive than your, well, dying birdsnests lol!

 

[living_tribunal]

I’ll have to try acropora then. They’re just always so much more expensive than your, well, dying birdsnests lol!

Lol acros are pretty dang hard! The only other sps besides birdsnest I've found to be super hardy and nearly bullet proof are monti digis. I have a jason fox orange one and it just grew like crazy during my dino bloom. He didn't flinch when I accidentally dosed nitrates 3x what I meant to and caused a 10ppm spike in one day (went from 10ppm to 15ppm).

Once you get your params decent, and most importantly stable, as well as position the birdsnest well, it will thrive. If you do want to try another sps, get yourself a digitata, they are great and easy.

 

[SimplyVibing]

Lol acros are pretty dang hard! The only other sps besides birdsnest I've found to be super hardy and nearly bullet proof are monti digis. I have a jason fox orange one and it just grew like crazy during my dino bloom. He didn't flinch when I accidentally dosed nitrates 3x what I meant to and caused a 10ppm spike in one day (went from 10ppm to 15ppm).

Once you get your params decent, and most importantly stable, as well as position the birdsnest well, it will thrive. If you do want to try another sps, get yourself a digitata, they are great and easy.

Thanks for the advice! I’ve always loved the Jason fox orange. I’m just super cheap— the birdsnest I got today was one of six almost-dead frags I got for $20 total

 

[living_tribunal]

Thanks for the advice! I’ve always loved the Jason fox orange. I’m just super cheap— the birdsnest I got today was one of six almost-dead frags I got for $20 total

I think you'll be able to bring it back. If it was me, I wouldn't even frag it. Just give it a week or two and see how much comes back.