Birdsnest help?!

[cplatts32]

Wondering what the deal is with my birdsnest coral?? As soon as I put it in my tank in turned white but it obviously still alive .. (Polyps are open and tips are purple) been like this for about a month. All other SPS are fine??

Anyone have an idea what this could be?


Water parameters
Sal: 1.025
Temp 76-80
Cal 460
Alk 8
Mag 1300
Ph 8.1
Ammon 0
Nitrite/ nitrate 0

Phosphate 0

 

[MontiFanatic402]

looks like it might be bleached.....did you photoacclimate?

 

[cplatts32]

It's not bleached, it's like it just lost its color and if you look closely the polyps are open. Yes it spent a few days at the bottom and slowly moved to about middle of the tank

 

[Tab28]

I always thought bleaching means loss of color due to dying zooxanthellea. The polyps will still be alive but the zooxanthellea which gives it color and feeds the coral are dead. The zooxanthellea can be regained over time. Not only light will cause zooxanthellea die off ph, alk, Will also cause it. Birdsnest are very sensitive to alk or ph changes.

 

[MontiFanatic402]

It's not bleached, it's like it just lost its color and if you look closely the polyps are open. Yes it spent a few days at the bottom and slowly moved to about middle of the tank

The coral is clearly bleached.....weather it be your lighting, alk, or salinity spike, something is going on and the coral does not like it.

a coral can still have full polyp extention when bleached

 

[Bryman]

Are you sure thats not a ponape birdsnest? is the body yellow?

 

[rovster]

Those ponapes like lower light. Ideal color is a cream colored base t may be getting too much light.

 

[reefhobby]

It's a ponape birdsnest. They like low light

 

[evolved]

It's not bleached, it's like it just lost its color and if you look closely the polyps are open.

You precisely just described what a bleached coral looks like.

 

[cplatts32]

I was always under the assumption that coral bleaching was when the base or other parts of the coral began to die off and begin to turn white but other parts of the coral still had color and alive? Obviously not.. Thanks though, and I'm not sure what type of birds nest it is, I'll research the ponape. It's just weird because all of my other corals are doing great.. You would think that I would see some of the other corals being effected if my water parameters were off? Thanks for the input tho guys

 

[cplatts32]

And by looking at photos, yes I believe it's a ponape.. I'll try moving it to see if this helps

 

[Tab28]

Environmental reef bleaching is the white die off on reef. In home reefing it refers to the die off of the zooxanthellea which gives the coral its color. It can die off from a shock in water perimeters or more often from a shock in lighting par. The polyps are still alive. It lacks the zooxanthellea. In turn the coral without zooxanthellea can not get nourishment from lighting. Zooxanthellea can regrow over time. Until then they coral must be fed more often since it is not getting any nutrition from the zooxanthellea.