Brown Jelly Disease

markak · May 15, 2016

Does brown jelly disease stay in the tank and water column? Reason I want to know is I've had 2 Duncans die from the disease. They will be fine for 8 months to a year and grow quite well, then all of a sudden it gets this jelly stuff on a head and spreads, in about 2 to 3 days its dead. I've tried to dip it in peroxcide, didn't help, tried to cut off the heads that were affected, it died. If it does stay in the tank, how do I get rid of it? I like Duncans and would like to get another, but not if the disease is in my tank though.

pickupman66 · May 15, 2016

I think brown jelly disease is more the symptom of the LPS suffering from rapid tissue necrosis. I may be wrong but that's my theory on it.

markak · May 15, 2016

What causes it? Nothing else in my tank is affected by it. Are Duncans more susceptible to Brown Jelly?

Shep · May 15, 2016

pickupman66 said:
I think brown jelly disease is more the symptom of the LPS suffering from rapid tissue necrosis. I may be wrong but that's my theory on it.

I do believe that it is caused by bacteria or some kind of fungus.

jmreef · May 15, 2016

Anyone notice any patterns? Like adding a new coral, temperature swings, or something like that. i suffered a massive acan loss due to this years ago. I added a newly caught colony that had it and it spread throughout my tank.

Vaughn17 · May 15, 2016

I agree with Shep. Reputedly, a brown jelly infection consists primarily of colonial parasitic bacteria and possibly ciliates (protozoans). IME, the brown jelly attacks corals whose health has been compromised (i.e. weakened) in some way. IME with ducans and Lord acans (now Micromussa L.H.) the corals tissue was damaged from being knocked over by turbo snails. I have treated both coral species successfully by siphoning off the brown jelly, then removing the coral from the tank and applying a generous layer of coral glue on the damaged area and around it. Eventually, the treated corals healed and shed the coral glue. Haven't tried this on a wall hammer but suspect that it would not work.

miyags · May 15, 2016

Have you check your alk? I added a 2 headed torch once that started to die on 1 head. then my frogspawn, I had for years started losing tissue on 2 heads and died. So I cut off the 2 dead heads. Not sure if it was from adding the torch or a water problem.

Shep · May 15, 2016

jmreef said:
Anyone notice any patterns? Like adding a new coral, temperature swings, or something like that. i suffered a massive acan loss due to this years ago. I added a newly caught colony that had it and it spread throughout my tank.

I know when I got my big outbreak it was having temp problems