Corals going south

Rybren · Dec 3, 2016

Over the course of the past couple of months, I lost a couple of montis to a slow death. Other montis are still doing well. However, I'm now starting to lose a couple of smaller chalices and a lobo.

I'm not sure what the best course of action is - try to remove the corals, cut off the bad bits, and dip? If so, what would be the best dip?

I have other chalices and lobos that are doing great.

The lobo has a white growth attached to it that is almost sponge-like. I don't know if it is related to the issues that I'm having.

The chalice with the green eyes used to cover that whole white area and was about 3" across.

Parameters have been stable at:

Alk - 8-9
Ca - 460
NO3 - 5 - 10
PO4 - <0.03
MG - 1400
SG - 35
Temp - 78.5 - 79.5

Any thoughts or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

saltyfilmfolks · Dec 3, 2016

That's a mind bender for sure.
Best case guesses would be gorg or leather sloughing off skin and chem warfare.
Worse case infection.
unfortunately I don't belive I've seen or know if anyone here has worked with in tank antibiotics for coral. True stn cures.

What salt are you using.

Flippers4pups · Dec 3, 2016

What fish do you have? Looks like a pest is doing damage. Bobitt worm, Crab, fish picking flesh, bugs......etc

saltyfilmfolks · Dec 3, 2016

yea could be a nudi.

Flippers4pups · Dec 3, 2016

Yes could be. Lights out inspection time. Very low light and move slowly to the damaged area. If it's a worm, once the light hits them they will retract quickly and disappear.

Back in the nineties I kept seeing tissue damage in one area of my tank. Lights off inspection with a red light revealed a bobitt worm having lunch! Once I caught him and inspected him , it was eight inches long!

The give away is the OP is loosing corals slowly over time. If the losses are close to each other, worm or bugs moving from one to the other.

Rybren · Dec 3, 2016

I don't have any leathers or gorgs in the tank. I've never seen any of the fish show an interest in them, but who knows what they do when I'm not looking. I've got 9 wrasses, pairs of Ocellaris clowns and YWGs, Yellow Tang, gramma, Azure Damsel, and the most likely culprit, if there is one - a Coral Beauty who has been with me for ~8 years and never touched a coral.

Worms or nudis are a definite possibility, but the tissue seems to be rotting away like an infection of sorts. I can't seem to be able to get a really good shot of the chalices with my phone camera.

I use IO salt and dose Kalk in my ATO. I carbon dose 5ml of the DIY NOPOX recipe daily.

Thanks for the thoughts.

Rybren · Dec 3, 2016

Flippers4pups said:
The give away is the OP is loosing corals slowly over time. If the losses are close to each other, worm or bugs moving from one to the other.

They are close to one another. I'll have to step up the nighttime security patrols!

Flippers4pups · Dec 3, 2016

Not completely ruling out infection, but if it's a pest, damaged tissue may be infection prone. Non damaged area of your corals look mostly healthy.

Just feels like a pest.

Rybren · Dec 3, 2016

You could definitely be right.

Cue Elmer Fudd = A hunting we will go...

Rybren · Dec 4, 2016

I took a look at the tank a few times through the night/early morning. No sight of any coral crunchers; will continue hunting.

Rybren · Dec 5, 2016

Nothing showed up last night either.

Assuming that I could get the corals off of the rockwork, what would be the best dip? I have Lugol's and Revive on hand, but can always get something else if needed.

Thanks.

recess62 · Dec 5, 2016

Following

Rybren · Dec 6, 2016

The two chalices continued their rapid decline, so in desperation I removed them from the tank and gave them a Lugol's dip. They looked fine after the dip, but all flesh was gone by morning. I also dipped the lobo, and it's too early to tell if it helped, but it isn't worse so far.

Another coral got hit with the ailment. I don't really know what it is, maybe a micromusa or blasto or something. It had been doing really well, but at some point during the day yesterday, it also started going south and fast. I dipped it as well. It still doesn't look very good, but it is better than it was yesterday.

Here are some pics.

Before the problem started