HELP - 2 Year Old Elegance Coral Sliming Up

VSVP bet · Jan 29, 2019

Hello,

Im usually on the other side of these posts, but things happen...

I've had an Aussie pink tip elegance for 2 years that has done well and grown a lot. Two days ago, I noticed it wasn't as open as usual, thought nothing of it. Then after the second day of it moderately closed, I measured my levels. Salinity was 1.024 and phosphates and nitrates were both low (I used an API test kit with the drops, I know these aren't the most accurate, but its in a mixed 33L reef with zoas, softies, hammers, etc) so I don't monitor the water like crazy, just make sure both phosphate and nitrate stay low. The tank has been running fine like this since I set it up a year ago.

So... after day 2 of it moderately closed, I did a slight water change (5 gallons), this was yesterday. Today, I came home from work and it looked like this... (below) Kinda slimy in places, not fully closed, but no skeleton exposed or tissue loss, as well as no gashes or wounds.

I took it out and drained 2.5 gallons of tank water in a QT. I used sea chem iodine dip. I know elegance can be sensitive to this stuff, so I used a low dose of dip (1.5 caps fulls) and let it sit for 5 mins. I used a turkey baster to blow off the slime. I replaced the drained 2.5 gallons of water with new salt RO.

After a QT dip, I rinsed it in fresh salt RO water and returned it to the tank.

Then I noticed some brown slime. I hope it is not dreaded brown jelly disease or whatever its called. Nothing new was added to the tank, its been a closed system for a number of months. The most recent thing I added was mushrooms from my 90g main tank. Looking for any advice. I think I'm on the right track, monitor the coral and keep dipping, but I would like to avoid this coral dying as it is probably my favorite. Please, any advice is appreciated. I'm hoping it's not brown jelly and something else.

saltyfilmfolks · Jan 29, 2019

You are in the right track for sure.

Brown jelly of you aren’t aware feeds on rotting flesh.then attacks healthy flesh. Kinda hard to differentiate somtimes between it and decomposition
So continued cleaning dips are generally key. Coralrx and revive is also a good one.

VSVP bet · Jan 29, 2019

saltyfilmfolks said:
You are in the right track for sure.

Brown jelly of you aren’t aware feeds on rotting flesh.then attacks healthy flesh. Kinda hard to differentiate somtimes between it and decomposition
So continued cleaning dips are generally key. Coralrx and revive is also a good one.

I don't want to harm the coral, do you think frequent low dosage dips will be effective, or will this not work against the infection? Ive seen colonies on the site go very quickly to this disease, I dont want to wait around. I'm thinking I will dip again before the night is over, I'm seeing some slime form again with a little bit of brown...

saltyfilmfolks · Jan 29, 2019

VSVP bet said:
I don't want to harm the coral, do you think frequent low dosage dips will be effective, or will this not work against the infection? Ive seen colonies on the site go very quickly to this disease, I dont want to wait around. I'm thinking I will dip again before the night is over, I'm seeing some slime form again with a little bit of brown...

I’d use the correct dosage and time.

VSVP bet · Jan 29, 2019

So after some research, it seems success rates at treating brown sludge are pretty low. Out of the people that have had success, they use hydrogen peroxide. It seems the ratio used is a 1:10 for a high dose, and a 1:20 for a low dose. I did a 1:20 concentration of salt ro to hydrogen peroxide. During the dip, I turkey bastered the elegance again. Lots of brown came off, I left it in the dip for 3-4 minutes.

VSVP bet · Jan 30, 2019

Here it is after the peroxide dip, might do another light dip before the night. Hopefully, it improves by tomorrow.

VSVP bet · Jan 30, 2019

As an update, coral was not sliming this morning. After a dip of 1:15 hydrogen peroxide to salt water water, I turkey bastered the coral for 5 minutes. Some brown came off, but nothing in abundance. What I have read about brown jelly is that it may slow down after dips and treatments, but never disappear and will eventually claim the life of the colony. Im hoping this isn't the case... after the Peroxide bath, I put it in a seachem iodine dip (double dose) for 10 minutes.

People have apparently had success using antibiotics. I have ordered amoxicillin for fish as well as erythromycin. Wondering if anyone who has used these antibiotics on coral has anything to add... Hoping peroxide dips can hold the coral over until the antibiotics arrive.

VSVP bet · Jan 31, 2019

So here is where I'm at. I continued doing H2O2 dips, and increased the concentration to about 1:12 salt water to peroxide. I let the coral sit in 3-5 minutes and continued to turkey baster dead/dying flesh and brown jelly.

This was the third round of dips, and less and less flesh would come off each time, however, you can still see some brown.

After the last round of H2O2 dips, I saw very little brown, and decided to do only an iodine dip as to not further stress the coral.

Above you can see the last remnants of the brown jelly being expelled from the coral.

Below, the coral in a double dose of seachem iodine dip, did this for 15 mins while bastering the infected area.

This last picture was it this morning, hoping it pulls through and this becomes a success story.

Dimmy007 · Jan 31, 2019

Sorry I don't have any advice. Following along as I have an elegance. Hoping yours pulls through.

mtraylor · Jan 31, 2019

I have done 50/50 dips with success on hydrogen peroxide, so you are using the right stuff.

VSVP bet · Jan 31, 2019

mtraylor said:
I have done 50/50 dips with success on hydrogen peroxide, so you are using the right stuff.

On elegance corals with brown jelly? Or just any coral for any disease in general?

mtraylor · Jan 31, 2019

Yes. I only use the hydrogen peroxide dips on lps. Usually takes a dew dips. The turkey baster is needed as you are using to flush out dead flesh.

VSVP bet · Jan 31, 2019

mtraylor said:
Yes. I only use the hydrogen peroxide dips on lps. Usually takes a dew dips. The turkey baster is needed as you are using to flush out dead flesh.

Good to know, when I saw the brown jelly i though it was over. But it seems to me that peroxide is one of the ways to beat it. I think what has helped me is timing, i started peroxide dips right away, likely if I waited too long it would not be working.

Michael Llabona · Jan 31, 2019

Is it possible it was pooping? Mine ate my firefish. Lol. Did you change flow pattern or speed? Mine is also about 2 yrs old and has had a bad day or 2. It always bounced back. If nothing has really changed, I wouldn't worry too much.Hope for the best. Good luck.

VSVP bet · Jan 31, 2019

Michael Llabona said:
Is it possible it was pooping? Mine ate my firefish. Lol. Did you change flow pattern or speed? Mine is also about 2 yrs old and has had a bad day or 2. It always bounced back. If nothing has really changed, I wouldn't worry too much.Hope for the best. Good luck.

Not really, mine has closed up, but never slimmed like it did. From the first set of pictures, a lot of brown and flesh came off, it has been curled up around one spot during this whole ordeal, so im assuming thats the infected area, but since the coral is closed up around it, I can not see it. I dont believer it was poop either, it was def expelling tissue.