Help! Birdsnest trouble

[Saltyreef24]

I have a green birdsnest frag that I picked up a little over a month ago. My nitrates were at 2 and my lfs recommended I feed 2 cubes of frozen mysis a day(10x what my fish can eat) to boots them up in order to help my goniopora that has been temperamental since I got it. Nitrate spiked to 25 in a week, and the birdsnest started shedding tissue. They told me it was tip burn because my alkalinity spiked(their test read 12dkh) but i hadn’t changed my dosing schedule, and I had been keeping it at 10 and my test read 11 that day. Another week has passed and my BN is still losing more tissue. Stray polyps are floating around the tank. I’ve done water changes and switched back to my old feeding regime to reduce nitrate. Is this due to high alk or the nitrate swing? And how can I help it pull through?

 

[Saltyreef24]

I have a green birdsnest frag that I picked up a little over a month ago. My nitrates were at 2 and my lfs recommended I feed 2 cubes of frozen mysis a day(10x what my fish can eat) to boots them up in order to help my goniopora that has been temperamental since I got it. Nitrate spiked to 25 in a week, and the birdsnest started shedding tissue. They told me it was tip burn because my alkalinity spiked(their test read 12dkh) but i hadn’t changed my dosing schedule, and I had been keeping it at 10 and my test read 11 that day. Another week has passed and my BN is still losing more tissue. Stray polyps are floating around the tank. I’ve done water changes and switched back to my old feeding regime to reduce nitrate. Is this due to high alk or the nitrate swing? And how can I help it pull through?

Most recent parameters are as follows:
Temp: 78
Salinity: 35ppt
Nitrate: 20
KH: 10
Calcium: 380
Magnesium: 1335

 

[blecki]

Frag off part that's not been touched by the tissue loss. Make sure you seal the wound when you glue it down.

Yes an alk spike could in theory kill it. So could a lot of other things. Usually the damage is done and course correcting after tissue loss starts is too late. Also this kind of birdsnest is notorious for growing like a weed then spontaneously dying overnight.

 

[vetteguy53081]

I have a green birdsnest frag that I picked up a little over a month ago. My nitrates were at 2 and my lfs recommended I feed 2 cubes of frozen mysis a day(10x what my fish can eat) to boots them up in order to help my goniopora that has been temperamental since I got it. Nitrate spiked to 25 in a week, and the birdsnest started shedding tissue. They told me it was tip burn because my alkalinity spiked(their test read 12dkh) but i hadn’t changed my dosing schedule, and I had been keeping it at 10 and my test read 11 that day. Another week has passed and my BN is still losing more tissue. Stray polyps are floating around the tank. I’ve done water changes and switched back to my old feeding regime to reduce nitrate. Is this due to high alk or the nitrate swing? And how can I help it pull through?

Swings and changes made are likely the issue. Placement also plays a role and its too low in the tank often where there is little light and flow. Mid to upper part of tank with medium flow and moderate light is often best with alk at 8-9, CA at 425-450 and water temps under 80 deg. Phos .08-.1 and nitrate <20

Here is where I keep mine:

 

[Dburr1014]

Most recent parameters are as follows:
Temp: 78
Salinity: 35ppt
Nitrate: 20
KH: 10
Calcium: 380
Magnesium: 1335

Phosphates?

 

[Saltyreef24]

Frag off part that's not been touched by the tissue loss. Make sure you seal the wound when you glue it down.

Yes an alk spike could in theory kill it. So could a lot of other things. Usually the damage is done and course correcting after tissue loss starts is too late. Also this kind of birdsnest is notorious for growing like a weed then spontaneously dying overnight.

Thank you. Unfortunately the only spot that isn’t severely affected is the main trunk part, with loss above and below it. Not sure it could even make a decent frag. Is there a kind of birdsnest that doesn’t crash overnight as easily?

 

[Saltyreef24]

Phosphates?

Undetectable with my API kit

 

[Saltyreef24]

Swings and changes made are likely the issue. Placement also plays a role and its too low in the tank often where there is little light and flow. Mid to upper part of tank with medium flow and moderate light is often best with alk at 8-9, CA at 425-450 and water temps under 80 deg. Phos .08-.1 and nitrate <20

Here is where I keep mine:

Would it possibly recover if I adjust to those parameters, remove affected spots,m the best that I can, and move it higher?

 

[Dburr1014]

Undetectable with my API kit

API is really hard to tell. But 0 in NG.

 

[Dburr1014]

Would it possibly recover if I adjust to those parameters, remove affected spots,m the best that I can, and move it higher?

May I suggest, feed your fish heavy on pellets or flake. Or if you have some reef roids, feed that smashed up for a couple days.

Do you know par where it is? Guesstamit?

 

[ReeferTang44]

I have a green birdsnest frag that I picked up a little over a month ago. My nitrates were at 2 and my lfs recommended I feed 2 cubes of frozen mysis a day(10x what my fish can eat) to boots them up in order to help my goniopora that has been temperamental since I got it. Nitrate spiked to 25 in a week, and the birdsnest started shedding tissue. They told me it was tip burn because my alkalinity spiked(their test read 12dkh) but i hadn’t changed my dosing schedule, and I had been keeping it at 10 and my test read 11 that day. Another week has passed and my BN is still losing more tissue. Stray polyps are floating around the tank. I’ve done water changes and switched back to my old feeding regime to reduce nitrate. Is this due to high alk or the nitrate swing? And how can I help it pull through?

What does your Goni look like

 

[Dburr1014]

I have a green birdsnest frag that I picked up a little over a month ago. My nitrates were at 2 and my lfs recommended I feed 2 cubes of frozen mysis a day(10x what my fish can eat) to boots them up in order to help my goniopora that has been temperamental since I got it. Nitrate spiked to 25 in a week, and the birdsnest started shedding tissue. They told me it was tip burn because my alkalinity spiked(their test read 12dkh) but i hadn’t changed my dosing schedule, and I had been keeping it at 10 and my test read 11 that day. Another week has passed and my BN is still losing more tissue. Stray polyps are floating around the tank. I’ve done water changes and switched back to my old feeding regime to reduce nitrate. Is this due to high alk or the nitrate swing? And how can I help it pull through?

Nitrates Rising will deplete alkalinity. I'm not sure why you're alkalinity spiked. Consumption of nitrates, or using of it, will give back the alkalinity. So unless your corals were all of a sudden eating the nitrates that would have caused a spike but I'm not sure how much.
IMO, I would lower alk to 8ish,let them fall naturally and get a reading on po4.

 

[Saltyreef24]

What does your Goni look like

Sad. It got munched by a sea star about a month ago and has been pretty much fully retracted ever since. First pic was before and the second is now. Pardon the lighting, my blues and whites are both on rn but just my whites were on in the first pic

 

[Saltyreef24]

May I suggest, feed your fish heavy on pellets or flake. Or if you have some reef roids, feed that smashed up for a couple days.

Do you know par where it is? Guesstamit?

Are you recommending that to help feed the birdsnest coral with?

Previously I was feeding the fish &inverts with pellets, just what they’d eat in a few minutes. 1-2 times daily. For that week I was feeding 1-2 of these cubes a day as instructed by lfs. I also target feed my corals reef foods about 2-3 times a week. Now I’m feeding pellets and then target feeding my banggai cardinal mysis because he doesn’t like the pellets.

Just from the stock evo light I’d guesstimate it’s about 130 based off this par map for the same tank: https://www.nano-reef.com/forums/topic/389982-fluval-evo-135-par-stock-lighting/

However, I also have two 12” reefbrite actinic LED’s that I got second hand so I don’t have the paperwork for them. They are on the second brightest of 6 settings

 

[Saltyreef24]

API is really hard to tell. But 0 in NG.

What do you mean NG? And yes api is hard to tell. It goes right from 0 to 0.25 which is high

 

[Reeferbadness]

I have had several birdsnest corals grow like weeds only die off almost completely in 24-48 hours. I suspected several things - fish nipping, parameter issue, etc ... usually i try and frag what was unaffected and reglue to a new location.... which results in rapid grown and eventual die off months later.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Would it possibly recover if I adjust to those parameters, remove affected spots,m the best that I can, and move it higher?

They are forgiving and I dont think it looks horrible and should recover well

 

[KrisReef]

What do you mean NG? And yes api is hard to tell. It goes right from 0 to 0.25 which is high

No Good, (I believe.)

 

[Reefer Matt Verified Media Partner]

I have a green birdsnest frag that I picked up a little over a month ago. My nitrates were at 2 and my lfs recommended I feed 2 cubes of frozen mysis a day(10x what my fish can eat) to boots them up in order to help my goniopora that has been temperamental since I got it. Nitrate spiked to 25 in a week, and the birdsnest started shedding tissue. They told me it was tip burn because my alkalinity spiked(their test read 12dkh) but i hadn’t changed my dosing schedule, and I had been keeping it at 10 and my test read 11 that day. Another week has passed and my BN is still losing more tissue. Stray polyps are floating around the tank. I’ve done water changes and switched back to my old feeding regime to reduce nitrate. Is this due to high alk or the nitrate swing? And how can I help it pull through?

Do you have a large alk draw? I am curious why you are dosing.

 

[Saltyreef24]

Thank you. Unfortunately the only spot that isn’t severely affected is the main trunk part, with loss above and below it. Not sure it could even make a decent frag. Is there a kind of birdsnest that doesn’t crash overnight as easily?

Ok update: i fragged off the best looking spots that I could, glued over the ends, and moved them up a bit. They’re small but hopefully they pull through

Do you have a large alk draw? I am curious why you are dosing.

When I went in for my first stony corals my calcium was at 300 and my Kh was at 8. My shop told me I needed 400+ and 10. Mag was quite low too. Around 900-1100 if I remember correctly and he said I needed it at 1440
I mix my saltwater(Rodi with instant ocean) my alk