Help coral loosing polyps

Eckolancer · Feb 10, 2016

I have one of my SPS that is loosing polyps but keeping colors. It's so strange. It's not bleaching out or RTN or STN. It's like the polyps are not coming out at all. But other corals next to it are growing like crazy. This one just hasn't extended polyps for a week now. It still has some color and what looks like flesh left on the coral just no polyps. Fish are melarnus wrasse, regal tang, yellow tang, potters angel, two clowns, fire shrimp, cleaner shrimp, red legged brittle star, 100s of blue legged hermits and snails. Feeding has been a small piece of rods original for the last few months. Tank has never had sand and rock is all man made. Other sps corals are growing like weeds while this one slowly is dying.

Nitrite 0
Ammonia 0
Nitrate 12
Hanna Phosphates .01
Hanna ULR 16
Salinity 1.026
Temp 75.9-76.6
Alk 8.25-8.5
Cal 480-500
Mag 1550-1650

Pic of when it was healthy

Pic of frag showing what it looks like today

saltyfilmfolks · Feb 10, 2016

Totally weird. Do you think it may be chemical warfare? have you moved it?

Eckolancer · Feb 10, 2016

I have took two frags off of it and moved one lower and one off to the side with less light.

Congaken · Feb 10, 2016

Something like that happened to me with a beautiful trumpet coral...one minute it was fine...than the mouths stayed open and the green started to fall off...never found out what happened...my softies are all good so I'm hesitant to try sps again...

dewboy1127 · Feb 10, 2016

Any recent parameter swings or water changes that could have upset it...from looks of pics seems has lost alot color as well

Eckolancer · Feb 10, 2016

Congaken said:
Something like that happened to me with a beautiful trumpet coral...one minute it was fine...than the mouths stayed open and the green started to fall off...never found out what happened...my softies are all good so I'm hesitant to try sps again...

Sounds like you might have had STN or RTN

dewboy1127 said:
Any recent parameter swings or water changes that could have upset it...from looks of pics seems has lost alot color as well

The only change to the tank is I switched from two wp40s to one Tunze wavebox as it was a lot more flow. I haven't done a water change in about 18 months. I'm actually about to do a 20 gallon change now. Just replaced the carbon that I was running as it was maybe a month old. Reason for changing carbon was maybe something was in the water that needed removed.

Congaken · Feb 10, 2016

Eckolancer said:
Sounds like you might have had STN or RTN

The only change to the tank is I switched from two wp40s to one Tunze wavebox as it was a lot more flow. I haven't done a water change in about 18 months. I'm actually about to do a 20 gallon change now. Just replaced the carbon that I was running as it was maybe a month old. Reason for changing carbon was maybe something was in the water that needed removed.

Congaken · Feb 10, 2016

Sorry, but what is STN and RTN...new to that code...

Anirban · Feb 10, 2016

Congaken said:
Sorry, but what is STN and RTN...new to that code...

I think its......slow tissue necrosis (STN) and rapid tissue necrosis (RTN) in SPS corals

Diesel · Feb 10, 2016

This tank been how long running without a WC?
Do you dose any elements in there?
Have you ever checked for elements with a triton test?
Nitrite 0
Ammonia 0
Nitrate 12 is to high but that might be due to the no WC.
Hanna Phosphates .01
Hanna ULR 16
Salinity 1.026
Temp 75.9-76.6
Alk 8.25-8.5 that might be a little on the high side
Cal 480-500 Dito ^^^
Mag 1550-1650 Dito^^^^
Do you dose any ALK, CAL and MAG? If yes with what or how?

Congaken · Feb 10, 2016

Anirban said:
I think its......slow tissue necrosis (STN) and rapid tissue necrosis (RTN) in SPS corals

my #'s all seemed good...this is obviously RTN...what causes it?..what to do in the future?

Congaken · Feb 10, 2016

Congaken said:
my #'s all seemed good...this is obviously RTN...what causes it?..what to do in the future?

I googled it...they suggest having a QT for coral...I did dip it before introducing it...is it a fluke...what you think?

Congaken · Feb 10, 2016

Could RTN also effect coraline algae?...I'm having trouble growing it and what's on my back wall is whitish...

Eckolancer · Feb 10, 2016

Diesel said:
This tank been how long running without a WC?
Do you dose any elements in there?
Have you ever checked for elements with a triton test?
Nitrite 0
Ammonia 0
Nitrate 12 is to high but that might be due to the no WC.
Hanna Phosphates .01
Hanna ULR 16
Salinity 1.026
Temp 75.9-76.6
Alk 8.25-8.5 that might be a little on the high side
Cal 480-500 Dito ^^^
Mag 1550-1650 Dito^^^^
Do you dose any ALK, CAL and MAG? If yes with what or how?

I run a calcium reactor and at times dose amino acids but not very often. I agree my cal is a little high but it's been that way for over a year now. Mag I always keep it at least 3 times my calcium. Mag is maintained by the reactor. Over the last 6 months I've been bringing up alk as I was running 7.80-8 but growth was slower then. As for nitrates it's always been normal for me to have 5-16. If they drop to 0 corals start to look hungry and phosphates creep up.

Eckolancer · Feb 10, 2016

Congaken said:
Could RTN also effect coraline algae?...I'm having trouble growing it and what's on my back wall is whitish...

Might want to start a new thread but RTN has nothing to do with coralline algae. Coraline comes with stability of alk, cal, mag and stable tank over all. I would look up how to dip all corals before adding them. I dip everything of it dies then it wasn't meant to be in my tank.

Pfisherman · Feb 10, 2016

there is no absolute cause of RTN, any change in parameters either positive or negative can be a contributing factor. temp swings or coral stings. alwayss a possibility of pests as well.

ngvu1 · Feb 10, 2016

My ORA purple Nana has been doing that I would say months. It was happy and the polyps were out in the old tank. I thought it would STN a month ago but it is still there with no sign of it going south. I see the color changes from dark to bright purple lately but no PE.... very confused for me

Diesel · Feb 10, 2016

Eckolancer said:
I run a calcium reactor and at times dose amino acids but not very often. I agree my cal is a little high but it's been that way for over a year now. Mag I always keep it at least 3 times my calcium. Mag is maintained by the reactor. Over the last 6 months I've been bringing up alk as I was running 7.80-8 but growth was slower then. As for nitrates it's always been normal for me to have 5-16. If they drop to 0 corals start to look hungry and phosphates creep up.

I was kinda expecting this answer.
Well, to make you happy some of my SPS don't have PE either during the day.
During the night hours though they all look like furry sticks.
I'm sure you have PE during the nightly hours?