Is something eating my stlyophora?

[LesPoissons]

Inside Mid/level my stylo is completely white? Is something eating it? It’s not exactly an easy to access area. Or do stylos do this? Thanks!

 

[ndrwater]

Sometimes corals can grow to a point where flow is reduced and bleach from the inside/middle.
Fragging the coral often helps by allowing more flow to all parts of the coral. Adding additional powerheads also helps.
If your concern is if something is actually eating it, look for the telltale bitemarks from things like AEFW.

 

[Skibum]

Polyp bailout? My milka stylo does that occasionally less so as my tank matured. Just wait a couple weeks and see if those white spots don’t grow back

 

[Reefcowboy]

Check your nitrates.

 

[Roosterjack]

This is one coral I can’t seem to keep alive...unclear why.

 

[Skibum]

This is one coral I can’t seem to keep alive...unclear why

I had that at first too, where the first set of frags I got from a friend just died. Then I tried again after my tank matured and now it grows like a weed.

 

[Keiki]

From my understanding aefw don't eat stylos.

 

[vetteguy53081]

They bleach generally due to:
a) High salinity
b) Shading (area where it does not get light)
c) Low PH
d) Cyano or dino
e) lack of flow

I would start with verification of salinity ( more than one meter or instrument)

 

[LesPoissons]

Nitrates 10, ph 8.2, sal 1.026 on refractometer. It’s a recent thing, it’s been in the same spot for months, flow stays about the same, polyps have movement pretty continuously but shading may be an issue as it grows. What is Aefw?

 

[vetteguy53081]

AEFW = acro eating flat worms

 

[LesPoissons]

Oh thanks double checking all parameters today. New lights may be in the future

 

[DSC reef]

I would not overthink think this and start making radical changes. The coral looks healthy with good color and growth. Branching corals do this, they grow and the shaded areas will bleach. I've experienced this with halides so changing your lights IMO, won't help. I would not change anything in your tank and enjoy watching your coral grow. Now, if you had die off spreading like necrosis, burnt tips then I'd be concerned, I'm not seeing that here.

 

[LesPoissons]

Oh good, so it is a relatively normal thing then. Thank you

 

[LesPoissons]

Sorry for the blue light, I will try and get better pics when my whites come up tomorrow. The green Stylo has bleached almost entirely and it’s just it’s tips that are left. Now the purple stylo that lives about a foot away that has been fine is also losing sections. This just started over the last two weeks. My parameters are stable. Alk maybe swung from 8.2 to 8.4 over 2 weeks but it’s hard to tell what is human error on reading vs accuracy. Mag is 1350-1450, ca is 415. I’m honestly hoping this stupid paved mithrax crab I caught is the culprit since I saw him eating acropora too. Any other thoughts on why they would go into sudden decline?

 

[DSC reef]

Hard to tell but looks like something munching the base of the coral.

 

[AllSignsPointToFish]

I have this happen nearly constantly (not as bad as in your last photo). Fragging the corals doesn't really seem to help. My salinity is stable at 1.026, I have plenty of flow, nitrates run 1-3 ppm, and I just can't get this coral to look like it does in a friend's tank who has a frag of mine!

 

[LesPoissons]

 

[DSC reef]

Sorry to see this. That bottom picture looks suspect to a pest.

 

[vetteguy53081]

have you tried to dip it? Also inspect for red or black bugs and any presence of eggs.
One other thing other than pests I have found is false salinity readings with very high salinity . Perhaps take a water sample to a trusted LFS and have then test for you for verification and comparison.

Did you by chance have or just overcome Dino or Cyano in your tank ?

 

[LesPoissons]

No Dino or Cyno. Thank you for the suggestion, I dipped the purple piece. I think the green is a goner and it’s attached to a giant piece of live rock that I can’t mess with. No eggs no black bugs. I had Gha a few months back that I treated with vibrant- gha gone and didn’t cause any other “outbreaks.” I have a refractometer that I rodi calibrate before each test, I’m steady at 1.026. no other coRals affected. Ugh. I removed the paved mithrax crab at least. Bummed. Thanks guys.