Montipora Bubble Gum bleaching?

[chipchipbro]

hey guys

what could be the problem with my bubble gum monti?

For me it looks like its starting to bleach..

Too much light?
All other SPS are doing well..

 

[dhanking]

It looks normal?

 

[chipchipbro]

It looks normal?

imo it was way more red first
and it looks like polyps are missing on the now whitish skeletton

 

[chipchipbro]

other suggestions?
All other corals doing good..

Is it really the light?

 

[shakacuz]

what are your parameters? the white could just be new growth that the digi is growing into.

 

[chipchipbro]

No. i mean i do clearly see polyp retraction and it is getting more white.

Can the LED be too much for it?

Salinity 1.024
Kh 8
Ca 425
Mg 1315
Po4 0.07
no3 10
Temp 25 degrees celsius

All other sps are doing perfectly…
But I also had a monti plate turning completely light pink and then died…

 

[chipchipbro]

#reefsquad any ideas?

 

[TheBiochemist]

I suggest you to check for MEN (Monti-eating nudis). I experienced similar color loss (from a base - white tips are most likely due to a growth). During night you might be able to observe small white nudis eating your montis. When I had them, I was dipping most of my montis, but some of them were largely encrusted so I couldnt take them out of my tank. Moreover, dip affects only hatched nudis but do nothing to the eggs, so I tried to manually remove them. I also added adorned wrasse as a biological control. Now everything looks OK, but the losses were quite big, so I hope this will not be your problem.

 

[chipchipbro]

I suggest you to check for MEN (Monti-eating nudis). I experienced similar color loss (from a base - white tips are most likely due to a growth). During night you might be able to observe small white nudis eating your montis. When I had them, I was dipping most of my montis, but some of them were largely encrusted so I couldnt take them out of my tank. Moreover, dip affects only hatched nudis but do nothing to the eggs, so I tried to manually remove them. I also added adorned wrasse as a biological control. Now everything looks OK, but the losses were quite big, so I hope this will not be your problem.

Well thanks for the hint.. The Monti is my first monti in the tank and I dipped it prior to introduction..
The Frag also came from a tank in which this bubble gum is growing like a weed! So the mother colonies are super healthy. Now after like 5 days the polyps are retracted. Possible to have these nudis in my tank from other corals and there were "waiting" for a monti? I gotta observe

 

[homer1475]

First thing I would ask as pertaining to the polyp extension, what is your fish list?

Looks normal to me, white tips on the ends of the branches is growth. Inner skeleton looks fine to me.

Any idea what par it sits in? Montis don't need super high lighting, but do like moderate lighting.

 

[Chrisv.]

It's certainly annoyed. This could easily be related to differences in light or flow. My money IS on light. This coral can take a fair amount of light, but needs to be acclimated to brighter lights gradually. It's also possible that this coral is not pleased by some ionic issue. Too much/not enough/too rapidly changing NO3, PO4, alk could all do it.

Finally, my experience is that this coral in particular tends to freak out when put in a new tank and lose color like this. Over the course of a month or so it will look better or ...not.

 

[AnyNameYouWish]

Did you happen to have an alk swing or maybe where you got it had a different alk (I’m assuming it’s new addition)? I accidentally raised my alk over 1dk in like a half hours time and bubble gum Digi was less than impressed with me, polyps retracted and when they did come out very pale pink and lost all blue and green color.

It took 2-3 weeks to gain all its color back.
My Miami hurricane chalice also got pretty stressed by it but everything else did not seem bothered.

 

[TheBiochemist]

Well thanks for the hint.. The Monti is my first monti in the tank and I dipped it prior to introduction..
The Frag also came from a tank in which this bubble gum is growing like a weed! So the mother colonies are super healthy. Now after like 5 days the polyps are retracted. Possible to have these nudis in my tank from other corals and there were "waiting" for a monti? I gotta observe

From what I know, dip has no effect on eggs, so even if you dipped the coral thoroughly they might stay there. I have also found several articles that describe that eggs can be introduced on other corals. When introduced, MEN can stay in the tank for a very long time without montipora-based food. However, as I mentioned, this is IMO a worst possible scenario and most likely (and hopefully) the coral needs to settle down and acclimate to the actual conditions. I only put my comment there because I experienced a very similar situation and hoped to have it sorted out by waiting, increase in Mg and other things and waiting was definitely not a best thing to do.

 

[chipchipbro]

First thing I would ask as pertaining to the polyp extension, what is your fish list?

Looks normal to me, white tips on the ends of the branches is growth. Inner skeleton looks fine to me.

Any idea what par it sits in? Montis don't need super high lighting, but do like moderate lighting.

I do only have a pair of clowns, a pair of royal grammas and an algae blenny. Also a cleaner shrimp.

The coral is now 5 days in my tank and the "growth" looks is from the other tank it has been sitting in.
Its from a tank running with mostly Acros and run @ around 800ish PAR under LED.
So the coral is growing under way more light as mine does.

Also the other corals like seriatopora and Acro is from the same tank introduced on the same day. Thats why I am wondering..

 

[chipchipbro]

It's certainly annoyed. This could easily be related to differences in light or flow. My money IS on light. This coral can take a fair amount of light, but needs to be acclimated to brighter lights gradually. It's also possible that this coral is not pleased by some ionic issue. Too much/not enough/too rapidly changing NO3, PO4, alk could all do it.

Finally, my experience is that this coral in particular tends to freak out when put in a new tank and lose color like this. Over the course of a month or so it will look better or ...not.

Well the coral came from an absolute stunning tank.
So I guess the parameters in the tank it has grown were way better or lets say stable for years.
I was asking my friend what could be the problem he said "what? that coral grows like weed for me.. but no problem u can have more if it dies no problem"

Lights were waaaay more in that tank..

 

[chipchipbro]

Did you happen to have an alk swing or maybe where you got it had a different alk (I’m assuming it’s new addition)? I accidentally raised my alk over 1dk in like a half hours time and bubble gum Digi was less than impressed with me, polyps retracted and when they did come out very pale pink and lost all blue and green color.

It took 2-3 weeks to gain all its color back.
My Miami hurricane chalice also got pretty stressed by it but everything else did not seem bothered.

yes, the frag was growing in a tank with like 6.5 KH and mine is 8
so that might be the problem.

But like I said Seriatopora and Acropora are from the same tank on the same date... only the monti is freaking out..

 

[Chrisv.]

Well the coral came from an absolute stunning tank.
So I guess the parameters in the tank it has grown were way better or lets say stable for years.
I was asking my friend what could be the problem he said "what? that coral grows like weed for me.. but no problem u can have more if it dies no problem"

Lights were waaaay more in that tank..

Way more in terms of visual spectrum doesn't equate to more par, and the spectrum itself being different could be the issue.

What do YOU think it is?

 

[LeftyReefer]

did you dose anything to the tank recently?

My digis retract polyps when I dose H2O2 to the tank. other than that, they are pretty bulletproof. They will also retract polyps if a shrimp, crab, or something is touching them. My digis seem to do equally well top or bottom of my tank, so I doubt light is a big factor. I have bubble gum digi and forest fire digi, along with green and blue digis too.

 

[chipchipbro]

Way more in terms of visual spectrum doesn't equate to more par, and the spectrum itself being different could be the issue.

What do YOU think it is?

Well, my friend told me he runs 800 PAR on the very top.
My AI Prime HD is maybe @ 250 PAR on the top. Id say 200 PAR where my Digi is sitting at the most.
Acro, Pocillo are at the same level and thriving.

I first thought its the light.. but Ive read there cannot be too much light for Montis so far and I only have an AI Prime HD.

BUT one of the first corals I had was a red monti plate and this one also bleached and died..
but this one came from a very lowish PAR tank and Im sure ive burnt this plate.

But that shouldnt be the case to that monti..

Or would you just try it and put it in the lower part of the tank?

I asked the guy who gave me the frag he said "no just let it be there, you can have more if it doesnt make it" but I feel bad for that monti when I dont try everything.

 

[chipchipbro]

did you dose anything to the tank recently?

My digis retract polyps when I dose H2O2 to the tank. other than that, they are pretty bulletproof. They will also retract polyps if a shrimp, crab, or something is touching them. My digis seem to do equally well top or bottom of my tank, so I doubt light is a big factor. I have bubble gum digi and forest fire digi, along with green and blue digis too.

No, I did not dose anything recently.
Did a water change thats all..

Montis dod grow so fast and good in my former tank.. never had issues with them. Forreal..