Need help with an SPS

[NS Mike D]

after my tank crash, my unknown sps - been in my tank for two years - began to die on it's shady side.

it's healthy on the other side and is spreading as it encrust along the rock. the plug is long gone from view

top down shot

about a year ago, the rock fell and broke the coral in half, I mounted the top half and it's taken well. note that this is the first sps that I was able to keep in this - a 29 gal mix reef nano.

a few weeks back I posted the front view pic and a member suggested I frag that coral, but my questions as to how to do that went unanswered.

I have not seen any pests on this or other corals, no fish are nipping at it and not corals as close enough to sting it.

Should i be dong anything to this coral or let it be and see if whatever is killing it stops.

If you recommend that I cut the coral and frag the healthy section, just how should I do that? since it's encrusted, do i leave a stump?

thanks in advance

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

I’m kinda thinking it’s just no light on that side.
That’s what the bottoms of my acro look like.

If you wanted to frag it , just cut or beak the tall part off.

 

[NS Mike D]

I’m kinda thinking it’s just no light on that side.
That’s what the bottoms of my acro look like.

If you wanted to frag it , just cut or beak the tall part off.

i was thinking that, could be related to my switching to over hang lights, my previously lights were flush to the tank top and would have hit directly hit that spot. hopefully the spot will stop spreading and the coral will shoot stalks in front of it from the encrusted base that is getting direct light

 

[declanisadog]

It looks like the underside of my acros. I wouldn't worry

 

[HB AL]

I've seen it before and I dipped it in a basic coral dip in my case brightwell aquatics coral dip and it always has stopped the progression and the coral slowly encrusts back over it. I would take a pic today and weather you dip it or not compare it to the pic in 1 week interval to see if it progressed or has stopped.

 

[NS Mike D]

I've seen it before and I dipped it in a basic coral dip in my case brightwell aquatics coral dip and it always has stopped the progression and the coral slowly encrusts back over it. I would take a pic today and weather you dip it or not compare it to the pic in 1 week interval to see if it progressed or has stopped.

it's encrusted over the rock. not sure i can dip it without breaking it up

any suggestions ?

 

[HB AL]

Well then, if the rock is possibly small enough you could pull it out and try and dip it. If there's no way to do that then I would take a pic, watch it daily to make sure it doesn't start spreading quickly, and if it seems to have not progressed in a couple weeks or so then it should be fine. If in a couple weeks or so you compare it to the pic and it's definetly still expanding then fragging off the unaffected areas is gonna be really the next coarse of action and last chance to try and salvage part of it. From the pic I believe it's a total dead area not just caused by shading, looks like a little algae growing on it there. If your not able to cure the problem fragging off and saving the good parts gives you a high chance it can be saved, good luck.

 

[NS Mike D]

it started off as two small white spots. they merged. it's been spreading slowly over a 6 week period.

i suppose i can cut it down, frag the cut part and see if anything grows from the base.

the big question is when do i stop watching and make the cuts?

 

[HB AL]

If its been slowly progressing and since you cant dip it i would frag it up asap. Dip the fragged pieces before placing them back in the tank. Along the edges of what remains on the rock, where the death zone starts i would liberally spread some super glue, its amazing how small a piece of live coral will start growing again. You really have nothing to lose. Im not an expert by any means but in many years of my own trial and error i have been amazed how corals can survive, and of course theres those that just die no matter how many things you try and do to save it.

 

[HB AL]

Also i didnt mention it earlier but say you wake up in the middle of the night to take a leak, grab a flashlight and look closely for any possible pests.