Shades of Fall RTN

[jasonrusso]

Well, yesterday I noticed my shades of Fall frag had some new growth and the colors looked good. This morning it looked fine, but when I got home it was a skeleton!!

I cut off a few tips that still had some flesh on them and put them on a frag plug. One already died.

Now this is the ONLY coral in the tank that shows any sign of distress. Other SPS looks fine.

Yesterday I noticed that my BTA was touching one of the tips of the frag and it was white. Could that have spread that fast? Would a dead tip kill the rest of the colony? Or is this just one of those mysteries?

 

[Flippers4pups]

Warfare. Yes, just that fast.

 

[jasonrusso]

Warfare. Yes, just that fast.

From the BTA?

 

[Flippers4pups]

From the BTA?

All anemone's can sting neighboring corals. Defense mechanism.

 

[jasonrusso]

All anemone's can sting neighboring corals. Defense mechanism.

Yes, of course. I meant one burnt tip can spread that fast.

 

[Flippers4pups]

Yes, of course. I meant one burnt tip can spread that fast.

Anemone's have nematocysts, stinging cells that explode when injected into invading corals. Their poison spreads throughout tissue quickly.

 

[Naturalreef]

Once a coral is in a weakened state, RTN(bad bacteria)will spread fast to healthy tissue and kill the coral. Even fragging healthy tissue and putting on a plug will not work most of the time. I read somewhere that using witch hazel stopped RTN. I’m not sure of the procedure, I’d have to look it up again.

 

[Flippers4pups]

Once a coral is in a weakened state, RTN(bad bacteria)will spread fast to healthy tissue and kill the coral.

In this case, not RTN.

 

[jasonrusso]

Anemone's have nematocysts, stinging cells that explode when injected into invading corals. Their poison spreads throughout tissue quickly.

Ah, that makes sense. $50 lesson learned.

 

[Flippers4pups]

Ah, that makes sense. $50 lesson learned.

Sorry this happened to you. Hang in there. Some hobbyist with SPS tanks won't have anemone's in their tanks for this reason.

 

[jasonrusso]

Sorry this happened to you. Hang in there. Some hobbyist with SPS tanks won't have anemone's in their tanks for this reason.

It's not going to deter me at all. I just thought that those tips would die and the rest would keep growing in the other direction.

 

[Flippers4pups]

It's not going to deter me at all. I just thought that those tips would die and the rest would keep growing in the other direction.

Once stung, you would have to frag away the damaged area quickly. In most cases it too late.

Just a side note, RTN is caused by a stress event. It weakens the coral allowing bad bacteria to invade the tissue causing tissue necrosis. Such as vibiro. Pathogens then start eating the dieing tissue. This condition can spread quickly to healthy tissue.

I have a great deal of information on RTN if anyone wants to learn more about it and the research into it and possible cures. Just pm me and I can send them to anyone wanting to know.

In your case @jasonrusso, your situation was a anemone's sting, not RTN.

 

[Sisterlimonpot]

Some hobbyist with SPS tanks won't have anemone's in their tanks for this reason.

This is the exact reason why I won't have any anemone in my tank, they look awesome, but I will pass 100% of the time.

 

[jasonrusso]

This is the exact reason why I won't have any anemone in my tank, they look awesome, but I will pass 100% of the time.

You don't have this, lol.

 

[Sisterlimonpot]

You don't have this, lol.

Nice,

I always got the clowns to think that a torch coral could protect them.... it's the best of both worlds...

 

[Sisterlimonpot]

 

[SeaDweller]

I have some colonies right above an annoying GBTA that (unfortunately) keeps splitting too. The mother nem reaches up and has been touching the base of one of my acros, and I'm seeing some color changes (not sure it's death yet), and I've been keeping close watch on her. I may point a Tunze directly at her and maybe get her to move. Ideally I want them all gone, but I keep them for my clowns.