skeletal growth?

[Reef Jockey]

Just been wondering if the white band just below the flesh on the LPS coral is new skeletal growth and also any indication of the health of the coral? Does a thicker white band mean a healthy coral or vice versa?
Just trying to understand the anatomy of the LPS coral a little bit more.
Any input is very much appreciated..

 

[vetteguy53081]

Top looks like scan enchinata and tissue recession due to stress
Bottom, possibly growth on hammer

 

[mdb_talon]

The hammer to me looks as i would expect a healthy one to look with that band around it. The candy canes though never seen thay on mine the flesh always seems to me same color as the coral.

 

[Reef Jockey]

Top looks like scan enchinata and tissue recession due to stress
Bottom, possibly growth on hammer

I do believe i have stressed the candy cane and Hammer a bit.
last couple of days i've been battling high PH and alk swings. PH was 8.6 but I have brought down to 7.8 in the last couple of days. Alk used to be 7-8dkh then all of sudden dropped to below 6. I have since brought back up to 7 and slowly increasing. Doesn't seem like much of a swing but the corals didn't look too good so i needed to investigate. flesh on candy cane looks a little more full(plump) and hammer has much better PE.

 

[vetteguy53081]

I do believe i have stressed the candy cane and Hammer a bit.
last couple of days i've been battling high PH and alk swings. PH was 8.6 but I have brought down to 7.8 in the last couple of days. Alk used to be 7-8dkh then all of sudden dropped to below 6. I have since brought back up to 7 and slowly increasing. Doesn't seem like much of a swing but the corals didn't look too good so i needed to investigate. flesh on candy cane looks a little more full(plump) and hammer has much better PE.

It’s enough to stress them
Ph drop seemed quick

 

[Reef Jockey]

It’s enough to stress them
Ph drop seemed quick

I've been using a pen PH probe and testing several times a day. When it was high, I used a tube and blew into the water to add CO2 and I could see the PH dropping. Possibly dropped it a bit fast but most corals seem to be hanging in there

 

[mdb_talon]

I've been using a pen PH probe and testing several times a day. When it was high, I used a tube and blew into the water to add CO2 and I could see the PH dropping. Possibly dropped it a bit fast but most corals seem to be hanging in there

I have never heard of a tank that is in the good range for alkalinity and salinity and the ph went so high ot needed to be lowered. Personally i would quadruple check(with different test kits/probes) any ph reading before intentionally trying to lower it.

 

[Zoa_Fanatic]

I've been using a pen PH probe and testing several times a day. When it was high, I used a tube and blew into the water to add CO2 and I could see the PH dropping. Possibly dropped it a bit fast but most corals seem to be hanging in there

pH change will super duper stress out candy canes. I nearly killed my massive colony with a quick pH increase. That top photo shows a stressed candy cane losing tissue. It doesn’t look as bad as mine did and it will probably recover but you CANNOT do pH changes fast. Nothing fast happens in this hobby.

edit: candy cane tissue should extend down into the Skelton a bit. That white area you see is tissue recession up toward the head.

 

[Reef Jockey]

pH change will super duper stress out candy canes. I nearly killed my massive colony with a quick pH increase. That top photo shows a stressed candy cane losing tissue. It doesn’t look as bad as mine did and it will probably recover but you CANNOT do pH changes fast. Nothing fast happens in this hobby.

edit: candy cane tissue should extend down into the Skelton a bit. That white area you see is tissue recession up toward the head.

Got it. small changes over time.
lost 1 head out of the 4. Hope the other 3 hangs in there.
I stopped adding Kalk in my top off water and the PH is stable about 7.8

 

[Zoa_Fanatic]

Got it. small changes over time.
lost 1 head out of the 4. Hope the other 3 hangs in there.
I stopped adding Kalk in my top off water and the PH is stable about 7.8

That’s a low pH but stability is more important than parameters to coral. Mine stays between 8.0-8.2 and they do fine. When it goes high or low they start getting ticked

 

[Reef Jockey]

That’s a low pH but stability is more important than parameters to coral. Mine stays between 8.0-8.2 and they do fine. When it goes high or low they start getting ticked

I will try to slowly raise PH. Adding Kalk back in top off ro/di water but only half the amount and monitor ph
I noticed something wasn’t right when my gsp polyps were all retracted. All polyps are out now and extended so hopefully im trending in the right direction