Sps changed over night - DEAD

[JenB]

I need help - our acro colony turned 1/2 white over night. It has white stringy things too. It was looking great until yesterday. Then all of the sudden white. We put dipped it and then put it in the QT tank. This morning 1/2 the colony is now white.. What could this be? and can it spread to other corals?

 

[3Twinklets]

Check your Nitrates. Perform a water change.

 

[Diesel]

^^ +1 also white means 99% dead.
Do you know what acro it was and how long did you had it?
You can frag the color part off and glue it on frag plugs.
Please post a pic and your water parameters as ALK, CAL, PO4, Nitrites, Nitrates and Ammonia.
Don't for get PH and temp.
How old is the tank and have you more SPS in the system?
I'm sure more stick-heads will chime in to help you out on this.

 

[JenB]

Nitrates at 1.5-2 - will get a picture -
alk - 8.3
calcium 410
mag - 1290
salnitiy - 1.025

 

[JenB]

ammonia - 0
nitrities - 0

 

[JenB]

ph - 8.3-8.35 (midday)
right know 8.05

Multiple other SPS in tank - this was an acro from DiversDen - been in there 2 months now.
Tank is established in our home since June but was up and running for years before

 

[rayn]

Alk maybe a tich low. I had six sps frags and had two do this. Coming from the bottom up, or top down? I could spread, but pull the dead coral and play it safe.

Raise your alk may help.

 

[JenB]

It's from the bottom up - it's already out of the tank I'm still trying to email myself a pic

 

[JenB]

Here's the pic

 

[JenB]

this is not in our main tank anymore - so ignore the algae in this tank

 

[FishGuyTy]

Any chance it was stung by another coral? Were there any aggressive corals near it like a chalice? I have even experienced mushrooms and star polyps attacking these vulnerable SPS corals.

 

[JenB]

No aggressive corals or anemones were near it.. So confused it literally was fine on Friday and then turned to this Saturday

 

[JenB]

Just tested ALK and it's at 8.3

 

[FishGuyTy]

Bummer:/ I hope you can frag the dead off and get it going on the right track again. I had an Acro frag get it's whole back side bleached out by an overgrown and annoying star polyp. It's alive a month later, but does look sad.

 

[-Logzor]

Not too surprising, new colonies going into QT don't always make it, especially if they're wild pieces and not captive raised. Dipping can even stress out the corals and cause the tissue necrosis if the dip was too long or too concentrated.

 

[Diesel]

Your # look all in check.
If the rest of corals do good than let it be.
Frag all healthy section off the colony and leave some in the QT and bring some in the DT.
Monitor close.
How much of a WC you do and how often and salt you use to mix?

 

[DFW]

I recommend adding ONLY tank raised corals to your tank! That looks like a maricultured colony, and my experience with them is very similar to what you are seeing with this one. Cut remaining live portions away from dead, and try to keep them alive. It is a drawn out process, at least it has been for me. Tank raised corals have not been a problem for me!

 

[JenB]

Thanks everyone!! We will only do tank raised from now on. We do water changes ever 1 1/2 weeks

 

[Lazys Coral House]

good you removed it from your tank

That is what is typically called brown jelly disease. It is pretty nasty stuff. It can take down a healthy sps/lps in hours. I would turn off all your flow and very carefully remove it from your tank. My guess is it is some kind of toxic fast growing bacteria. I have had it in my tank probably 4-5 times over the past 10 years. If any of it gets on another coral it can kill it. One of it's characteristics is it smells really bad. You will smell it immediately when you get it out of the tank. You might be able to save some of it if it didn't take it all already. I get a 5g bucket and put some tank water in it. Remove the coral and put it in. Swish it around in the bucket to remove all the nasty. Then frag off a few healthy pieces. You should probably wear gloves of some sort. That bacteria may be really bad news.

 

[JenB]

Thanks - it did smell really bad! So I bet that is what it is.