Sps Issue

[ggNoRe]

I've had 2 birdsnest in a row which seemingly did well and grow to almost double in size in a few months time. Then for unknown reasons the polyps started to retract and they began to blacken at the tips. The last one completely died and I fear the same will most likely happen to this one. Any suggestions? Pic attached

 

[exnisstech]

I'm new to SPS but am pretty sure your parameters are going to be one of the first things needed to assist. As well as lighting flow etc. Too much information is just enough

 

[billyocean]

I've had 2 birdsnest in a row which seemingly did well and grow to almost double in size in a few months time. Then for unknown reasons the polyps started to retract and they began to blacken at the tips. The last one completely died and I fear the same will most likely happen to this one. Any suggestions? Pic attached

Pretty sure that's dead. I would say there is no stability. Whether that be alk swings, phosphate swings..or..no nitrate, temperature, too much direct flow, too much light. The list goes on.

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

as mentioned above, any swing in any department will cause it, and unless you test every day, you might not even be aware of a swing.

 

[ggNoRe]

Fair answers. Was just wondering if the black tips meant anything specific. Thank you

 

[Miami Reef]

Fair answers. Was just wondering if the black tips meant anything specific. Thank you

Those black tips are just algae growing over the calcium based coral skeleton. The coral isn’t alive unfortunately.

 

[billyocean]

I would suggest just getting in control of testing. Know alk and calc consumption so you can stabilize that with a doser or reactor or whatever. Auto top off will keep your salinity stable..if you don't have one get one. There's a wide range of what's acceptable on parameters..the key is to pick what ypu want and stay there. Most corals will adapt to what ypu run as long as it's steady. Also know your phosphate and nitrate numbers..you don't want big swings in that. I.dont have a ton of fish so I dose phosphate

 

[Yanir34]

I've had 2 birdsnest in a row which seemingly did well and grow to almost double in size in a few months time. Then for unknown reasons the polyps started to retract and they began to blacken at the tips. The last one completely died and I fear the same will most likely happen to this one. Any suggestions? Pic attached

what are your parameters?
how old is your system?
what lighting do you run?

 

[Rick's Reviews]

what are your parameters?
how old is your system?
what lighting do you run?

+ Pictures

 

[billyocean]

This thread will give you a ton of information in one spot. Has ups/downs and solutions for problems. Just remember all tanks are different but there's plenty of info that will work for you in there when you're ready.


Thread 'HIGH END Tenuis Hoarder' https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/high-end-tenuis-hoarder.757551/

 

[ggNoRe]

This thread will give you a ton of information in one spot. Has ups/downs and solutions for problems. Just remember all tanks are different but there's plenty of info that will work for you in there when you're ready.


Thread 'HIGH END Tenuis Hoarder' https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/high-end-tenuis-hoarder.757551/

This thread is AMAZING! Thank you

 

[Charlie’s Frags]

It’s hard to tell but I don’t think it’s dead….yet. Severely stressed though. The whole “stable” parameters is so over blown. Stable/unstable doesn’t mean anything.

And guess what…… All my corals are still alive and happy.

 

[billyocean]

It’s hard to tell but I don’t think it’s dead….yet. Severely stressed though. The whole “stable” parameters is so over blown. Stable/unstable doesn’t mean anything.

And guess what…… All my corals are still alive and happy.

All looks pretty stable to me except that alk bounce...lol. And no, I wouldn't recommend going from under 8 to over 9 in a day.

.2 swing in ph...perfect. mine goes from 8-8.3 daily.
I bet the orp dip was a water change or something dosed.
Salt without the one dip is within .5

All these are fine and what I would call stable.

 

[Charlie’s Frags]

All looks pretty stable to me except that alk bounce...lol. And no, I wouldn't recommend going from under 8 to over 9 in a day.

.2 swing in ph...perfect. mine goes from 8-8.3 daily.
I bet the orp dip was a water change or something dosed.
Salt without the one dip is within .5

All these are fine and what I would call stable.

My alk swings all the time. My calcium 400-500 and my mag is usually 1350-1400 but I’ve brought it up to kill some bryopsis. And still no death.

Now the OP hasn’t given us much to investigate but just saying “keep it stable” isn’t helpful either.

 

[billyocean]

My alk swings all the time. My calcium 400-500 and my mag is usually 1350-1400 but I’ve brought it up to kill some bryopsis. And still no death.

Now the OP hasn’t given us much to investigate but just saying “keep it stable” isn’t helpful either.

Looks great! Keep my mag about 1480, just enough to not slow down snails. By stable I mean knowing what your tank consumes and what needs to be added to offset that. If your alk is dropping from 9 to 8 everyday..that's no good. If your phosphate is bottoming out daily, that's no good. If your dosing calc once a week to raise it from 325 to 450, that's no good. If your salinity is going from 35.5 to 34 everyday...thats no good. Smaller swings through maintaining parameters by understanding consumption...that's good.

 

[billyocean]

 

[xCry0x]

I'd be ready to frag it. The algae on the base is the most concerning.

So many factors could be the cause. Too much light, not enough light, too much flow, not enough flow, nutrient issues, etc.

If your numbers are good, I'd lean to light/flow.

 

[ggNoRe]

I know my nutrients are very high. I've been working on slowly bringing them down with Rowaphos. I just checked and I've had this coral in my tank for 9 months now. In that time my phosphates peaked about one month ago. Think I may have just realized the problem...

The attached pic is when I first got it. It grew quite a bit in that time.

 

[ClownSchool]

I've had 2 birdsnest in a row which seemingly did well and grow to almost double in size in a few months time. Then for unknown reasons the polyps started to retract and they began to blacken at the tips. The last one completely died and I fear the same will most likely happen to this one. Any suggestions? Pic attached

Without knowing water parameters, it’s impossible to know where to start. But, if you’re using a Hanna Calcium checker, you should know they are pretty much uselessly inaccurate. The other Hanna products work alright, but you can’t trust that one.

 

[ggNoRe]

I'd be ready to frag it. The algae on the base is the most concerning.

So many factors could be the cause. Too much light, not enough light, too much flow, not enough flow, nutrient issues, etc.

If your numbers are good, I'd lean to light/flow.

As far as fragging, which piece should I rid of and which part to keep? It looks to be dying at both the base and the tips.