Swollen Montipora edges...what the?!

[Sabellafella]

I believe this is considered a disease. http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0097018

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4020768/

Wow what a wonderful read. Thanks for sharing. The few acros I've had it on, I've fragged the coral right at the affected area, and they usually just heal up fine.

 

[1979fishgeek]

I believe this is considered a disease. http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0097018

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4020768/

Thanks, unfortunately that sounds exactly like what’s going on in my Montipora. I’m freaking out even more now, in my tank it’s the similar species most effected with signs in all my Monti.

I have no clue what to do now, as they are literally the dominant coral in my reef I would have to remove every rock in the set up to get them out. If I read the study correctly they could not find any virus or bacteria and it doesn’t mention of it’s contagious. Triggered by a irritation?

Just can’t get my head around how they all became infected at the same time. Only changes I’d made this month were a increase in Alk, removed Clownfish that increased water clarity allowing more light in. A small Phosphate spike from feeding a new food. I’m at a loss.

I’m slowly reducing my Alk
I’ve reduced light
I’ve done water changes
I’ve added Phosphate remover
I’ve refreshed carbon
I’ve increased flow across the tank

Testing daily.

Hate this hobby at the moment.

 

[BoomCorals]

I’d also stop the new food. Just to see.

 

[1979fishgeek]

I’d also stop the new food. Just to see.

I stopped with krill powder as soon as I noticed the phosphate risen.

Next stage is I have decided to do large water changes every day, I’m convinced somethings in the water I can't test for. But it’s a running at 1,000l at the moment so going to do it daily.

Heads going round in circles wondering if it’s a contaminantion.
- I wondering if somethings got in via my top up water, I have my own RO but there’s a very strong chemical smell coming out the tap this week. Maybe somethings got in that way, TDS is 3ppm so there’s a chance, changing out the filters in that too.
- Had some xmas candles burning in another part of the house...but there always a chance.
- Had the fire going in the living room and we were burning willow, so there’s that too.

Could be any number of things really, so larger everyday frequent water changes are next.

I’ve seen in provement in the Monti capitata others looking little worse, but maybe whatever it is has to run its course. Noticed the skeleton is pitted underneath like fine honeycomb.

This hobby really tests us sometimes, highest highs and lowest lows.

 

[kireek]

I have not seen this in SPS before.Following along for the conclusion.

 

[1979fishgeek]

UPDATE
Still only effecting Montipora, all are effected to various extents, some are way worse than others.
Photos below, red highlights bubbles. As you can see from the photos underneath nothing else is bubbling.

Monti red cap, tiny bubbles in patches across surface between polyps.


Digi swollen at tips and growing encrusting base. Skeleton looks pitted.




Monti Capitata worse effected whole coral covered so no point highlighting you can see bubbles from space.


Another very badly effected Monti, similar to the Capitata


Monti green cap, least effected but edge is still bubbled.


The rest of the species are uneffected.







Porites


Acro


Various



So whatever this is it’s montipora specific....at the moment.

I’m literally pulling my hair out, so far the Monti are not stripping but I’m scared they can’t survive this.

I’ve been doing daily water changes, to replace trace ellements and dilute anything that could of gotten in that I can’t test for.

Replaced all GFO and Carbon.

Bought new test kits and readings are actually different from my old ones.

Current parameters
Calcium 445
KH/Alk 10.2/3.65
Mag 1260
Phosphate 0.01
Nitrate 2
Ph 8.2
Ammonia 0
Nitrite 0
SG 1.025

I’m increasing magnesium as the new salifert kit is now reading my magnesium low instead of high.

 

[Katrina71]

So this is almost like lupus in coral? Curious if lighting has any part to play in it.

 

[madweazl]

When you say large daily water changes, how large? How close do the parameters of freshly mixed salt water match your tank? If significantly different, other parameters may be changing outside desire levels, exacerbated with dosing things like alkalinity and calcium.

 

[BoomCorals]

Can’t use photobucket. Can’t see the pics.

 

[truepercs]

I have seen this on the tips of a fellow reefers acropora. I actually received a frag from him that started bloating at the tip... However after a few weeks it was gone.
It is possible that with good husbandry it may overcome whatever it is. The frag I have is fine and nothing else was affected. Unfortunately it appears that yours is worse than a single frag.

 

[1979fishgeek]

When you say large daily water changes, how large? How close do the parameters of freshly mixed salt water match your tank? If significantly different, other parameters may be changing outside desire levels, exacerbated with dosing things like alkalinity and calcium.

I’m slowly getting them back to where they usually are, it’s s large system and doing a few 100l-200l a day. My RO unit is limiting me, but it’s not far off where it usually is. Plus I did not want to cause a Alk swing doing it to fast.
I use a calcium reactor and as I said earlier in the thread I had increased the co2 causing it to go higher than I planned but not dangerous levels. Problem is if it’s just water quality why is it only effecting Monti in a tank filled with sps, LPS? I got some small Acro frags looking superb, best colour I’ve seen in ages.

Ive ordered all new filters and a new membrane for my RO as TDS has reached 12ppm with the excessive use.
I’m waiting on a ATI ICP water analysis test to come in the post.

Just removed a large Sinularia, it’s a beast and any chemical warefare could be significant and also something to consider, it’s closest neighbour was a red Monti cap, maybe it’s releasing something targeting Monti? I replaced carbon again too as it proper slimed me when I pulled it out.

 

[1979fishgeek]

I have seen this on the tips of a fellow reefers acropora. I actually received a frag from him that started bloating at the tip... However after a few weeks it was gone.
It is possible that with good husbandry it may overcome whatever it is. The frag I have is fine and nothing else was affected. Unfortunately it appears that yours is worse than a single frag.

Yep, really bad bubbles within a few hours of noticing it and every Monti is effected, nothing else is, not a single sps or LPS. Crazy, I can’t believe indestructible Monti would be so effected compared to my little Acro frags if it was something chemistry wise?

I’m trying chemical warfare theory and removing a large Sinularia that was very close to the red Monti cap, maybe it’s chemical warfare directed at killing Monti...if soft corals are that smart?!

 

[1979fishgeek]

Can’t use photobucket. Can’t see the pics.

Sorry I hate photo bucket and it hates me too.
Basically nothing’s changed, all Monti still bad, everything else looks uneffected and better than usual. Have a wild Acro that’s been brown since the day I got it and finally has beautiful vivid green tips and superb PE...how crazy is that!?

 

[1979fishgeek]

ISSUE RESOLVED!

and I think I got to the bottom of what I did wrong, certainly everything is returning to normal now. The problem was as suggested ‘Sps Bubble Disease’. The condition is unusual and while no one knows for sure what causes it, chemistry being out of balance causing stress is the common denominator.

Basically when I mucked about with my calcium reactor increasing the Alk and Calc the Monti being the aggressive growers took advantage and grew like crazy, but the effluent from the reactor caused my pH to drop which then massively stressed them out creating the odd reaction. I believe they were like the canary in the coal mine showing the stress response first because they were reacting so quickly to my changes. Also I think because the changes happened over a month there was no huge swing causing necrosis or polyp bailout etc...

I had been using salifert test kits which were close to best before dates (face palm!). My readings at first were not alarming but after replacing them all because I felt something was not right found the calcium, magnesium were out by a fare amont but most importantly my pH which was actually 7.4, not the 8.2!!

Now it’s corrected everything is returning to normally. Some of the blisters have popped but I am confident they will heal.

Lesson learnt....don’t mess with something that’s not broken (Alk/cal/mag) and replace test kits more regularly!

So Randy Holmes-Farley had it right from the start.... Testing error!

Testing error sent me on a wild goose chase and if my test kits were accurate I would have spotted that low ph straight away.

Thanks everyone who’s been following along and contributing.

 

[BoomCorals]

I’m so glad you got it figured out.

 

[kecked]

I had my Monti cr@sh And now a little later those bubbles turned to a whole full tank of dinos. So maybe you see bubbles beffore and outbreak are that is visible. The 3dges of the Monti turned white during this last Dino round. Still fighting it.

 

[1979fishgeek]

I had my Monti cr@sh And now a little later those bubbles turned to a whole full tank of dinos. So maybe you see bubbles beffore and outbreak are that is visible. The 3dges of the Monti turned white during this last Dino round. Still fighting it.

I had Dino over two years ago came in on some new live rock so feel your pain! I used Cruz Arias technique from Elegant Corals and never seen it again since. It’s a combination of outcompeting the Dino, blackout and nano bubbling works a treat!

The Monti bubbles luckily disappeared shortly after my last post. Never lost a single coral, infact they looking pretty superb now. I put it down to a reaction to unnatural water chemistry very high Alk and Calc and very low Ph from a calcium reactor mishap. Something that never occur in nature, it was very odd and very scary! But corals recovered faster than the bubble in the coral tissue took to reach their peak.

Good luck with your Dino, there’s a great support group on Facebook that gives advice from Elegant Corsls and loads of reefers expereinces.