What exactly is burnt tips?

[homer1475]

Let me start off by saying I'm fairly new to keeping SPS.

My first SPS were added probably about a year ago, maybe a bit longer. I started out with the typical plating monti's, then progressed to acros. I now have 5 different acros, 1 millie, 1 monti setosa, and 2 caps. Everything is growing well, and colored up for the most part. But here is where my "not knowing" comes into play.

I had some ups and downs recently with my tank and my first real SPS a green slimer took a hit. It's base died off and took on some algae. It is now dead and brown from algae taking over, but the upper portion is still very green. The growth ends are white. I understand that growing skeleton starts off as white, then colors up once the flesh starts to grow over the new skeleton. With some of my acros just maybe a 1/4 is white, but my slimer, almost all the ends are white? It continues to grow, and has 0 algae on the tips or any of the white sections.

So I'm wondering if this is "burnt tips" or just waiting for flesh to grow over it?

I think I have plenty of nutrients in my water as I keep ALK at 7.5, CAL at 420, MAG at 1350, NO3 at 2 to 4ppm, and PO4 at .05.

Not the best pic, but you can clearly see how all the new branches are stark white. Yes I know I should probably frag off the bottom, but it grows fine and is securely attached to the rock, so I leave it be.

 

[klimfish]

Hmm, that does not really look like burnt tips. From the photo it kinda looks like the white part starts at around the same height on all branches. Could it be getting too much light and bleaching out in those areas? Maybe frag off an entire white branch, move it lower and see if it colors up?

 

[bobby.w.hodges]

a burnt tip would be white for a day or so and then start to turn brown, usually caused be alkalinity being too high or extreme light. Your pics look like new growth that hasnt colored up yet.
i do see a bunch of die off at the base of the slimer, what happened there?

 

[homer1475]

Thats how they start, just never really color up. I doubt to high light as par in that area is only around 250ish. All that growth just happened over the last month or so.

 

[klimfish]

Maybe frag off an entire white branch, move it lower and see if it colors up?

 

[homer1475]

a burnt tip would be white for a day or so and then start to turn brown, usually caused be alkalinity being too high or extreme light. Your pics look like new growth that hasnt colored up yet.

It's definitely new growth, just wondering why they haven't colored up yet? This growth has been like this for about a month. No algae on it, and my ALK hasn't had a swing in years.

I didn't think it was burnt tips, but curious as to why it hasn't colored up yet, and continues to just stay white and grow? You can clearly see the rest is a nice green(with the exception of dead base). All my other acros only have this white on the tip.

 

[homer1475]

Hmm might try tagging a few I know to be "experts". See if I can get them to respond.

@jda
@bubbaque
@Battlecorals

 

[ScottB]

How would you describe the flow level where the tips are? It is odd that they are not gaining some color. The growth pattern is also a bit odd. There is still live flesh there or it would have algae.

Your numbers now are fine and 250 PAR is fairly comfortable for a slimer. How recent was the up/down and what was the nature of it?

 

[homer1475]

Using vibrant caused the swings. The big 3 never fluctuate in my tank, I test every other day.

Vibrant is what caused the swings, and it was just after I added the slimer. The dead base was the original frag. It encrusted onto my rocks, and started to grow up, then it died back and algae took over.

A year later and it's starting to grow again, just in this weird pattern, and all white. Whats green is also "new" growth, but thats probably about 6 or so months old.

Flow... I would say med to high flow in that area. I have a PP8 directly pointed at it, return pump with RFG nozzles almost pointing at it. All in all I have 2 mp10's @ 60% reefcrest, 2 jebao PP8's @ 85% firing at random(programmed though apex), and a gyre on my center tower overflow @ 60% alternating between forward and reverse. The gyre is just for surface agitation, and I kick it up to 100% during nutrient export mode.

I have a shades of fall acro from @Battlecorals just below and in front of the slimer, colors up and grows just fine. Only the very 1/4" of the tips on that are white.

 

[ScottB]

"PP8 directly pointed at it " @ 85%

I have some slimer in one tank that has reached its way up to the return nozzle and it grew this funny pattern and grew "thin", leggy, and in odd directions. That is why I asked.

I am a big fan of crazy flow, but anything that grows too much into direct flow gets weird or killed off. I am in the middle of a re-aquascape project because of this.

Confirm for yourself it is the PP8 hitting it and offset the direct hit a bit to see if it will color up for you.

 

[homer1475]

I can try to change up the flow, Just odd new growth is white, and the old new growth is colored up. It's been in the same location in my tank since I bought it 2 years ago.

Thanks for the replies!

 

[Redfoxtang]

Usually burnt tips are caused from high DKH 8 or above and no detectable nutrients. So I would recheck where your P04 and N03 are at. I do not believe flow is your issue here.

 

[homer1475]

nitrate 2 to 4ppm, Phosphates .05. Been at those numbers for around 9 months.

 

[Redfoxtang]

I also will add I have a slimer getting blasted by a MP40 with no issues like this. Could try redirecting flow but for new growth to be that long with no color is odd.

 

[homer1475]

I also will add I have a slimer getting blasted by a MP40 with no issues like this. Could try redirecting flow but for new growth to be that long with no color is odd.

Exactly my thought too. No idea why they get so long with no color. With my limited knowledge on SPS, I was thinking I might be experiencing "burnt tips".

 

[homer1475]

While this pic is a few weeks older, you can clearly see the shades of fall directly in front of it only has white tips. What I would call normal growth tips.

 

[Redfoxtang]

Do you dose any chemicals at all?

 

[ScottB]

I typically associate burnt tips with too much light & or ALK relative to nutrient. And they are quickly covered in algae -- or dinos as the case may be. I then have to cut them back into live flesh.

When I have seen skinny branches with odd growth patterns, I have seen it with flow that is too direct or coming only in one direction.

 

[homer1475]

Nope, nothing dosed other then BRS CAL, and DIY ALK(baking soda and RO/DI).

 

[homer1475]

I typically associate burnt tips with too much light & or ALK relative to nutrient. And they are quickly covered in algae -- or dinos as the case may be. I then have to cut them back into live flesh.

When I have seen skinny branches with odd growth patterns, I have seen it with flow that is too direct or coming only in one direction.

With it being toward the back of the tank, and directly under a PP8, I wonder if flow is the issue. I'll try changing it up a bit, and see where it takes me.

Thanks!