Acro Ballooning, Swelling, Blistering=odd calcification....

Kip

New member
I have taken some pics of an odd phenomenon that i've noticed over the years and even thrown some acros away after discovering. As far as i can tell, this affliction doesnt impede growth or spread to neighboring corals, but disfigures the troubled coral. This time around, instead of throwing corals away what seems to be needlessly, I have decided to let it ride and see what happens. The link will show an acro in my frag tank currently affected by this odd growth and then show skeletal pics of an older coral that i'd thrown out.

The skeletal pics show very odd, fuzzy calcification on the coral and this odd growth is what seems to lead to the swelling/blistering/ballooning of the tissue.

Anyone else with any experiences with the phenomenon?

http://www.kipsreef.com/acro_blistering.htm
 
I have had a number of corals do that, I have no idea what the cause is though, I will be watching this closely.

Just a thought, what is your PH? Mine is low and I have always thought this might have something to do with it.

Whiskey
 
Hmm, maybe not then. For some time mine ran 7.6 to 7.9, I got that fixed (opened the house up a bit), now it is 7.8-8.2, I am building a sump right now to include a reverse daylight fuge to try and combat that swing.

I just got a PH meter a month ago to find that my test kits were wrong, that's why I don't have all this fixed yet.

Whiskey
 
its odd to me that this doesnt affect all the acros in the tank across the board... i am thinking it may be related to a "handling" issue..... just shooting in the dark now
 
Possibly a boring algae that uses acid to dissolve the skeleton for food and in turn mutates the skeleton but does not kill the coral ?
 
I was thinking a boring microbe myself. Would have to be pretty small to make trenches like that.

I have access to an atomic microscope and DNA sequencer at work. Would be interesting to look at the trenches to see if there was some kind of microbe burrowing inside under the flesh. If there was I could get one of my collegues to sequence it.
 
The other Eric B chimmend in on this several months ago. I sent his a whole slew of photos of several corals doing that. I forgot what he called it, but it had tissue in the name (tissue neoplasma?) :D I'll have to hunt down the email for you. I did post it, and the pics, several months ago in some one elses thread.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8004563#post8004563 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Eric Boerner
I was thinking a boring microbe myself. Would have to be pretty small to make trenches like that.

I have access to an atomic microscope and DNA sequencer at work. Would be interesting to look at the trenches to see if there was some kind of microbe burrowing inside under the flesh. If there was I could get one of my collegues to sequence it.

Gimme an address, and when you can handle taking some samples in :D I'd be more then happy to collect them up and ship em out on my dime :D I have access to several corals with this condition. Heck, I'd even pitch in, if you incure expsenses.
 
Let me see is the common factor VODKA or PRDIBIO or ZEO.

I have seen this along with tuliped polyps.
 
I'm not positive but i think the answer is in the prodibio thread if i recall.they have dubbed the corals "gassie"and not able to release co2
or something like that.I had this problem a few years ago when i tinkered with zeovit.Not a good thing at all.
 
If it is a burrowing microbe, maybe we can use it to combat Tumoral calcinosis


HandsTumoralCa.jpg


Gresham, lemme check with my lab and see when we could set up a date.
 
me... additives... none.. just ca-reactor and k-reactor

i played with K back in the spring for a month. both the corals in the link developed the issue within the last few weeks (i think)
 
seems to me something like dosing, elevated dkh, etc would result in more widespread problems instead of just 2 outta the whole system.
 
I think its a alkalinity issue too.. I had some SPS Do that once in a tank I was just pouring Kalk mix in a long time ago,, Id just break off the tips and it would over grow it and be fine.. One tip on a piece of Acropora humilis looked like a melted candle...... healed up fine..

I'll be interested to see what Eric finds though

:)
 
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