Acropora Secale Bleaching during the night...

[vijaym85]

Hi I bought a small 2.5 inch Acropora Secale and it seems to be slowing bleaching at the base and lower branches during the night hours when no lights are present. I found it this moring with a swarm of copeopods and was puzzled to see areas which were colorful and healthy that very night now turned to white this morning. I have no predators for these pods so they are multiplying exponentially. I can't say for sure if they are cauing it but they were all over the coral whiched seemed suspicious. I bought 2 other Acros recently and they look fine. Can you please tell me what is happening. They are under a 400w Reeflux bulb 12k. fixture is 1ft above the tank. The bleaching Acro. is still showing polyp extension on non bleached location. But I fear it is not going to survive.
thanks for the help.

 

[dfs/la2]

vijaym85,

Thank you for your post and recent order with LiveAquaria. We are sorry to hear your Acropora is bleaching. Due to the behavior of the copepods, it sounds like the coral is experiencing Slow Tissue Necrosis (STN) at the base. STN can be caused by stress of one kind or anther. Various stress factors could be a rapid change in temperature, alkalinity, pH or specific gravity. It may take several days to a week before Acropora spp., Montipora spp, and other SPS show damage from these abrupt changes. Certain species of Acropora are more sensitive to changes in water chemistry then others, which could explain why only the secales is affected.

Another factor to consider for the STN is water flow. Acropora secale are generally harvested in Fiji from inside the reef at depths ranging from 10 â€"œ 30 feet of water where the current rips in and out with the tides.

We would recommend placing the coral in an area of high flow to stop the recession from progressing. If you notice that this is still spreading, in order to save what is left of the coral, we would recommend fragging off the branches ½” above the recession.

Regarding the increase of your copepod population, large amounts could irritate your corals. Copepods are more of a scavenger and it would be common behavior for them eat any uneaten food, organic waste matter or even the flesh of the corals. To naturally help control them we would recommend adding fish such as the Spotted Mandarin or a Six Line Wrasse to your aquarium.

We sincerely hope this information is helpful to you. We have currently placed a credit on file for this coral. If we can be of further assistance please feel free to contact our LiveAquaria Department at 1-800-334-3699 or email us at techsupport@liveaquaria.com.


Happy Reefing!

Michelle H.
Drs. Foster and Smith, Inc.
LiveAquaria

 

[vijaym85]

Thank you for explaining about what is potentially occuring and for placing a credit that I was not even expecting. You all are so kind I appreciate it very much.

Just to add a little info, I have a Tunze wavebox in the tank so i would have assumed that flow is quite good. the tank is a 30g, its 3ft long. i spoke to Roger of the Tunze forum here regarding using it, and I am acutally getting a very nice wave of about 1.5 inches. i dont know if you all are fammiliar with this product or not but from my research and communication with other Rc members its supposed to be great for sps corals which is why I decided to invest in it.

For temp I have a 200w titanium heater with controller.
The salt is IO
The calcium and alkalinity are dosed using B ionic.

It is interesting i just peared into my tank and I see a couple of pods pearched on the bleached portions of the coral. Are they attempting to eat the coral or something of that nature. Do they attack sick corals? I have noticed this behavior in teh past with other dying corals and am wondering if this is a common behavior.

I guess I will try to frag it and buy some fish from you guys to control my pods. Will Seahorses eat the pods, also do you think they can survive around corals and Anemones or will they be stung and die?

Thank you for everything as always, I appreciate your help and all the information !!

 

[dfs/la2]

vijaym85,

Thank you for your response. Yes, Seahorses will eat copepods however; we would recommend a separate species only aquarium for them. They do not house well with Anemones and could be stung.

It appears you have an excellent tank set-up and are using wonderful products. As always if you need additional assistance please feel free to contact us at 1-800-334-3699.

Thank you.

Michelle H.
Drs. Foster and Smith, Inc.
LiveAquaria