Blue Voodoo - blue tips supposed to show white?

[iwishtofish]

My new blue voodoo (couple weeks) has maintained good PE and blue in the tips. It's in good random flow, and under a 6-bulb T5 with Geisemann bulbs.

Alk = steady 9 dKH
pH = 8.0 - 8.1
Sg = 1.026-1.0265
Ca = 440
Mg = appx 1250-1300


I am now noticing some pure white on a small part of at least two tips. If they are growing, do corals with colored tips display white, or might this be an indicator the coral is unhappy with something? Thanks

 

[iwishtofish]

Hmmm...now I'm thinking maybe less blue in the tips, and the white skeleton is really only showing on the top edge of the tips. I'd think growth would show more uniformly around the tips. Fortunately it's not mounted yet - maybe I'll move it up under higher light (it's a bit lower than halway down in a 75g).

 

[NanoReefWanabe]

my voodoo stag shows no white when growing...not sure it is the same coral as yours though...mine has wicked florescent green rings around the coralites, does yours? i believe mine is an Acropora Hoeksamei. either way ti shows no white unless it is dying...

 

[MammothReefer]

pics?

 

[chefzif]

Lets see the pics! could be growth or bleaching!

 

[iwishtofish]

Thanks, everyone - I just can't get a good picture. I'm unable to capture the contrast, but I tried anyway.

I have another acro that has been in a weakened state from an Interceptor dip lose some tissue on the tip - then it stopped, with the tissue only growing back a little. I have no idea what in my parameters might have caused that. I should mention, though, that I haven't tested PO4. I have no nuisance algae, clean the glass every two days, and a Hanna Checker is in the mail.

That is a tip that is circled...it just has another branch behind it.

 

[MammothReefer]

ah I wouldn't worry about that. Almost all my new growth gets a little lighter in colour if not totally white.

 

[dkerns06]

Yea, it looks like there is a polyp coming out of that spot so i wouldn't worry.

 

[Reefnub]

Mines doesn't either, tips stays blue when growing. Don't think you should worry about it though. Maybe you scraped off a tiny bit of its skin when you placed it. Polyp extension and color looks great.

 

[taphil]

Here's my blue voodoo. Started out as a light brown 1" frag about 6 months ago, only within past 2 months did it color up and start to grow. Has about 3x PE when lights go off. Neon green base, neon/ice blue tips.

 

[iwishtofish]

taphil, nice!

I appreciate everyones comments. I took another picture today, and the white doesn't look quite as bone-white as I think it did before:

 

[iwishtofish]

Just a little update on this. The coral had taken a big turn for the worse, with the tissue burning off just about every tip and significant protrusion. I thought for sure I'd be pulling the skeleton out in a few days. Here's what it looked like not long ago:

It still looks a bit worse when photographed with the flash, but here's a pic from tonight without the flash. The necrosis seems to have stopped, and it looks like some tissue may have actually grown back. There are polyps again at most of the tips - some have algae:

It still doesn't look great, obviously. I got some levels under more control (alk, in particular), and that seems to have helped.

Does this look like a coral that may recover completely?

 

[MammothReefer]

it can. everytime i've had this happen it was a result of my alk swinging.

 

[iwishtofish]

it can. everytime i've had this happen it was a result of my alk swinging.

Oh, good. What gets rid of the algae growing on the tips? I just changed my GFO, btw, but running it slow to start to prevent shock.

 

[Reef Bass]

Taphil, your pic does not look like blue voodoo to me. A good looking acro for sure, but not blue voodoo. Here's a shot of mine.

 

[iwishtofish]

Ken, mine doesn't look very blue voodooish either, then! Yours seems to have bushier tips. Perhaps the same corals grow differently under different conditions. Yours from ORA, by any chance?

 

[Reef Bass]

Purchased mine from an LFS on the ORA plug. The striations in its flesh are what make me suspect taphil's unstriated acro is not blue voodoo. Yours looks more BV like to me. Give it happy water, good flow, at least medium high light, stability and time.

 

[iwishtofish]

Purchased mine from an LFS on the ORA plug. The striations in its flesh are what make me suspect taphil's unstriated acro is not blue voodoo. Yours looks more BV like to me. Give it happy water, good flow, stability and time.

Just without the blue, lol. Thanks for the advice!

 

[Reef Bass]

What gets rid of the algae growing on the tips?

Pruning shears.

 

[iwishtofish]

Pruning shears.

Seriously? Because I can do that...