<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6848478#post6848478 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Doubledown
I believe Mike to be correct, but I do not know what parameter is out of whack water wise.
I wonder if it is my house water. I use a Kent RODI unit for purification, but my TDS meter always reads high.
I am due for a wholesale filter change anyway, so that and the full spectrum of tank tests is on the schedule tonight.
p.s. Mike - could you hit up Jose with this one - he's about the most knowlegable chemistry guy/sps guru around and if he doesn't know I am in deep trouble.
Well... Umm... I do not know!
Kidding aside. This symptoms can occur for many and some times opposing reasons (too much or too little light, poor water conditions or high quality water conditions as an example) so it is difficult to really asses the causes.
The most usual stuff is phosphate, starvation, infection or sudden change in water conditions or chemical attack.
Phosphate uptake is a slow and long term process, as the coral grows uptakes phosphate which mostly stunts growth and it is usually noticeable as the base of the coral starts turning deep green at the base before receding.
Because your frags are new I doubt Phosphate.
Starvation is also usually a long term process, the corals may appear well for months and all in a sudden the tissue starts pealing from the skeleton (note the difference with bleaching or recession) so I also have to discard starvation.
Infection is a real possibility if the frags were recently cut under not so hygienic conditions and subject to suboptimal water conditions in the bag. Usually the base or cut part is the one infected. Infection is a real possibility.
In my experience most of what we do for sickness (Fresh water baths, Iodine baths, coral dips) are much for prevention rather than cure as I have never been able to cure it.
Some try covering the died portion with CA glue etc. but I think it just adds to the stress. If you have a Q tank I would take them there and you have two options IMO, keep using a turkey baster to blow off any accumulation of mucus in the affected area and hope for the best (do it in a Q tank as the floating mucus may infect other corals). Alternatively cut the healthy portion and leave it to get stronger before mounting it.
Environmental change is another possibility. These frags have been cut, taken out and in the water, transported in bags subject to temperature and quality changes etc. Note that transferring a coral adjusted to bad water conditions to better water conditions can be as shocking as the other way around so you may see perfect conditions in your tank but if they were not in perfect water before that could also create a shock.
For environmental stress the best is to move them to a lower light area or a deeper portion of the tank (Hope they are not being blasted by 400 watt MH bulbs) and try to increase your ORP as much as possible up to 425 mV preferably with Ozone and not Iodine. Keep the water well Oxygenated.
If the frags were recently mounted using CA glue, I have sometimes noticed that if too much is used the vapors of the CA may damage the coral tissue around the base. In this case just keep the good flow, bast the corals and keep the area clean to prevent infection.
That's about it. Sorry but there is no sure solution in these cases. I have seen two frags cut the same way at the same time from the same colony set next to each other and one flourish and the other bleaches and die for no apparent reason.
Regarding your RO/DI there is only two reasons why you have TDS in the outlet. Bad meter or bad filters.
Good Luck!
Jose
