Coral killing brown slime??

[RhodeIslandReef]

I'm having a problem with a brown slime that pops up here and there on my corals and eventually(2-3 days) eats away the whole coral colony.

I've noticed this problem for some time now and It pops up every now and then. It seems to attack any type of coral and if a different type of coral is touching the infected one, it will spread to the next.

Once it kills the whole colony it seems to disappear altogeather.

The only thing that seems to save the colony is if I chop/frag off the coral and remove the uninfected part.

I have had this kill the following corals. Acropora, Xenia, Monti cap, zoos, digitata. It seems to kill the acro, monti, and digi very quickly.

Anyone that might have an idea of what this might be or a way to tackle this problem your feedback would be appreciated.

Here is a picture of a zoo that has the early stages of this slime growing on it.

 

[RhodeIslandReef]

Think I have discovered the problem as being "brown jelly disease". Will start searching for any cures or treatments if any. Anyone with knowledge of the topic?

 

[JCURRY@WESKETCH]

Check out the Reef Aquarium vol. I I think there is a chapter on coral pathogens including "brown jelly".

 

[greatgman]

cut off the infected polyp /stalk ,etc and discard it be carefull not to spread the jelly around in the tank

i lost my first torch to brown jellly

 

[CaptiveReef]

An infection from bacteria?

An infection from bacteria?

It looks like the results caused by a bacterial infection, I agree to remove it from the main coral, maybe using a good coral dip to treat the area only.

CaptiveReef

 

[panic]

Iodine can help. If you can isolate it to a QT tank and raise the dosage, you might have faster results.

 

[graveyardworm]

I would be tempted to think that something else is wrong, no doubt the problem is probably brown jelly infection. IME this is a problem which is seen mostly in corals which are sick/unhealthy to begin with. It can however as youve experienced spread from one coral to another regardless of the health of the coral, but once its gone it generally doesnt come back until something triggers it. If memory serves me it is a protozoa which is always present, and a healthy corals immune system prevents it from going out of control. So I would look for a reason why it keeps coming back. Possibly low flow, poor water quality, lack of coral feeding. The only time Ive experinced the is on goniopora, and alveopora, the corals werent removed from the display and it didnt spread to any others. That was a couple years ago and I havent seen it since.

 

[graveyardworm]

Here is what Eric Borneman says in Aquarium Corals

Brown jelly or protozoan infections are commonly seen by aquarists, notably in certain large polyped corals such as Galaxea, Euphyllia, Cataphyllia, Xenia, and others. The infection is often initiated by tissue trauma or accidental damage to the coral specimen. At such times, opportunistic protozoans(e.g.,Helicostoma sp.)and a host of other organisms begin to digest the injured tissue. Ectoenzymes and further digestion of the tissue by the feeding organisms perpetuate the infection umtil the coral tissue is consumed.

Higher temperatures and poor water quality are the most important contributors to an increased liklihood of brown jelly infections

To treat an afflicted specimen, as much of the digested (jelly) should be siphoned or brushed off the unhealthy coral as possible. Ideally, this should occur outside the main tank. The mix of dead tissue and microorganisms should be considered a contagious agent, as the jelly can initiate infections in nearby corals. nce cleansed of excess slough, the coral can be given a freshwater dip for several minutes to kill many of the microorganisms present. An antibiotic paste on theinfected areas or a Lugols dip may also be advised as alternative or additional treatments. It is best to use the least stressful methods first and see if the result is satisfactory. Excessive treatment or stress may cause a coral to become susceptible to other infection, or may result in bleaching or loss of the entire coral. If it appears that none of the above methods are halting the progress of the infection, the coral should be cut, snipped, ar cleaved slightly ahead of the progressing jelly and the healthy piece or pieces placed in a quarantine tank. In some cases the coral will be able to heal in such an environment.

 

[RhodeIslandReef]

I just lost a small frogspawn to the jelly. Couldn't see how I was going to be able to save it since it only had one branch.

Higher temperatures and poor water quality are the most important contributors to an increased liklihood of brown jelly infections

I can understand if it were the high temperatures that are contributing to the problem. Tank has been a little hot lately. Not poor water quality however. All parameters are monitored regularly in the tank and kept as perfect as possible.

 

[ariel47]

as soon as I see brown jelly on my corals I use TECH-D by kent. This isa coral dip that works good on brown jelly disease.

 

[xtrm suv]

i have used tech-d and it works like a charm.. hope you can save it...

 

[RhodeIslandReef]

It would be well worth a try. This has to be the most problematic thing that I have dealt with while having a reef tank.

I will try to post some feedback on tech-d and some before and after pics when I get some. Ofcourse I will have to wait till the brown jelly appears on something else. Which I'm pretty sure will just be a matter of time.