Frag Problems

[ccube]

I keep having these show up in most of my sps frags. I cannot figure out how to get rid of them.

Any Ideas?

 

[mcoomer]

Don't stick your fingers in the tank and they won't show up in your pics. What's the problem? If you really want to get rid of them you could just lop them off but that seems a bit extreme.

Assuming that your fingers aren't the issue is it possible you've got your frags too close the lights and the tips are bleaching? What are your water parameters?

Mike

 

[john90009]

thats alot of red planets- You dosing potassium i heard if you overdose it tends to burn the new growth tips off.

 

[chuckreef]

Try dipping a few and checking for the small grey/black parasitic copepods that live/eat inside the polyps.
They are tiny, smaller than red bugs and very difficult to see.

 

[SPSEMPIRE]

Don't stick your fingers in the tank and they won't show up in your pics.

LMAO.

That's some rapid looking growth. Where is your alk level at?

 

[ccube]

Try dipping a few and checking for the small grey/black parasitic copepods that live/eat inside the polyps.
They are tiny, smaller than red bugs and very difficult to see.

I tried dipping the corals on several different occasions, and i dont see any copepods leaving the holes in the coral.

This seems to be the closest thing that i can think of. The areas where there used to be polyps now have holes that have been burrowed in them.

 

[ccube]

I just tested water parameters and all checked out fine. I would almost count water quality out, as the issue has been happening for as long as i can remember.

Params :

Calcium - 450
Magnesium - 1350
Alkalinity - 9.6
Nitrates and Phosphates are undetectable.
Water changes are done 30% weekly with natural, ozone injected, sea water.

I think it is a parasite, just not sure what it could be other than copepods.

 

[chuckreef]

A parasite or polyp bailout seem like the likely explanations.
If chemistry and phsical env. (flow, temp, & lights) are fine, then
I would suspect a parasite.
Could there be some sort of nocturnal worm, or crab type thing going on?
Can you really really dip five or six frags and move/ isolate them in a small holding tank to see if it stops on those pieces?

 

[ccube]

Yes i can do that. I don't know why i never questioned the weird formations, but they have slowly spread across a good majority of my 6mo+ frags. Most of my newest additions have shown no problems.