Help with Bare Branch

Patrick Cox

Patrick Cox

Active member
I have this one branching sps in my mixed reef tank and it has been growing well but now the main growth branch is turning bare. It used to have more tentacles than it has now. What would cause this? I don't dose and I change water every other week. This is a 57G tank and I change about 4-5G when I change. I use Reefer salt mix and RODI water. I have recently been battling flatworms and have used a lot of the Flatworm Exit so I am wondering if this may be part of the problem. (I have changed more while using the treatment.) Other thought is not enough calcium but the rest of my tank is mainly LPS so I don't think I am consuming that much Calcium.

Thanks for your input.

Pat

i-zKHc5Vh-L.jpg
 
There is really something wrong going on. Even the monti cap in the back looks like it is not to happy to me. Need more info about the tank, lighting, filtration, flow and water parameters. You said you do not dose, when keeping sps dosing will become a must to keep ca, alk and mag in check. That is not a acro BTW it is a milli and it is in really bad shape right now. It is STNing. you need to frag it and most of all fix what the issue(s) is.
 
I will test my water but I did recently lower my flow because I felt like it was more than my LPS corals wanted. So my LPS look great. Maybe not enough flow? I have a Mag9 running at about 75% and then a small 450GPH pump. Again, 57G tank. Here is a larger picture.

Thanks,
Pat

i-3nThPsD-L.jpg
 
OK, here is some more data...

CA-375
MG-1260
PH-7.8-8.0 (I have a hard time reading this test.)
Salinity-1.0245 (I am normally closer to 1.0255. I think my top off level was low and added some fresh water after water change.)

Thanks for your suggestions.

Pat
 
I would check also to see if it is aefw due to the area affected! And be careful when treating whole system! Good luck and hope all turns around for u! Chef
 
Millepora is Acropora. Hence Acropora Millepora.

Is there any flesh at all left on that branch? It is hard to tell by the picture. It dosent look like you have enough flow for it. Did that branch grow like that in your tank, reaching towards the power head?

Pull it out and dip it in some some type of coral dip. It may have some type of parasite.

Fragging it may slow the STN down but if the cause is still there it will keep dying. It is unusual to see a mille with no PE at all IME.

You have a hard time reading your PH because you are probably using a a cheap ph kit. Everyone has a hard time reading those. Something digital that has been calibrated correctly will give you and accurate reading.

Calcium and Magnesium could come up a little bit but they are not low enough to cause major problems. Alkalinity is more important anyway. Stability!

Also what type of lighting do you have.
 
What is your alkalinity? It looks like STN to me. The base of the Acro (prostrata in my opinion) looks like it's been through a bout with STN and some point and healed. Your Ph is a bit low too which is related to your alkalinity.
As for the test being difficult to read... I suggest you find one you are comfortable with. Testing is critical to our tanks and being off by even just a couple of points can result in a potential problem.
 
I would not worry about PH so much as alk. Keep alk at around 8-11 dkh and ph will fall into place. My Ph probe is now at 7.46 with lights off and 8.1ish lights on, even with kalk ATO. I have fast growing and colorful sps. I chased a higher PH for a while but got no where without increasing alk over 12 and even then Ph would still drop back down. A low PH can be from many things, to much CO2 and biological processes are the biggest factors, but has no effect on the corals of fish. If PH gets really low than there is an alk issue because without a good alk level a high PH is just not possible and thats chemistry. The key is to keep things as stable as possible and in the acceptable range Ca 400-450 Alk 8-10 Mag 1300-1350 SG 1.025-1.026. Another factor for your tank is you have a lot of LPS in the tank. 2 things with that 1 is that SPS need and like a lot higher flow than you have LPS dont 2 all those large LPS will be having chemical warfare with the sps and each other. Running carbon will help but you will be chasing your tail with a LPS dominated reef and trying to keep a few SPS.
 
Felixc395 said:
Flatworms? By that do you mean aefw? Because everything else in the tank looks great!
Click to expand...

Hi,
I don't think so but I am not certain. At one point I didn't know what I had and let them get to infestation proportions. I then posted a pictures and was told I have flatworms. Here is a picture from a couple of months ago. I now have a lot less after treating with Flatworm Exit but I still can't get rid of them so I am treating every other week or so. If I wasn't treating my tank would look like this again in a month or so.

i-nwpkc9g-L.jpg
 
gon08 said:
What is your alkalinity? It looks like STN to me. The base of the Acro (prostrata in my opinion) looks like it's been through a bout with STN and some point and healed. Your Ph is a bit low too which is related to your alkalinity.
As for the test being difficult to read... I suggest you find one you are comfortable with. Testing is critical to our tanks and being off by even just a couple of points can result in a potential problem.
Click to expand...

Looks like we found at least part of the problem. the Alk is 5.6. What's best way to raise alk? Also, what is STN? Also, I have noticed that my coraline is not growing as well as it was.

Thanks!
 
allsps40 said:
I would not worry about PH so much as alk. Keep alk at around 8-11 dkh and ph will fall into place. My Ph probe is now at 7.46 with lights off and 8.1ish lights on, even with kalk ATO. I have fast growing and colorful sps. I chased a higher PH for a while but got no where without increasing alk over 12 and even then Ph would still drop back down. A low PH can be from many things, to much CO2 and biological processes are the biggest factors, but has no effect on the corals of fish. If PH gets really low than there is an alk issue because without a good alk level a high PH is just not possible and thats chemistry. The key is to keep things as stable as possible and in the acceptable range Ca 400-450 Alk 8-10 Mag 1300-1350 SG 1.025-1.026. Another factor for your tank is you have a lot of LPS in the tank. 2 things with that 1 is that SPS need and like a lot higher flow than you have LPS dont 2 all those large LPS will be having chemical warfare with the sps and each other. Running carbon will help but you will be chasing your tail with a LPS dominated reef and trying to keep a few SPS.
Click to expand...

Thanks for your comments. I started off with LPS because I thought they were easier to keep and that I would not have to start dosing. This is my first salt water aquarium. I then added a couple of SPS for the mixed reef look. Am I better off with only SPS or only LPS?

Thanks!
 
I use a 2 part for my calcium and alkalinity. It's the easiest way to raise and maintain both calcium and alkalinity. Go slow till you get to 8-10 then it is important to keep it as stable as possible. STN is Slow Tissue Necrosis, it can occur when there instability in alkalinity.

The flatworms you have are planaria they are difficult to get rid of but they are not the ones doing any damage. The spotted mandarin and the velvet nudibranch (Chelidonura varians) will eat them.
 
I use 2 part as well to keep my alk and calc in check, and those flat worms are easy to get rid of just get some flatworm exit. (the red planaria, not the aefw)
 
MammothReefer said:
I use 2 part as well to keep my alk and calc in check, and those flat worms are easy to get rid of just get some flatworm exit. (the red planaria, not the aefw)
Click to expand...

Thanks. Where do I get "2 part?" Also, I am certainly able to kill all visible flatworms with a couple of treatments but then there must be some in hiding that survive the treatment because they continue to reappear. :(
 
Patrick Cox said:
Thanks. Where do I get "2 part?" Also, I am certainly able to kill all visible flatworms with a couple of treatments but then there must be some in hiding that survive the treatment because they continue to reappear. :(
Click to expand...

If you hurry Bulk reef supply still has it on sale for cyber monday just get the starter kit.
 
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