Help with diagnosis...

[SDguy]

After the tank move/upgrade, my red table turned "muddy" and the flesh had that "tight" look to it, with no PE. You all know it, the "I'm about to RTN and there is nothing you can do about it" look Well, I got my water back up to par pretty quickly after the move, and even got around to changing my two year old bulbs The coral gets a tiny amount of PE at this point, but no change in color, and certainly no growth. It's been since Oct/Nov of last year. The acros next to it are fine. Any ideas?

Before:

After:

 

[29reef]

That guy has really been suffering. The best you can do is first take a frag and keep it somewhere else if your really attached to the coral. As for a "treatment" I suggest you try moving the coral to an area of high flow and medium light. Water movement is very important for the coral in this state because it has to start growing and we all know a happy coral is a growing coral. You might also want to try cutting or trimming some of the growth areas like the tips and the base to stimulate growth. Sometimes this works. My last suggestion is to do a RB treatment with inteceptor. Sometimes RB can do a great job of hiding and if you've been adding corals to your tank that haven't been QT or dipped it's very possible RB have snuck in. Just a few ideas to try. There's always the just leave it and see aproach. GL

 

[superdragon]

+1 on fragging a backup
If you think it's light shock I would try lower light. If you think it's something in the water I would run carbon. If you think the bacteria population is not up to par since the move I would hold off on vodka dosing for awhile.
My red planet didn't handle light shock as well as others when I changed my bulbs. Also, it's one of the most sensitive corals to parameters in my tank, overall a fast grower for me.
HTH.

 

[SDguy]

Errr, I've had horrible luck "saving" acros by fragging. To me it's like operating on an already sick patient... in a mud puddle.

I'm going to clear away more of the OT next to it...give it a little more breathing room. Flow is definitely not a problem in that area, but I think not having another acro almost touching it could only help.

 

[dots]

Sorry I don't know the details of the move....from what tank to what tank? and positions?

It looks stunted to me, I had a few pieces do this and they just sat there didn't really grow/but didn't die.....just hung around. A drastic bulb change and tank switch a roo could do this and it will be some time before it reaclimates to the lighting conditions.....

I fed more (rotifers had the biggest result) and changed more water more frequently, and in time they pulled through.

Its upset for sure......is moving it a possibility?

Is that recession as well below the Oregon? What is that?

 

[rigleautomotive]

cutting some of the tips could spark some new growth.it i have a coral do this i usually cut the tips off a good portion of the colony.the cut areas quickly grow new tips that are active growth tips and not stunted stressed old growth

 

[dots]

Yeah that is interesting to see...its like the new growth will take off and the older will lay dormant.....if alk/ca/mg are optimal for deposition, it could possibly help to "jumpstart" the thing....as this is said to trigger a growth spurt...as if it was broke in a storm surge.....

clipping a few tips may be less obtrusive than fragging the thing....and would be hesitant to break up the family until had to myself.

I had a milli that just sat there for like two years.....then one day started growing, when I changed as I said before.....yo no se

 

[SDguy]

Those are interesting thoughts, thank you! I have seen that before.... "stunted" main body, but new growth looking "normal"

The white area below is an invasive tricolor I killed with kalk... nothing to do with the time line of the red table issue.

I will try clipping a few tips to see what happens...

 

[dots]

:thumbsup:

 

[SDguy]

Woohoo! We have growth tips in some areas, and PE!! I did shift the rock it is on slightly, to put it directly under the MH. Also, I did trim a few back branch tips while cutting away some oregon tort to give the table more "breathing" room.

 

[rigleautomotive]

sweet,Did you cut the dormant coral and if so do you think that is what started it growing.Once you get a few new growth tips starting you are over the hump and its all down hill

 

[CleveYank]

Agreed with the move plus light = stressors.

Agree tiny snip on 2 to 3 tips to kick start it.

I've cut so little of the tips it was more of a really deep scrape that was just enough to get things growing again.

As far as the adjacent corals, I'd just trim them back so they are not touching and or streamer proof and leave it at that. On the murphy's law side of things if you move the corals around that coral and it dies then you have an empty spot. I'd just trim the close neighbors back.

 

[SDguy]

The growth tips are not the areas that got accidentally brushed by the dremel when cutting the OT, so I'm not sure those two things are related. But it is also true that those growth tips are on the opposite side of the cut tips, so it will be interesting to see if the cut tips start growing before the rest of the tips in the middle of the colony.

I think the slight move into direct strong light and flow might have helped too... also, just time I think, after the move....

 

[SDguy]

You guys were right The tips I cut are showing growth!

 

[saltygeek]

Is the rest of the coral improving or just new growth? Great news though!

 

[SDguy]

I'll have to take a pic tonight...easier than trying to describe

 

[rigleautomotive]

You guys were right The tips I cut are showing growth!

This is the 5th time i can it has kick started new growth that i know of.I have noticed this at least 4 times on my own corals and now with you so I am quite convinced this is the way to go when a frag goes dormant and does not grow a bit for a long period of time.I had a mille that didnt grow a milimeter for a year then I cut all the old tips from it.It is now a 10 inch table after less then a year.If i left it alone I am sure it would still be a frag clinging to life.

 

[SDguy]

From tonight:

 

[Desertdweller]

Wow looking good already.

 

[SDguy]

The pic doesn't show it too well, but the light colored growth tips are actually very significant!