Help with Purple Tort

R

rwessels

New member
I got this bad boy from Ed almost 2 weeks ago. It appeared to be doing fine, but now I have a problem. I wouldn't think much of it but the same thing happened to 2 very small frags (1/8 inch) and a small frag (3/4 inch) a few weeks ago. It started with what the pictures kind of show. The top of the frag has threads very simliar to those of when it is originally fragged - obviously irritated. Then the tops starts turning brown. The affected areas have no polyp extension. On the other frags, eventually they STN'd over a few weeks. I will run a full set of water tests after I get home from work today, but in the meantime I was hoping someone might know what is wrong and how I can fix it. If I can't figure out the problem, is there anyone on the North Side that can babysit this guy in their tank for awhile until I can get things straight? I run a phosbane reactor and only add calcium/alk/mag. I did treat with Chemi-clean about 6 weeks ago but did the suggested water change. Help!!!

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well im not sure what is wrong with your but bythe time i got back home from eds mine was all brown and now it is just starting to get that nice blue back hope you figure out the problem sorry im not more help
 
Man that looks like its very stressed !Where is it located? I have half a dozen or so torts and they range from the bottom to the top ........ IMO torts are hardy but that needs some tlc . Maybe move it down from the light a bit and let it darken up . I would also take your phosban off line for a bit or reduce the flow down to 10g a min .

Rljiii- That had to be one stressful ride for the tort the one I got at the auction was out of a tank from the time ED left SV until about 8 pm that night as I forgot about it . It never lost color . I suspect your tank is nutrient rich or unstable ..........
 
If you really think I need to move it down I will, but understand that my lights are only 150w halides. It was also fine until 1-2 days ago. The fact that 3 other much smaller frags in completely different locations died makes me think that location is not the problem. I have had 2 other very small SPS frags die (out of over 60 frags) in the last 2-3 months, but they could have died from the shock of rearranging the entire tank a few months ago.
 
What are your water params? Are you also using carbon ? It is tissue loss from what I can see.
 
Is the aiptasia behind the tort stinging it? Cant really tell in the pic.

If you lost 3 other pieces, and all of them are newly introduced, I would take a long hard look at water params/possible pollutants. It is possible that your current corals have adapted to an abnormal parameter and the new corals cannot.
 
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Re: Help with Purple Tort

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7218820#post7218820 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by rwessels
I wouldn't think much of it but the same thing happened to 2 very small frags (1/8 inch) and a small frag (3/4 inch) a few weeks ago. It started with what the pictures kind of show. The top of the frag has threads very simliar to those of when it is originally fragged - obviously irritated. Then the tops starts turning brown. The affected areas have no polyp extension. On the other frags, eventually they STN'd over a few weeks.
Click to expand...
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7224750#post7224750 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by rljlll
yeah the tort was in a five gallon bucket the whole ride up and got knocked around quite a bit
Click to expand...

For what it is worth, the tort from Ed is very hardy. I got a frag from him awhile back and travelled from Sierra Vista, leaving there at 830am to Phoenix, flew from PHX to Moline, IL getting in at 1045pm, finished acclimation at 3am the next day and it had perfect color only a few days later. During the trip it was subjected to cold temps due to a leaky ziploc bag and a failed heat pack. Of the frags it got its color back the quickest and is showing the most growth since.
 
wow mine was a little cold for about an hour or so they temp was about 76 and my tank is 79-80 most of the time so that could have been the shock it is coloring up nice though just the tips use to be blue and now about half way down the branch is bluing up
 
Alk is 2.5 meg/l, Nitrates are 0. I still have to test for Amonia, but I would think there would be problems with the other corals if that was the case. The other purple torts that died were established fine for several months. Since I haven't changed my carbon in over a month, I put a large amount in 2 days ago. That doesn't seem to help much. I just can't for the life of me figure out why this guy is stressed and dying. I have been having a bit of an Aptasia problem, but Joe Juice to the rescue and none are even close to the tort.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7229774#post7229774 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by rwessels
Alk is 2.5 meg/l, Nitrates are 0. I still have to test for Amonia, but I would think there would be problems with the other corals if that was the case. The other purple torts that died were established fine for several months. Since I haven't changed my carbon in over a month, I put a large amount in 2 days ago. That doesn't seem to help much. I just can't for the life of me figure out why this guy is stressed and dying. I have been having a bit of an Aptasia problem, but Joe Juice to the rescue and none are even close to the tort.
Click to expand...

If you are running carbon and a good skimmer, then pollutants should be a limited possibility, but definitly worth looking at...

Alk at 2.5 is very low for all but the hardiest SPS species.... It should be closer to 3 at a minimum. What's your PH? if PH is below 8.3 with 2.5 meq alk, then your system could be too anoxic. Your tort might be suffocating. Wild torts come from areas that are super saturated with oxygen due to very high hydroxide (alk) concentrations

I'd increase flow and crank up the skimmer to improve gas exchange and get more dissolved oxygen into the system, and do a 50 gallon water change, and start steadily buffering that alk up to 3.0 (3.5 to 4.0 would be better), and do it moderatley, like over a two week period. If you can start a kalk drip, that would be even better because you can start getting the required Hydroxide molecules you need into the system much faster than you can by relying on a carbonate buffer and natural chemistry....

Do you have a calcium test kit? As you buffer up your alk, your calcium will drop, so you will need to keep both in balance.
 
I will disagree with the alk being to low...........I have kept my tank in the 7-8 range for 6months+ now with no problems again I have lots of torts.

BTW my prop tank sits at 7 dkh all the time .
 
I don't want to get into a debate on Alk, however I had never never let my tank go below 9 dKH roughly 3.2 meq/L. Usually kept it at 10.5 dKH. I am going to have to agree with Robert on this one, bring it up slowly Randy. If you make the adjustment with your reactor your Ca will follow.

Ed
 
BTW I have 3 torts from your stock and they all do great at 7-8 dkh .............

I am not debating but am saying the alk is NOT the cause.

If you want proof bring it to me and it will recover.............
 
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