homer1475's Biocube 29 Build Thread

The entire thing was nice and healthy when I got it, brown all the way around with little green polyps(totally not an SPS guy and have done very little research on them, so I really have no clue). It only started bleaching/loosing flesh when I threw it in my tank. Figured it was the lighting causing it to bleach. Would the lack of light also cause it to bleach out?

I'm not that interested in the coral as a whole(SPS's just don't get me the way LPS's do), but definitely don't want it to die. And who knows, if this one does good and I get it to recover, maybe they'll be more SPS's in my future? I do like that starwberry shortcake I saw in your thread. :D
 
strawberry shortcake and a good bonsai are on my list as I love the coloring. Very few SPS are able to make my list but those two have.

From a money standpoint SPS is easier to sell off too if you can get a colorful piece to mature and grow. Might be offset with the alrger investment in testing, clean water, and suppliments though so who knows...
 
Ugh my SSC looks miserable, but I'm glad you like it. When it colors up fully, then we can agree :)

They don't usually bleach from too little light. They will turn brown first (brown = more zooxanthelle = they need more light or have too much nutrients). But brown is a good thing, it means it's doing okay. Brown > white. White = dying, and white gives way to yellow/green as algae moves in and invades the skeleton. They can recover though and grow out/away from the algae.

Yea, play around with this one, see what you can get it to do. It doesn't look like a run of the mill acro, so who knows, it could turn out awesome. Usually people start with a green slimer or a millepora which are usually easier to take care of, as far as acros go, but montiporas are even easier (and some are just as if not more colorful than acros).

SPS are easier to frag and sell generally speaking. For me they're easy too because I can chase my numbers to 0 and that's where they'll do well. I think that's why I have a harder time with LPS, because my default is to chase a clean tank, minimal inputs, maximum outputs. Maybe one day I'll have a few tanks where I can learn different ideals. We'll see.
 
Let me get a few more pics of it, maybe you can help me out with it. One whole side is bleached and dead, and I can start to see where some algae maybe starting to grow on it.

I currently have it on my frag rack which is on the side of my tank with very little light, but up quite high. Should I move it to my sandbed, maybe under the ledge in direct flow?
 
I would move it to moderate light moderate flow (so maybe bottom 1/3 of tank, though with LEDs, that's one of the frustrations I'm dealing with is mentally mapping out how the light is actually hitting everything and intensities). As long as your other parameters are good, it should start recovering nicely. If it continues tissue recession (STN/Slow Tissue Necrosis) then might want to look at other parameters, but within 2-3 days it should start healing back up again, and if your calcium and alkalinity are good, it should start growing within a week or two.
 
parameters are right in check...

Ammonia - 0
Nitrites - o
Nitrates - 6ppm Little high I know, buts way down from over 100ppm 3 weeks ago!
Phosphates - .02ppm
Alk - 9.2
CA - 420
Mag - 1320
Temp 77-77.5 Never fluctuates past this with the apex!

I moved it to my sandbed under moderate flow and low light for now. I honestly think it may be a goner, but I'll post some pics I just took over it. let me know what you think.

On the frag rack where it originally was put and started this slow bleaching/flesh dying.


Dead End where it broke off, and possibly some algae starting on it. Has a dark dusty look at the very tip.


What I think is still a good side. Still brown, and has some very faint green spots that flouresce(sp?) under blues. I have never seen any polyp extension, although I'm not sure what it would look like if it did. Only the small fluorescent green spots.


On my sandbed under moderate flow and lowish lighting.
 
Yeah they may have just given you a "dying whatever" coral as a freebie :p

It could most certainly still pull through. Moderate flow and light. Your parameters sound good. I think it's probably incorrect, but I'm mentally formulating something about seeing coral health through any florescence, i.e. the healthier a coral is the more it's available florescent pigments show up, vs when they aren't healthy the first thing to go is florescence. Dunno, but you can test it out and watch the florescence of this coral as it recovers (or doesn't).

also, polyp extension doesn't matter as much as people make it sound.
 
ReefWreak said:
Yeah they may have just given you a "dying whatever" coral as a freebie :p

It could most certainly still pull through. Moderate flow and light. Your parameters sound good. I think it's probably incorrect, but I'm mentally formulating something about seeing coral health through any florescence, i.e. the healthier a coral is the more it's available florescent pigments show up, vs when they aren't healthy the first thing to go is florescence. Dunno, but you can test it out and watch the florescence of this coral as it recovers (or doesn't).

also, polyp extension doesn't matter as much as people make it sound.
Click to expand...

I agree with wreak. I've had corals come back from the brink of total RTN. With the right params and a little luck, that frag might pull through.
 
I can now see some algae really starting to take hold on the white side of the frag. The other side still has life and this morning it had some polyp extension. I'm going to leave it be for now, but I'm not to hopeful.

OK I have to ask, *** is RTN, and forget what the other ?TN is? I've seen it a few times browsing the SPS section, but still have no clue what they stand for. I know it obviously means declining health for an SPS, but I would like to know what it actually stands for?
 
Just a little update and a question......

Seems like that little acro frag is healing, I can see the brown coloring slowly starting to comeback which actually makes me happy.

Now onto my question, I did post this in the fish disease section, but we all know how deadsville that is. So I thought I might get a better response here.

My flame angel has developed what looks to be bare spots on either side of his head just above and behind his eyes, like actual flesh missing with holes? Looking this morning his entire head above his eyes is starting to turn a slight blackish color? When he was in QT these same spots where whiteish in nature and didn't think much of it. You guys should all know my acclimation procedure if you have followed my thread at all. I TTM and 4 to 6 weeks of QT with 2 rounds of prazipro, and the dottyback that was with him is fine. He eats, swims and get along with his tankmates fine, so I'm at a loss on this one. I did manage to get one pic where you can faintly see the missing flesh.



Any ideas? Or am I just being over nervous for no reason?
 
Homer what are you feeding? That damage is indicative of hole in head which has various causes with one of the most prominent being improper diet.

I had it a couple times in freshwater with my oscars since they were nto getting enough protein. Actually had to google hole in head for saltwater and some of the first pics I saw were of flame angels so it must be fairly common like with oscars.
 
Definitely thinking its HLLE. I feed seachem Nutri diet flakes(mostly), nori strips, mysis, LRS reef frenzy, and NLS pellets. Don't think its a nutrition problem.

I have read carbon could be causing it to. Going to stop carbon for a while and see what happens. I'm thinking with the carbon in the reactor it's to effective and stripping my water to much.
 
Does it look like head and lateral line disease? HLLE? This is a good article on it

Usually it's from malnutrition, but your angel looks healthy. Is this disease getting worse? It could have been from before and it's progression stopped now that he's in your tank and healthy. I'm curious to see what else you get on this.
 
both are conjecture though I do know with my oscars it was diet.

I would think if it were carbon more people would have the issue to nail it down given the amount of carbon most of us run...
 
ReefWreak said:
Does it look like head and lateral line disease? HLLE? This is a good article on it

Usually it's from malnutrition, but your angel looks healthy. Is this disease getting worse? It could have been from before and it's progression stopped now that he's in your tank and healthy. I'm curious to see what else you get on this.
Click to expand...

I think its actually getting worse. When I first got him he had some small white spots where the flesh is now missing. It seems to be progressing into actual holes now. It's certainly not fatal or transferable from what I've been reading, just unsightly. I'll keep an eye on it for a while to see if its healing or progressing(do fish actually get scabs? the brownish tint makes it look like its getting scabbed over.)

I am going to stop carbon for now, and just run GFO in the reactor, and not change diet any. If it doesn't seem to be getting any better, I'll look into changing his diet.
 
Just read an article by snorvich, diet and aggressively using activated carbon are the 2 main causes. Which is whats leading me to believe the carbon in the reactor could have caused it to get worse into the actual holes now.
 
Yea, the NLS and LRS should provide all of the supplemental food it needs. I think you'll just have to wait and see unfortunately. It might have been infections before or something , and when they cleared up, all that was left were the holes they were in but no more infection (or pest/disease/whatever) that made the holes. As long as he's eating and fat and happy....
 
Good luck. HLLE might not be directly fatal (and I question that) but it opens them up for other diseases, infections, and issues.

While turning off carbon isn't going to be a bad thing I put it at one of the lowest instances of issues considering how much we all use. You are good with your water changes so trace elements should not be stripped that fast even with heavy carbon loads.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

AZBigJohn
New Build... I'm back
Replies
6
Views
193
griss
griss
griss
15 Gallon Fuge Build
2 3
Replies
54
Views
853
griss
griss
OrdinaryGirl
My 13.5 build - a wee reefie
Replies
15
Views
775
OrdinaryGirl
OrdinaryGirl
U
New build
Replies
3
Views
97
griss
griss
Reefing102
32 Biocube Set Up
Replies
0
Views
30
Reefing102
Reefing102
Back
Top