LPS flesh coming of skeleton

[kinerson]

It started with my open brain coral shortly after I plummbed a new section of my recirculating system to include a grow out tank. I noticed the flesh was begining to pull off the outer egde of the skeloton. I guessed it was caused by the PVC glue used in the added plumbing. That was about 6 weeks ago. Since then it has continued to peal off the skeleton and now MOST ofl the other LPS are showing signs of the same.

Any thoughts or ideas? I've been changing about 10%-15% of water (RODI) a week. My parameters are all good. I still think it was triggered with the added plumbing/system. Thats when it all started. I guess I'm surprised that after 6-8 weeks the other LPS are begining to show signs as well.

Greg

 

[Opcn]

is the current too strong?

 

[kinerson]

I don't think so because it's starting to happen on all LPS located in different area's of tank. Also brain was doing really good for about a year and then suddenly...
Greg

 

[Amphiprion]

Have you tried adding carbon and doing larger water changes (~50% or more)?

 

[RandyO]

What's the temperature of the tank right now. I've also seen this happen widespread to LPS in a tank. One of the tanks I care for is having this same problem right now. Two Cynarina peeled off their skeleton at the same time. One was in captivity for 2 years, the other for 6 months. He has also been slowly loosing heads of his Euphyllia in the tank. They also peel off. The Cynarina are still alive, but just free floating around the tank. The Euphyllia are usually not found whole.

This tank also has heavy amounts of soft corals in it. Many mushrooms, a large colony of Capnella, Colt soft coral, green Nepthyea, Star polyps, and others. It's a 120 with a G-3 skimmer, 25 watt UV, I use a 100 micron bag in the sump, use Poly filter pads, and use carbon, it's still having problems. I only do 10% monthly water changes, and I probably could change the carbon out a little more often then every other month.

I told him he should probably go with what works. The softies and anemones have been doing so well, that he should stick with those.

I could not keep LPS in one of my earlier reefs. I have a huge Sinularia flexibilis (rasta leather) and any LPS wouldn't last more than 6 months.

Maybe you have a dominant soft coral than needs to be removed.

Not sure the glue is your source of problem. I plumbed my home tank and only waited a couple hours before turning the pumps back on.

 

[kinerson]

The entire system including growout tank is over 300gal. 40 gal water changes is all I can handle with ease. I have not been running any carbon so I'll fill my phosban reactor with some and plug it in. Good idea!


Display is a 150gal
Lighting is 2-150w hallides 1400k coralvue and 2-180w uri vho actinics
The LPS corals are all placed on the sand bottom.
Water flow is created with 1 seio water pump rated for 1500gpa and 2 return lines coming from sump (about 350gph each)

alk 2.75 meq/l (lower then i thought)
ca 370
ph 8.4
temp 79
phosphate and nitrate undetectable

My skimmer has been running a little harder then normal. A very large mexican turbo snail died about a week ago which did not get removed for about 5 day's. The receding flesh from the other lps corals was noticed around this same time.

I also have a refugium built into part of my growout tank that I added 6-8 weeks ago which helps alot in keeping nitrate and phosphate low.


Greg

 

[kinerson]

Randyo-
your experience is very interesting, thanks for sharing. It sounds very similar. Ihave not added any new corals (softies) for a year other then a small xenia in the grow out tank.

Greg

 

[Opcn]

I don't think the glue is the problem either, the volatile solvents would be gone long before you even got around to a water change. If not the current then Soft coral chemical warfare is a prominent culprit in my eye.

 

[RandyO]

I would say the carbon was the source of your problem. It may be too late to save some of the LPS. Once they start peeling like that, it's really hard to stop them.

A friend of mine had a chunk of Echinophyllia that was peeling off the skeleton. It was only attached at the corners. All the flesh in the middle of the coral was floating above the skeleton. He removed it out of his system and gave it to me. It looked horrible. There were holes in the flesh, and it looked like if I waved my hand over it, the flesh would rip right off the skeleton.

It was able to recover, and reattach to the skeleton. After 6 months, I gave it back. That was one of the only times I can think of where an LPS reattached to it's skeleton. Also, the loose flesh was covering the underlying skeleton, so it was protected for algae growth. I think once some algae starts growing on the exposed skeleton, it makes it really hard for the coral to grow back over it.

That's just my experience. Hopefully, your corals pull around. But if there is one in perticlular that you would hate to lose, you might want to put it in a different system, with different water.

 

[kinerson]

Thanks guys