mass LPS recession/decline

drdavethedude

Premium Member
Hello!
I noticed there are quite a few threads recently about LPS tissue recession and I'm in the same boat!
I have about 20 corals in a 1.5 year old 120 gallon display: A few Euphyllias, Lobos, Favia, Favites, Trachy, Candy Cane and a couple Montiporas. All my corals seem to do well for several months, but then start to slowly recede. It affects many corals, but not all, as my Trachy and large Frogspawn seem to be doing well, while my Lobos and Candy cane are going down hill fast. So far in 1.5 years I've only lost one coral, a bubble, which slowly receded into nothing, but no doubt more are on their way! About half are affected to some degree, some more, some less.
Now, I contacted Bob Fenner from WetWebMedia seeking some advice, and he seems convinced my corals are "starving"! That's even after I explained that I spot feed all my LPS mysis once, sometimes twice weekly, every week...and they eat lots. Seems unbelievable to me as many people don't feed at all and have healthy reefs, no? Is it possible he's right, I mean he is an expert right, or is he out to lunch? There are old entries on "WetWebMeda" where Anthony Calfo advises feeding LPS corals 5 times a week! Does anyone feed their corals that often? Is it possible that's why many LPS corals get recession in our tanks?
Interested in others' comments and experiences.
Thanks,
Dave
 
Dave, I've had the same experience, had some of my LPS anywhere from 10-15 yrs.... several heads of Lobos, candycanes, frogspawn, & a few other assortment. I discovered I had hydroids & they were stinging my corals into extinction. :( I too fed my corals on a regular basis, water parameters all good, fish doing very well. We kept noticing these weird tiny tube-like "coral" looking things growing on the rocks here & there, some w/a little twisted body. They were hydroids! No known predator that I can find. It's been quite a battle. I've had to take a lot of rock out & just let die out then cycle it all over again. Although tempting, I'm not giving up yet! Anyway, hope you find the source of the demise... maybe look through your rocks & look around the fleshy part of the corals & see if you can see anything like I described... then again yours could very well be something else.
 
TJ, thanks for sharing your experience. I have looked for critters far and wide but haven't come up with much. I did notice some tiny white bugs resembling copepods on my receding torches. They might be parasitic, but then again other corals with no visible bugs recede as well...so I'm not sure how significant they are. Did you lose all your corals or only some? If some survived how do you avoid transferring the hydroids on the coral skeletons/bases back onto the recycled rock?
I admire your tenacity and dedication, good luck!
Dave
 
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