monti cap not doing well

[shyland83]

i came home from work today and in one small spot one of my monti cap frags seemed to be missing it's flesh, there was a small white spot. i think the spots gotten bigger, it seems like the skin is just peeling off. anyone know whats wrong with it. pics not so good.

 

[teen]

whats your tank like? flow, lighting, parameters, and where is this cap placed in your tank? near any other corals?

 

[Justjoe]

Can't tell from the pic but is that cyano on the rock around the cap? If so, it could be a phosphate problem which can cause tissue loss/ separation.

 

[shyland83]

120g tank, 2 hydor koralia 4's. not near any other corals. 2- 250w halide 10k's. coral is placed around mid height in the tank. I'm adding a tunze wavebox this week, it's on it's way.

 

[shyland83]

no it's just a really bad pic, i don't think it's cyano. I've never tested my phosphate, i have to try to remember to bring a sample to a meeting one of these days. But i am running a phosban reactor and don't have any serious algae issues.

 

[chemisfun11]

Looks like red slime (cyano) to me too. Possibly not enough flow and if detritus sits on a spot you could get tissue loss. Only other experience was when I had fragments of other coral fall on the monti and I experienced some tissue loss as well. HTH

 

[teen]

any nitrates? whats your alk at?

 

[shyland83]

nitrates = 0
Alk = 8

 

[Spracklcat]

Scott, I think if I'm reading your pic right, that the red everyone is talking about as cyano is at the top? Is that even on the monti?

Either way the white spot you are talking about is below it, right? If so, I have seen this happen with my monti's as well. No idea what from, but you may want to consider fragging the monti, taking some good, completely untouched beautiful pieces off that frag and moving them elsewhere. The reason I say this is that when I had similar things happen, the denuded area grows fast, and will consume the coral in no time. If you get some clean frags off they may survive.

If the spot doesn't grow, then it could be just a local burn, chemical or heat or otherwise, and will just exist as a tissue-less area. You'd just need to keep it clean. (I am ashamed to admit I got a burned monti once from not having superglue and trying to use hot glue....duh)

 

[shyland83]

yeah the red isn't on the monti. It's just coralline on the rock, just a real bad pic, the lights were out. I will try to frag it, but it's not that big. thanks for the advice.

 

[teen]

if the tissue loss has stopped, i would just let it be. if it continues, then frag it.

 

[shyland83]

Yeah id def didn't stop, just got home and it was worse. the frag is only maybe an inch and a half across so i don't think i got a decent enough frag for it to survive. but we'll see what happens. i was mostly worried that it was an issue that might effect my other corals, but everything else seems fine as of now.

 

[teen]

do you know what type of lighting it was under prior to being in your tank? did you light acclimate?

 

[shyland83]

I was under VHO, but it's been in my tank for months.

 

[Spracklcat]

Sorry Scott--I have no idea what it is, but when it's progressive like that (and man does it move fast) the only thing i've been able to do is rescue some good coral and watch the original fade out. I haven't had it move to other corals, but I don't keep any other SPS.