Rescue Corals

[MechEng99]

Um...to be honest..."do what I say, not as I do." I've been doing this so long, I can tell by looking at my coral what they need, so I don't test as often as I probably should.

This is what I shoot for:

Ammonia: 0
Nitrite: 0
Nitrate: 0
Phosphate: 0.03
pH: 8.2
Temp: 76*F
Alk: 10 dKH
Ca: 430
Mag: 1350

I think at some point I've broken about every "rule" for good reefkeeping. So, my advice is, get to know *YOUR* system.

Trachy's are one of the worst to rescue if you read back through this whole thread. The best thing I've found for them (in addition to the 3-part dip) is to have very stable parameters. If you don't have an ATO and a timer for your lights, I'd start there. Next, a controller is great to keep your temp on the dot. Good powerheads are important as well.

Trachy's also don't like growing over old tissue. It takes them FOREVER that way...and 4 months is on the short side of forever. If there's just a small piece of base it needs to cover, then wait it out. If it's a big chunk of old skeleton, then I would try to find someone with a band saw and cut the dead skeleton off. The trachy will fill back out quicker.

 

[Mhayes462]

Mecheng, do you know of anything that would wipe out lps slowly? My lps in my main tank are all receding or looking badly. I've lost about 5 trachy's, some acans, scolys, and my frogspawn and torches are retracted. This has been goin on for a little while now. I tried the 3 dip on some of the trachy's but not on all lps at once. I just can't figure out what is going on. I've done a 20g wc and all params are good. Any ideas?

 

[MechEng99]

All LPS slowly? Any signs of banding diseases? All the parasites I know for LPS wouldn't go after that diverse of a group. That sounds more like a water issue to me. I would have a LFS test your water to make sure you don't have a bad test kit. What did the parameters test at? Are you running carbon/GFO/biopellets? Are you dosing anything?

 

[Mhayes462]

Ok, it's a long story. But here goes. I used to use reef crystals and vodka dose and had great results. I really liked the look of biopellets and wanted to switch to that so I wouldn't have to dose everyday. So I started some with the intentions of getting off the vodka totally. But my phosphates would creep up when I tried stopping the vodka. When I switched to bp, I also started using Brightwell Neomarine salt for the lower alk. Never stopped dosing vodka even on the pellets. Then, my ph went down to consistently around 7.5-7.6. I honestly thought nothing of it because I thought it was a probe issue because that had happened before. Then after awhile, things didn't look so good so I got a hanna ph checker and sure enough, it was that low. The whole time ph was low, alk was fine, thats why I didnt give it a second thought. I stopped the bp, and went back to just vodka. I use vertex ROX carbon and started that while using bp too. I run it in a bag passively in my sump. To get ph stable again, I ran my skimmer line outside and started using kalk in my top off again. Now it's stable at 7.9-8.05. Still a lil low I think for kalk and fresh air. Calcium is 410, alk is 9.5, mag is 1350 all salifert. Nitrates 0, also salifert. Phosphates are 0-0.03 with a hanna checker. The funny thing is, everything I have that people say is sensitive has thrived. A clam, anemone, starfish. They all did well and I haven't lost a single fish either. I'm stumped, and I can't get it to stop. I also lost almost all my acros, but monti's and a couple other kinds of sps are doing great. Zoas are great, xenias are growing like weeds. Last week, I did a 20g wc. I don't know what else to do.

 

[MechEng99]

I was given a chalice the other day when I picked up a tank that was almost completely white. Some of the flesh has receded back from the skeleteon. Is has already started to color up a bit in the last week or so but should I break off the old skeleteon? This is my first rescue coral so I have no idea what I'm doing.

Sorry I missed this! I would wait until you start to see some new tissue growth, then I would break off some of the old skeleton. It'll only speed up growth slightly, so if you aren't comfortable removing the old skeleton, then it'll be just fine as it is. Once you've rescued a few coral, it gets easier to tell when removing the old skeleton is ok. For now, I'd just wait until everything is 100% ok. Hope that helps!

 

[MechEng99]

Ok, it's a long story. But here goes. I used to use reef crystals and vodka dose and had great results. I really liked the look of biopellets and wanted to switch to that so I wouldn't have to dose everyday. So I started some with the intentions of getting off the vodka totally. But my phosphates would creep up when I tried stopping the vodka. When I switched to bp, I also started using Brightwell Neomarine salt for the lower alk. Never stopped dosing vodka even on the pellets. Then, my ph went down to consistently around 7.5-7.6. I honestly thought nothing of it because I thought it was a probe issue because that had happened before. Then after awhile, things didn't look so good so I got a hanna ph checker and sure enough, it was that low. The whole time ph was low, alk was fine, thats why I didnt give it a second thought. I stopped the bp, and went back to just vodka. I use vertex ROX carbon and started that while using bp too. I run it in a bag passively in my sump. To get ph stable again, I ran my skimmer line outside and started using kalk in my top off again. Now it's stable at 7.9-8.05. Still a lil low I think for kalk and fresh air. Calcium is 410, alk is 9.5, mag is 1350 all salifert. Nitrates 0, also salifert. Phosphates are 0-0.03 with a hanna checker. The funny thing is, everything I have that people say is sensitive has thrived. A clam, anemone, starfish. They all did well and I haven't lost a single fish either. I'm stumped, and I can't get it to stop. I also lost almost all my acros, but monti's and a couple other kinds of sps are doing great. Zoas are great, xenias are growing like weeds. Last week, I did a 20g wc. I don't know what else to do.

Yikes. Ok, I've never dosed vodka or used biopellets, so hopefully someone more experienced can chime in here.

Did you switch back to the Reef Crystals salt? Have you had someone else (like a LFS) check your water to make sure your test kits aren't bad? Are any colors specifically (like blue, red, green, etc.) fading? Or is it just a recession issue? If you have macroalgae, how is it growing? What sort of lights? Are you running carbon again?

 

[johnike]

If it's free, it's for me, gimme three.
I need another tank.

 

[Mhayes462]

Yes, currently running carbon. I have a DIY led light that I've been using since last Nov along with a 150w halide that runs for 45min a day. I haven't had the water tested by anywhere else, but my alk kit was new recently and I have a hanna alk checker that I use on occasion. Colors are great all the way to the end. They just recede until they're gone. The acros start at the base up and are colorful and great pe until they're gone. I have chaeto in the sump and it grows well too.

 

[MechEng99]

How often are you changing out your carbon? What LEDs are you running? Any bleaching? How's your flow? Any inverts dying lately? What salt are you using right now?

I would still have someone else check your water. It's a small price to pay for possibly avoiding more coral loss. Plus, it'll definitely rule out your water parameters. I'd also start asking around the biopellet community. I've heard of strange tank issues going months after biopellet removal in some weird cases.

 

[Mhayes462]

Change carbon about every 30 days. My LEDs are 3 watt bridgelux, I have 56 of them. No bleaching on the corals. No inverts dying. Like I said, its wired because of all the stuff that is thriving. Like my clam, anemone, starfish. I am currently using the Brightwell salt, but I'm going to switch back to Reef Crystals. It almost seems like there is something preying on select groups of my coral.

 

[MechEng99]

If only LPS or SPS were having the issue, then I'd say yes, it's something preying on them. I'm not aware of any parasite/pest that would cause tissue recession in both groups of coral and maintain coloration.

To me, it sounds more like a water issue...like a trace element. I'd switch salts ASAP.

 

[Mhayes462]

That's what I was thinking too. And one reason why I was thinking that is because I use reef crystals in my 10g coral rescue tank. Anytime I need something to heal or get better I transfer it from the dt to there and it gets better.

 

[knukles55]

are corals like these good enough to dip or are they to sensitive

 

[MechEng99]

are corals like these good enough to dip or are they to sensitive

I would especially dip dying corals...they're usually dying from a parasite, infection, or some other disease. Without a dip, they might infect other healthy corals or die anyway.

 

[BxS_Reefer217]

Hey everyone,

First off wanted to say I love this thread! I'm new to the forum, but not reef keeping. Still young in it though. Reading all of your posts has definitely inspired me to go for some rescues myself. Got a neon horn coral from my lfs that is showing signs of great growth and improvement. A fungia from the same life that is basically dead I think. Right now I'm trying to rescue a recessed blasto from myself.
It's one of my favorite frags and it was doing great for about the first month that i had it. Now it's recessed and I can't figure out why. I've moved it to low light and low flow. Target feed about 3-4 times a week. All other corals are doing great. Water params are good. Lights are zetlight aqua fixture, dimable, running at about 95% power. Please help!


Ps. Don't know how to post pics on her yet. So advice on that would be great too. Thanks!

 

[BxS_Reefer217]

Fungia from the same lfs*

 

[MechEng99]

Hi BxS_Reefer217! Welcome!

Even if the Fungia appears dead, keep the skeleton. Many reefkeepers have had baby Fungia sprout off the old skeleton about a year to 18 months later (some even sooner!)

I've had some weird experiences with Blastos too. What exactly are your parameters (you'd be amazed how many people say their parameters are "perfect" but are actually way off what the reefkeeping community recommends.) Does it have any sponge growing around it? I've seen many Blastos come in with invasive sponges that are very hard to kill off. Check for that.

 

[Chris Abbott]

That hits my exact ? I just got a Favia from a friend and half of it is just skeleton, should I remove that or will the flesh recover these sites is it "recovers"! Got it today and I can see the flesh has increased in volume already and has its tentacles out sweeping.

 

[Chris Abbott]

Ok read a few pages, so my bets bet is to cut away dead material like I was making frags, is that right? How close to good flesh do I cut , never fragged anything but sticks? Thanks and I will get some pics up tmro

 

[BxS_Reefer217]

Hi BxS_Reefer217! Welcome!

Even if the Fungia appears dead, keep the skeleton. Many reefkeepers have had baby Fungia sprout off the old skeleton about a year to 18 months later (some even sooner!)

I've had some weird experiences with Blastos too. What exactly are your parameters (you'd be amazed how many people say their parameters are "perfect" but are actually way off what the reefkeeping community recommends.) Does it have any sponge growing around it? I've seen many Blastos come in with invasive sponges that are very hard to kill off. Check for that.

Hi MechEng,

My parameters are as follows:
pH: 8.4
PO:0
NO: 0
NH: 0
dKH: 12
Ca: 440-460
Mg: 1600+

I know mag is high. This is actually unusual for my tank. But I'm working on getting it down.

A little more info on my setup: I have a 20 gal high with a 10 gal sump/refuge eshopps overflow box and nano skimmer. Magdrive 5 return pump. Zetlight aqua controllable led fixture.
Critters include (don't know scientific names):
1 black oscellaris
1 cleaner shrimp
3 Astraea snails
2 hermits (unsure of specific type, in refugium)
And 1 serpent star

All coral except for the blasto are thriving. I have a trumpet that's on the verge of splitting even after one head was stung by my wall hammer. That head is almost near full recovery.
So I don't know why my blasto is closed up. That's the weird thing actually. It's closed up but not really recessing.