SPS filaments for feeding?

[paal]

Usually when I feed mysis I thaw the cubes first to avoid the tiny particles that my fish just ignore anyway.
Today I just threw the whole cube in the tank.

Shortly after I noticed filaments on 4 of the acropra.
Are the corals catching and eating the mysis, or is it more likely that the food particles simply irritated the corals? I thought the filaments were primarily defensive...?

Short mobile video:

<embed width="600" height="361" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowFullscreen="true" allowNetworking="all" wmode="transparent" src="http://static.photobucket.com/player.swf" flashvars="file=http%3A%2F%2Fvid770.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fxx349%2Fpaalrune%2FMOV_1261_000.mp4&title=">

 

[Piper27]

I would say it's a feeding response. I should take a video of the ones I have that get huge webs of filaments when I feed. Some of them are completely covered in filaments. I doubt they get irritated by food. I have noticed filaments when acropora get irritated, but they look different than when I feed. I can't see your video from my phone though.

 

[paal]

Thanks for the reply Piper.
I have young tank and I guess I added the SPS too soon. Got issues with STN. :uhoh2:

I added a thread in the "Reef Discussion" part of the forum by accident. Meant to post it here.
http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2602873

My first plan is to add more nutrients to the tank. I really hope those filaments are a feeding response.

 

[Piper27]

Are you using AF -np pro? What else are you dosing from AF? I saw your pictures, one had a little receded spot on the base. You should lost any questions here for help. There are no pests that will eat birdsnest that I have seen besides crabs.

 

[paal]

Thanks again, Piper.

I have used Aquaforest probiotic salt from day 1.
Aquaforest Comp 1+2+3+ and Aquaforest Active Carbon since adding SPS (used to run carbon one in a sock in sump's bubble trap. Removed it yesterday)
No other additives.

I asked to have the other thread moved, but I guess it can just die and I can continue here.


Original post:

Tank specs:
* About 100 gallon, 40x30x20
* 2x MP40QD anti sync 90% reefcrest / Vectra M1 Return at 75%
* Pacific Sun T5/Led hybrid 8x39W T5 + 2x145W LED. Close to perfect light coverage over tank. T5 on for 8 hours, LED on for 9 hours. (Started with LED power at 10% and increased 2% every day after adding the acroporas. Ended at 40%. After I noticed STN issue I turned LED power back down to 15%
* Bubble King DC 180 skimming wet
* Used to run a rather large bag of activated carbon in the sump (changed monthly) Removed this today

Parameters:
Alk: 8
Ca: 420
Mg: 1420
Salinity: 1.0255 (Refractometer calibrated with pinpoint 1.026 solution)
NO3: 0
PO4: 0
Temp: 78-80
0 TDS ATO

Fish:
1 Copperband Butterfly
6 Chromis
2 Orchid Dottybacks
(Copperband refuses to eat anything but frozen mysis, so mostly this is what I feed the tank. One cube 3 times per day)

Started my new tank early June this year. Mainly dead rock (marco) + a few seed rocks from my friends tank.
Added a few fish about 6 weeks in and most corals just over 3 months in.
I have a million stomatella snails, so it is not really possible to find any algae except a green film on the glass (+ a few bubble algae unfortunately) Overall tank looks very clean.

Using Aquaforest's probiotic salt, changing about 7,5% water weekly. (at least 3 times per month)
Dosing with Aquaforest comp 1+2+3 (similar to balling) but doser is currently disabled as I have no consumption in tank. Measuring Alk every day to make sure there are no changes. Other values measured weekly.

When I bought my first fish at about 6 weeks, I also bought a small Hystrix frag. The plan was to use this as a kind of "indicator"; when this would show good growth I would try some acropora frags. If it perished, so be it: small and cheap frag anyway.
The Hystrix looked rather bad for the first few weeks, then slowly regained its colors. At about 6 weeks all branches had healthy growth tips / new branches were forming.
I do not have access to any LFS, so when I saw this guy online selling/shipping acro frags for a descent price I figured I could try a few.
Although they did not show much signs of growth (except 2 stags that grew bases), most of them seemed healthy in the beginning. After a few weeks though, some of them started to STN from the bottom. The week after some more. Somewhere along the same time, the Hystrix also lost it's white growth tips. Even the stags' newly built bases went white.

I guess the issue is simply that my tank is too young. I never thought I would add acropora this early, but the growing Hystrix persuaded me. :hmm2:
Anyway, now that the "damage is done", what do you suggest I do inn order to at least try to fight the STN?
* Further decrease lighting? (intensity and/or Lighting period?
* Increase feeding? (Planning to add more fish, but could of course just dump in more food in the meantime)
* Increase Alk/Mg/Ca?
* Decrease ^ (will take a long time with my low consumption)

Some pictures from today: (mobile phone only, sorry)

This is how most of the small frags have started STNing:

My only "big" coral. Looks healthy to me, but this one is also STN'ing. Not much is shown on this pic (small white area on plug only) but coral has lost at least 1/2 square inch of tissue on the underside (could not get a good pic)

Overview:

EDIT:
Meant to post this in the "SPS Keepers"-forum. Oh well...

 

[Scorpius]

I used to get mesenterial filaments like crazy when I first started getting acropora. My tank was young and I had lots of parameter swings.

Since you are dealing with STN I would suggest that the food is irritating the corals, a parameter swing, and not a good sign.

Since then, I have gotten my tank stable and I see less and less of these filaments when I feed. When I do have a parameter swing out of range and I feed then I see the filaments again.

How's poly extension at night? I'd get your phosphates and nitrates above zero.

 

[Piper27]

Why would feeding only cause it when parameters are out of ballance?

 

[Scorpius]

Why would feeding only cause it when parameters are out of ballance?

Only conclusion I've come to is that when parameters are out of balance feeding pushes them over the edge and causes the filaments to appear. This is merely my idea and I don't claim to be an sps expert.

 

[Piper27]

Yea I hear you, I was just wondering what you meant. Good theory. When I use selcon and other vitamins and such they really go nuts. I would guess it's the food source that has something in it they like. I can't imagine what would be in food that they don't like. My parameters are good. I wonder why no one else has posted about this, or if it even happens as often as I thought?
This would piece is one that does it every time I feed. It gets even more than this with heavier feedings. Only certain acros do it, and most just get fine thread filaments out of their polyps.

Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk

 

[Ucantwin]

My tanks is only 7 months old but when I feed I get the same reaction from sps.

 

[Piper27]

I have had this happen with old tanks more than new for what that's worth.

 

[spkennyva]

My Miyagi torts do this every time I feed coral food. Regular pellet fish food does not produce this reaction. My tank is 3 years old and params are pretty stable.