SPS with Algae on Tips

[Jstndnhyr]

My tank went through a bit of a crash about 2 months ago due to Alk and Calc swing. It has since recovered and parameters are stable but my Hawkins coral (3-4 inches) lost some tissue and color. The Hawkins color has come back and its doing well now but algae has grown on some of the tips that lost tissue during the tank crash and the algae has been there for over a month with no sign of leaving.

Assuming all parameters are good, my question is would you clip the tips to get rid of the algae or would you leave it alone hoping the algae dies at some point on its own?

Parameters:
Alk: 8.6
Calc: 4.4
Mag: 1440
Nitrate: 5ppm
PO4: .03
Salinity: 1.025
Temp: 80

 

[jacktoliver74]

My tank went through a bit of a crash about 2 months ago due to Alk and Calc swing. It has since recovered and parameters are stable but my Hawkins coral (3-4 inches) lost some tissue and color. The Hawkins color has come back and its doing well now but algae has grown on some of the tips that lost tissue during the tank crash and the algae has been there for over a month with no sign of leaving.



Assuming all parameters are good, my question is would you clip the tips to get rid of the algae or would you leave it alone hoping the algae dies at some point on its own?



Parameters:

Alk: 8.6

Calc: 4.4

Mag: 1440

Nitrate: 5ppm

PO4: .03

Salinity: 1.025

Temp: 80

The same exact thing happened to me and I had some Reef Flux that I use to treat bryopsis and I used some of that and it died by it self as the coral grew back on the dead tissue


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[pga7602]

clip the tips. sometimes, the algae can travel down the skeleton making the coral very weak and brittle. I would cut a little past the dead part just in case.

 

[minus9]

You can clip the tips as mentioned and put a dab of glue on the end and it will grow over in time. If there's algae, it takes a lot of effort on the corals part to clear that area and grow over, but if it's "clean", then it has an easier time healing. At least that's been my experience.


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[m0nkie]

I have a few pieces that didn't react well to an Alk spring.. has algae tip like yours. they do recover but at extreme slow speed. Basically some of these frags will encrust and grow new branches and the algae tip would still be there. I'm lazy so i just let it be. after half a year to a year, they eventually go away

 

[bvysochin]

Cutting the tips stimulates the coral to regrow.. make your life easier and kill two birds with one stone. Itll get rid of the algae and stimulate new growth.. no glue necessary. For our sps, we sometimes break all the tips on a regular basis on purpose to encourage new growth. Seems to work almost every time.

 

[Jstndnhyr]

Thank you everyone. Sounds like I'll be clipping the effected areas tonight.