The horror of Brown Jelly - Advice needed

[TC2]

In two days I lost what was a perfectly healthy Welsophyllia to what I 'm nearly sure was brown jelly infection. Amazing how rapidly it deteriorated. Pictures to follow.

What is the thinking of how this disease occurs and progresses and how do I prevent future outbreaks. The tank has been running for almost 3 years with minimal problems except for a persistnet but but not overwhelming cyano problem. I read a Eric Borneman article discssuing a relationship between cyano and brown jelly - by not really conclusive that they are related.

The next day I lost a small hammer colony to the same problem - but now three days after the intial outbreak it seems to have subsided. I did a large water change and ran carbon - did not have an ammonia spike from the sloughing tissue in the tank. (yuck)

Getting longwinded here but I think this is what happened... I recently added a yellow tang to the tank and in the first day I noticed it nipping the Welsophyllia a couple times. Could it have inured the coral allowing the bacterial infection to invade ? When I removed the coral and examined the underside there were several unidentified worms. (See the pictures, hold your lunch)

Could these worms have injured the coral - they look like bristle or fireworms.

Biggest question is how to prevent future outbreaks. Any help would be appreciated.

The full tank when the Brain was healthy...

Brown Jelly Destruction (sorry for sub-par quality - no time for pretty pics)

Worms on the underside:

 

[John Kelly]

Re: The horror of Brown Jelly - Advice needed

Yep, that is brown jelly working its destructive magic. That's sad. That was a nice looking coral.
How long did you have it in the tank?
Did the brown jelly begin somewhere around the tissue perimeter or somewhere in the middle where the tentacles are?

Brown Jelly thrives in crummy water conditions, same as cyanobacteria, but erythromycin won't "kill" brown jelly like it does cyanobacteria.

 

[TC2]

It appears to have started around the perimeter of the tissue but perhaps from underneath where the polyp meets the skeleton. Took over rapidly. The coral had been in the tank over 2 years.

Water conditions are good although I have not done basic tests in some time. I run a skimmer and a HOB filter in the sump. The HOB filter usually runs carbon, chemipure and phosgaurd.

Weekly water changes are the rule.

The tank has run almost without incindent for close to 3 years now. There was one other instance of brown jelly about 6 months ago and lost a torch. I'm looking for a way to eliminate the source of infection. I certainly don;t want periodic outbreaks.

Does anyone know much about the life cycle of this stuff ? Does it go through "bloom" cycles where it's present but then periodically appears and causes the visible and destructive infection ?

 

[baja_01]

I can't tell from the pics, but did it start where the zoa polyp is on the underside of the coral?

 

[TC2]

baja_01 - that's not zoa polyp - its a curled up worm. I think is some sort of bristle worm. There were three worms on the bottom of the coral enjoying a buffet. I don't know if they were injuring the coral or not.

 

[John Kelly]

If it was caused by the tang nipping at it, the brown jelly would have first started appearing in the area(s) where the wounded tissue was and then spread from there.
I doubt the bristle worms caused it.
Did you recently move the coral?

I don’t know if there is a brown jelly cycle (like ich), I kind of doubt it since it appears to be a coagulation of bacterias and other “stuff”. I think it is something that always has the potential to come together and form in a vulnerable place on a coral when the conditions are right.

 

[leveldrummer]

for future notice, if you notice a little bit forming, you have to act fast! you already know how fast it will destroy a coral, if you move them, and rip a little piece of flesh with your fingers against the skeleton, thats a great spot for the infection to start. best thing to do is get an air line, syphon off all the jelly. not all that you can reach, you have to do a very good job at it, then give the coral a freshwater dip for about 5 minutes, it should help alot, but its not always the best fix.

 

[wantsalotta]

I have found that B. worms can be bad for brain corals. I suggest a wrasse to eat them.

What is your alk reading? Cyano likes low alkalinity! (your lps don't like low alk)