tissue loss at base..options

[duec22]

About two weeks ago I fraged one of my favorate acros. A everything was fine untill about last weekend. I noticed that the tips that had been cut had put new tissue back on, but the base of the coral now has a bleached ring around the leading encrusting edge. I thought that the green slimer I had next to it (about 1/2" between bases) may have done some damage, so I pulled the rock out and cut the slimer out and moved it. Over the next week the bleaching on the base got worse and is now about 1/2" ring around and up the base). I finally went and borowed my friends refractometer and salinity had been at 1.029, so I lowered it over the course of the night to 1.025. I dont suspect any pests since I haven't added anything since the begining of Mar. I think it was the high salt level. So what are my options with this coral...should I leave it and hope the bleaching doesn't continue up the base, or should I frag it up..Other parameters:
Alk:9-10 DKh
Ca: 410
NH3: ND
NO2/No3: <5ppm

 

[twon8]

you probably didn't want to lower the salinity overnight, imo there is more danger from rapid changes than high salinity. 1/2 inch is real close for two acros, and the slimer could have caused this, and it just took a while to recede further.

are you sure the "bleaching isn't just new growth?

 

[duec22]

Not new growth for sure...I've lost the last two months worth of encrusting....The only reason the slimer was that close was that one branch had hit the rock next to the stag and started to enrust right next to it..

 

[Aquaduck]

David, I've got the same problem you do. Except I've lost close to a years worth of encrusting on some corals. They continue to grow upward and branch out but die near the base at the same time as a slow moving white line that moves upward.

This all started happening after I removed my sandbed just over a year ago. I ended up with red slime and now this. I think it may be "white line disease". Which is bacterial and could be related to the sandbed being removed. I also had a bad nitrate test kit that always read zero. I got a Salifert test and I'm reading 5ppm nitrate. This may be part of the problem in my case. I'll try and keep this thread updated with any results I get. I have started dipping the affected corals in Seachem Reef Dip to see if this will help.

 

[twon8]

maybe not enough flow

i nature as corals grow, there bases tend to recede, as there is no longer enough light or flow to keep the lower parts alive.

 

[Aquaduck]

I have 3600 gallons/hour of flow in my 90 gallon tank. That should be plenty of flow.

 

[twon8]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7614908#post7614908 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Aquaduck
I have 3600 gallons/hour of flow in my 90 gallon tank. That should be plenty of flow.

ive got more than that in my 90, but the total isn't what's important, but where that water is flowing, and what kind of flow. do you have any streams or wave-making devices?

 

[Aquaduck]

I have a Dart pump with an Oceansmotions 4 -way. The flow is very random and chaotic.

 

[twon8]

i had the same thing happen to me with a purple prostrata, but once I fragged the orange cap in front of it the acro re-encrusted over the dead part.

if it is happening to a number of corals you might have aefw

 

[Aquaduck]

It's definately not acro eating flatworms. There is a very well defined, continuous line of white coral tissue which leaves behind bare coral skeleton. AEFW would not be so fussy as to where they were eating. I'll see if I can get a picture of it so you can see that it looks more like a disease than predation.

Looks like this: White Plague Coral Disease

 

[duec22]

I don't think it's a flow issue or AEFW with mine. I've looked for AEFW day and night on many occasions, after getting red bugs from a frag swap back in the begining of March...I haven't added anything since. I don't think it's flow as this is about 6" away from the output of my Sieo 620....I'm pretty sure mine was either due to the high salt levels or maybe a heat spike from the heat wave we have been haveing over the past couple of weeks...

I just don't know if I should frag the coral up to give it a better chance of haveing something that survies....

 

[Aquaduck]

David,

Try a dip treatment. I read that this white line/plague disease is a type of bacteria. The iodine in the dip should help wipe it out. I hope....