What causes "Bleaching"?

[K-ROK]

I have a frag from a Birdsnest that I got from Macna. I had it pretty high up in the tank - it has since turned white. Did it have too much light on it? Is it dead?

 

[KDodds]

Bad place to pick up frags, IMO. Moved into newly set up temporary tanks of "foreign" water, moved again on your purchase, not the best thing for corals by far. The simple act of acclimating rapidly can cause bleaching, along with a host of other causes, light change (new corals should be kept darker at first), high temperature, pollution (nitrogenous nutrients, et. al.), proximity to competing corals (chemical probably), etc.

 

[barbra]

Just because a coral bleaches doesn't mean it's a goner. Move it to a protected area and it may be okay if it hasn't been stressed to death in general.

 

[Capt_Cully]

Corals like consistence with the exception of current flow. So any number of factors can stress them out (i.e. parameter, temperature, lighting changes) leading to RTN.

Search Rapid Tissue Necrosis. This is what's really happening. It's not bleaching, all it's fleshy tissue is falling off leaving just the skeleton.

It happens to the best of them. Alot of people contend that sticking to captive raised frags can help limit it because they are better suited for varying conditions.

Look into it. Good Luck.

 

[Wrench]

It may not be dead, it could come back. I had a monti cap that had completely bleached out on me. I left it in the tank for some reason and a week or two later I noticed some orange on it. After about 4 months it's completely healed and growing great.

 

[K-ROK]

Yeah it was a freebie frag that I got to cut and mount myself as kind of a learning thing. I have had it in the tank for about a month or so and it's looked great - then all of a sudden it goes all white. I have since moved it to the bottom of the tank as it was at the top prior. I'll wait and see what happens. Thanks for the help everyone.

 

[bhdmc]

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