When to intervene when SPS is unhappy

[NDreefer1]

What do you do when it appears a SPS frag is not happy? Change the lighting/flow situation of the frag? Or change something system-wide such as a water change or add carbon? What do the experienced SPS people do?

About a week ago a noticed an acropora frag was unhappy - its polyps had retracted and I noticed a small amount of tissue recession at its base. Since it was the only SPS coral unhappy (of 8 total acropora, 3 montipora). I chose to let it be in the hope it would recover. All params tested normal (SG:1.0206, N03:1.5, P03:0.02 (Organic+Inoganic... I have access of a laboratory spectrophotometer ,etc) This would not be the case. The acro was infested with some sort of acro-skeleton-infesting algae and slowly died over the weekend. This evening I clipped the remaining healthy tips and glued them to a frag plug. Hopefully they will recover but still I feel I have failed.

Was this the best course of action? What is your response when a sps coral is clearly unhappy with its environment? Do you assume something system-wide is at fault, or can the local environment be the cause? When do you intervene? I'm sure all us newbie SPS keepers could benefit from the experienced SPS keepsers experience.

-Bob

 

[ros_sco]

If you are confident in your parameters, in the future I would try moving it to a different lighting and or flow location. Is your specific gravity really 1.0206?

 

[divewsharks]

What about the other water params: ca/alk/mg?
Where was it placed with regards to the your powerheads (what kind of powerheads?)
How long had the frag been in the tank?

 

[NDreefer1]

Ahh I meant 1.026 SG (Marine Depot refractometer calibrated with RODI and 35 PPT BRS calibration fluid)
Other params are:
Ca:410-420 (Salifert and FisherSci Ca++ Probe )
Alk 8.6-9.0 (Salifert)
Mg:1250 (Elos, adjusted to 1250 with Bulk reef supply MgCa2)
Salt: Deltec DD Ocean+
Water changes 10% every week. Adjusted to above params (alk slightly higher, tank alk tests ~0.3 dKh higher immediately after water change, no change after 24h)
I have been dosing vodka - 0.2 ml daily in 27.5 total gal for the past 6 months. Ca and alk maintained within above ranges using BRS two part and dosing pumps for the past 18 months. Corals in general have responded positively with coloration/growth.

The frag was sold to me at a frag swap as a "Larry Jackson Acro" in april 09 - it basically doubled in size over the past year (from 1" to 2.5") and was looking great, as were 4 other frags I got at the same time (green slimer, sunset monti, blue tort, and some green pocillopora) but around Feb 1 2010 stopped extending polyps at night. It received strong indirect flow from a Tunze Nano 6055 powerhead from 30-100% (in a 20 Long) and was lit by 6x24 ATI powermodule for 6.5h a day (4x blue+, 1x GE 6500k, 1x ATI aquasun). When the polyps were out they were blown by the current every couple of seconds.

Right now its in a lower flow/lighting area in the corner of the tank, and the clipped tips haven't shown any sign of dying yet.

As far as I can tell, I did everything correctly when I received the frag and it appeared to be doing well. I mainly want to know if should have done something once it started looking unhappy a month ago. Should I have moved it around once it began to recede?
I'm at a loss since nothing in my routine changed.
-Bob

 

[dan223]

Ahh I meant 1.026 SG (Marine Depot refractometer calibrated with RODI and 35 PPT BRS calibration fluid)

How can you calibrate a refractometer to 2 different standards, its either one or the other unless your gonna split the difference.

 

[NDreefer1]

Good point. I guess I should have said "checked" instead of "calibrated". I zeroed it with RODI and then the 35 PPT solution was close enough to 35 PPT not to worry.

How can you calibrate a refractometer to 2 different standards, its either one or the other unless your gonna split the difference.

 

[divewsharks]

Ahh I meant 1.026 SG (Marine Depot refractometer calibrated with RODI and 35 PPT BRS calibration fluid)
Other params are:
Ca:410-420 (Salifert and FisherSci Ca++ Probe )
Alk 8.6-9.0 (Salifert)
Mg:1250 (Elos, adjusted to 1250 with Bulk reef supply MgCa2)
Salt: Deltec DD Ocean+
Water changes 10% every week. Adjusted to above params (alk slightly higher, tank alk tests ~0.3 dKh higher immediately after water change, no change after 24h)
I have been dosing vodka - 0.2 ml daily in 27.5 total gal for the past 6 months. Ca and alk maintained within above ranges using BRS two part and dosing pumps for the past 18 months. Corals in general have responded positively with coloration/growth.

The frag was sold to me at a frag swap as a "Larry Jackson Acro" in april 09 - it basically doubled in size over the past year (from 1" to 2.5") and was looking great, as were 4 other frags I got at the same time (green slimer, sunset monti, blue tort, and some green pocillopora) but around Feb 1 2010 stopped extending polyps at night. It received strong indirect flow from a Tunze Nano 6055 powerhead from 30-100% (in a 20 Long) and was lit by 6x24 ATI powermodule for 6.5h a day (4x blue+, 1x GE 6500k, 1x ATI aquasun). When the polyps were out they were blown by the current every couple of seconds.

Right now its in a lower flow/lighting area in the corner of the tank, and the clipped tips haven't shown any sign of dying yet.

As far as I can tell, I did everything correctly when I received the frag and it appeared to be doing well. I mainly want to know if should have done something once it started looking unhappy a month ago. Should I have moved it around once it began to recede?
I'm at a loss since nothing in my routine changed.
-Bob

The only thing I might have differently is to frag the coral sooner. If I see a coral is STNing and not subsiding on it's own, I will frag above the receding tissue line to see if I can save as much of it as possible.

 

[Justdrew]

Good point. I guess I should have said "checked" instead of "calibrated". I zeroed it with RODI and then the 35 PPT solution was close enough to 35 PPT not to worry.

You should be calibrating to 35 and not worrying about zero with RO/DI.


Drew