Acro tips turning white

[azgard1]

I am new to the coral thing. This coral is 6in from top of water and a 10K compaq 3in above water surface.

Everything has been fine for about 1 week and now the tips on a few are turning white. I have no idea if this is good or bad. Any comments would be appreciated.
Thank you.


View attachment 25415

 

[91YOTA]

could possibly just be new growth... i have a few acros that have white tips as they grow... what type of acro is it?

 

[atzak]

could be growth tips, could be high alk. Is that emperor angel in the tank? If so, that could be the problem

 

[kevinpo]

Hello,
It is hard to tell from the photo but in the foreground it appears there is some tissue loss. Also in the back I see what looks like some slime coming off the tips. That is a sign of irritation. The coral appears to be an Acropora valida which does well under lower light. At night you should see polyp extension from the tips of about 1/4" - 1/2". If there is no polyp from the leading corallite at night the tip is likely dead. The tips of Acropora are the mostly likely to regrow as they prefer to grow upwards towards the light and flow.

Regards,
Kevin

 

[azgard1]

View attachment 25416

Kevin, This picture is much better. Is this growth? If not what action should I take and or other observations should I provide?

The coral is purple in color and as I said placed about 6in underwater surface with a 10K power Compaq 3in above waterline. The base of this is dark green and I believe this is called a Larry Jackson. The whole Colony is about 8in diameter.

Thank you

P.S the slime you noted in the first picture was the net the tips sent out to catch the cyclopeez, i.e. that picture was just after an attempt to feed.

 

[atzak]

definately not growth tips, is the angel in your avatar in the tank? What is your alk? I had a similar problem when my dkh got up around 16

 

[Herefishyfishy]

Agreed, looks like something is having a nice lunch

 

[azgard1]

Have not observed any fish having lunch. However I do have a thread-fin butterfly that has been nipping at my hammerhead and my RTBA recently. I am in the process of adding two clown fish in hopes they will defend the environment. However in the end I may need to remove the butterfly.

Anything else that can cause this problem other than a fish?

 

[kevinpo]

Hello,
If you look at the tip on the far left top you will see a corallite that has tissue missing just below the tip. This type of loss is not usually related to light or flow but rather predation. With the coral so close to the surface most fish will leave it alone however. I would keep a close eye out to see if a fish is nipping the coral. Also check at night with a flashlight a couple of hours after the lights go out to see if anything is active then.

Regards,
Kevin

 

[azgard1]

Thanks Kevin, will do and report back.

 

[azgard1]

Found my cleaner shrimp at top of the coral in the dark. Could not see it eating, but is this a possible cause of the problem?

 

[dailydriven911]

Found my cleaner shrimp at top of the coral in the dark. Could not see it eating, but is this a possible cause of the problem?

Nope, what other inverts/fish do you have in the tank? I'd keep an eye on the butterfly. Maybe you could setup a video camera and focus on the affected acro to see if something is chowing on it.

 

[azgard1]

Thanks for response, I will keep looking.

 

[kevinpo]

Hello,
Cleaner shrimp are usually quite reef safe but on occasion they will go after clams and corals. I have never heard of one bothering SPS corals, only LPS and soft ones.
IMO the Butterflyfish is top suspect in your case.

Regards,
Kevin

 

[falcon41176]

i have something like this happen to mine. but i had a alk spike.and it burned the tipsof my acros

 

[aquadude]

Butterflies and reefs??? no, no, no!

 

[aquadude]

Just a note, you mentioned you are new to reefs right? Make sure you test all of the water parameters. PH, KH, SALINITY, CALCIUM, STROMTIUM, ETC... Remember,fish will tolerate much more than corals...especially hards.[trace elements go along way]

 

[azgard1]

I finally discovered it was the thread fin butterfly. The nips have become much less frequent and the acro seems to be recovering. The addition of the 2 clown fish has also had a major effect and he never bothers the RTBA any more.

Any thoughts on further options as getting this guy out will be nearly impossible.

Thanks

 

[Herefishyfishy]

If it keeps nibbling on corals faster than they can heal, I would use a fish trap. Feed ONLY in the fish trap, and within a couple weeks, all fish will be willing to swim into the "feeding station"

Have cought a blenny, med hippo tang, larger corris wrasse, large coral beauty, and a 5" sohal tang. Every fish in the tank could have been caught.

 

[azgard1]

Thanks Mike. What brand trap did you use ?