Monti Bleaching...Help!!!
- Thread starter ronj
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DonW
R.I.P.
Is the white part dead? Is this a colony with a bleached center or a frag? If its dead I'd frag it. If not I'd glue it down and let it go.
I like to let frags cover the cut ends in flesh the glue them side ways.
Don
DonW
R.I.P.
dpaynter
Well-known member
It sounds like the nudibranchs to me - healthy orange tissue and white where the tissue has been removed down to the skeleton.
Check this thread for some pictures:
http://www.reeffrontiers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=11798
Do a search on "montipora eating" for more info.
SueT
Well-known member
Ron, sorry to hear this happening. I use IO salt too and have yet had to add anything as my ca. test out to 450ppm and alk. at 9.2dKh. Order 2 salifert test kits of these 2 tests and wait for the mag. like Don suggested. Although mine always tests out at 1350ppm.
If the frag is bleaching from the center out and it is NOT the montipora eating nudi's, I would frag the tip off and down to live tissue on the base and toss the bleached skeleton part. Let the healthy parts grow and you should be fine. Make sure the 2 frags get good flow and lighting, but don't shock it by placing it too high to start off with..
If the frag is bleaching from the center out and it is NOT the montipora eating nudi's, I would frag the tip off and down to live tissue on the base and toss the bleached skeleton part. Let the healthy parts grow and you should be fine. Make sure the 2 frags get good flow and lighting, but don't shock it by placing it too high to start off with..
SueT
Well-known member
Ron, those nudi's will look about the size of half of a piece of rice. They will be a cream color and have things that give them the look of a mop. You will definitely be able to see them if they are there. I hope you don't see anything like them!! Monti's always scare me for this exact reason.
Herefishyfishy
Smart Bass
QTing all wet things makes sense, just be sure that you have a QT tank to match the tank they came out of. I am more concerned for close inspection than anything else. Have been lucky so far on red bugs and Monti nudis, but look them over really close. Recently was instructed to assume bugs on all and dip for them anyway. Started that recently. Flow, lighting, salinity, and very important, alkalinity in lieu of PH for SPS. As a newby on SPS who is impatient and short on time, have had to learn fast by reading a lot and often the hard way by mistake.
QT fish will have their own needs.
QT fish will have their own needs.
i tied the frag to a piece of thread and hung it about 3/4 up towards the top of the tank... i only have the 3 VHO's right now, so that shouldn't be too much light..the others still appear to be ok..some of them had bleached tips from shipping, but they are coloring up nicely
kevinpo
Expert
Without a picture.... my opinion is that it is most likely just from shipping if some of the other corals had problems too. Fragging the live parts is often very successful. M. digitata will form a more stable and larger base if mounted horizontal. It can encrust several inches in diameter before growing branches. If the corals came from under metal halides it is very doubtful that your lights would cause bleaching.
Instant Ocean typically runs about 350-360ppm for calcium (that's why they make Reef Crystals too
)Magnesium averages 1080-1100ppm and alkalinity about 2.5 - 2.8 meq/L.
I use about 1,100 gallons per month and we test every batch we make because there have been a few mfg errors
Regards,
Kevin
i was using Reef Crystals, but i figured it was unneccessary, so i switched to IO...i may try the Reef Crystals again..the frag looks to be ok..it does have a small bleached spot on it, but the polyps appear to be open..i will give it some time and see what happens..thanks!!!
I have had major montipora (M cap) bleaching events in the past that I think were pathogen (bacteria?) related. Happens fairly quickly, and may or may not stop until the whole colony is gone. Mine happened when the nutrient level in the tank got too high. Only other coral affected was a tubinara cup (but the scrolling tubinara was not affected).
I would frag, and put the frag in a QT tank. That way you can have a piece "saved" in a separate environment.
I would frag, and put the frag in a QT tank. That way you can have a piece "saved" in a separate environment.
it looks like the part i fragged still has some color..i don't expect it to make it though..i don't see any of the polyps anymore..the rest of it that was bleaching is completely white now..i guess it is dead..i am leaving it in the tank just to see what happens
Hard to say what it is? I've had the nudibrachts. They will find some monties tastier than other ones. They live on the underside of the coral until they run out of flesh, and then they will move up. They are tiny and look feathery, like a peice of detritis-almost invisible. They decimated my purple monty first, before I could control them.
To get rid of them, I took an asperator and pressure-flushed the underside and edges of all my monties every day or so for about 6 months. They blow off under the flushing spray, and have a hard time getting back to the eating and egg laying. They are finally gone! I havent seen any for a couple months
To get rid of them, I took an asperator and pressure-flushed the underside and edges of all my monties every day or so for about 6 months. They blow off under the flushing spray, and have a hard time getting back to the eating and egg laying. They are finally gone! I havent seen any for a couple months
SueT
Well-known member
Ron, sorry to hear that about the frag, was hoping for a better outcome. Not a nice welcome to the world of sps corals, but it does get better..
