Need some help here!

[mcoomer]

Hello,
I have a Tyree Flower Petal and green Leprechaun Monti that I've had in my QT for about 3-4 weeks now with about a dozen other frags and they've been looking great. I check in on the tank everyday and several times a day when I'm working out in the garage. They've had good color and polyp extension since day one. Yesterday, I looked in the tank and was shocked to see that the monti is about 75% white with no polyps in that area but good polyp extension on the part that still has good color and the Tyree has a similar spot that is about 10% of it's total area. The spot on the Flower Petal was next to the monti and close enough that they were almost touching. I have two other monti cap frags a a cyphastrea right there and they look great, as do the other SPS frags I have on the frag rack. I pulled the two affected frags and looked for any parasites, held them in the stream of a powerhead to blow off any loose stuff (didn't see anything come off), and then placed them a bit higher in the QT and in a bit more flow.

So, what are some possible causes for sudden loss of color and polyp extension like this? There are no animals or crabs in the tank but there are some bristle worms, pods, and snails. Water is good. Is it possible that these corals haven't been happy since being put in the tank and finally decided to show it? Is there anything that I can do to try to help these pieces out other than moving them in the tank? I've thought about mixing up a batch of revive but I've held off doing it. Should I go ahead and move them in to the main tank so that they have better lighting and flow? Lemme know if you have any ideas what I might try beyond what I've done.

Thanks,
Mike

 

[edwing206]

What are your params?

 

[mcoomer]

Doing this from memory but here goes.

Calcium: 410
Alk: 8.0
Mg: 1190
pH: 8.0 or 8.2 (didn't really seem to match either color)

I never test for ammonia, nitrites, or nitrates anymore and I can't remember what PO4 was but it was good. I also can't remember what my refractometer said for SG but again it was good and usually runs 1.025-27. I haven't changed anything in my dosing schedule, skimmer is operating, and water top off is automated and working properly. The thing that concerns me is how quickly this change occurred.

Mike

 

[trido]

I would suspect too much lighting to be the cause of sudden bleaching followed by a chemical problem such as allopathy. Thats my real generic response.

 

[TJL]

Monti bleaching

Hey Mike,

I agree with Duane on bleaching, every monti (plating,crusting & digitata) I have put in my DT has bleached for a time then came back after adapting my VHO lighting intensity especially when taken from MH sources. I even put a few layers of screen door material above them during acclimation, the only one to not need any shading seems to be M. setosa which thrives in high lumens. The red plating in this pic was almost completely bleached for about a month bu has come back nicely as are the digitatas.

Todd

 

[mcoomer]

The Leprechaun monti lost the fight but I've still got it in the frag tank in case it manages a recovery (doesn't appear likely). I nipped off the spot on the Tyree Flower Petal and it didn't suffer any further loss. It's been in my main tank for about two weeks now and looks great. I haven't noticed any new growth yet but my other montis took a bit before they took off. I have good color and polyp extension so I'm happy. I suppose it could have been worse.

Mike

 

[returnofsid]

Test again. Pay close attention to Alk.

What type of lighting are they under? Are they getting good flow?

I'd say your issue is either too much light, not enough flow or low Alk.

One other thing to look for, normally on the bottom of the piece, or near effected areas, are Monti eating nudibranchs. They're tiny so look close. They also hold on tight, so the powerhead may not have blown them off.