My acropora is dying!

[awilson500]

I just bought this and the tissue is dying. What is this and how do I stop it?
http://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m273/awilson500/IMG_2081-1.jpg

This is happening very fast.

[awilson500]

System parameters
Temp: 79.4
Alk 3.5
pH 8.4
no3 0
no2 0
Ammonia 0
salinty 1.023

[awilson500]

I guess I should have mentioned that this is my first acropora.

[revaltion131]

Is that alk in meq/L or dKH? If it's dKH, that's your problem IMO.

Edit: Some other tank stats in addition to your parameters would help. Age, lighting, flow, any additives you use, and so on.

[btb72]

what is the CA lvls? how long have you had it? and how long after put in your tank did it start receding?

[sigster500]

Thats quite a big colony judging and by the height of those zoas's its not getting enough light imo and this is whats caused the problem..

What kinda lighting do you have?

[Mako]

Take a couple of frags while you can.

Looks like a wild head, did you treat it with anything before adding? I would give it a Lugols dip. (some TMPCC or your own mix.) With the density of the branching on that you are going to need some decent flow on it also.

[awilson500]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14772713#post14772713 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by revaltion131
Is that alk in meq/L or dKH? If it's dKH, that's your problem IMO.

Edit: Some other tank stats in addition to your parameters would help. Age, lighting, flow, any additives you use, and so on.

that is meq/L

[Gary Majchrzak]

you're still in a learning curve.

best advice right now is to frag that colony and superglue gel frags to rockwork. Glue some frags up high and glue some frags down low. Try to glue frags in areas of good water flow. Glue frags horizontally for maximum contact and best results.

Address S.G.: it should be closer to 1.025

JMO but place zoanthids on bottom of rockwork. How's your Montipora doing? Is there Xenia in this aquarium? If so, is Xenia thriving? Is there a skimmer on this aquarium? What is the filtration on this tank?

[sigster500]

Yeh looks like a wild humilis to me and they require lots of flow and light Both i would say are lacking in this tank hense the downfall.

They are hard enough to keep healthy whithin the confines of a thosand watts .. if you have t5 lights .. You really need to mention your lighting as this is paramount to success normally

Dont be embarrassed the majority of us have been there done it
Its simply a learning curve as it were

[awilson500]

[QUOTE]<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14772894#post14772894 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by btb72
what is the CA lvls? how long have you had it? and how long after put in your tank did it start receding? [/QUOTE

I do a weekly 10% water change every weekend. Calcium was 480 last time I checked a week ago.
I noticed it right away when I got it home Saturday, but when they bagged it up the guy used three bags but did not tie the two inside bags so some of the water leaked into the third bag. Some of the coral might not have been in water on the way home.(about a 90min drive)

[Gary Majchrzak]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14773883#post14773883 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by awilson500
[QUOTE]<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14772894#post14772894 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by btb72
[B] Some of the coral might not have been in water on the way home.(about a 90min drive)
JMO but I don't think that's the problem.
Many people ship Acroporiids overnight wrapped in a moist paper towel. I've worked on Acropora outside the aquarium for long periods of time.

We all go through a steep learning curve with Acropora. Judging from what I can see in your picture I would not wait until tomorrow to frag it.

[sigster500]

acropora will survive out the water for ages - But you havent mentioned what light you have yet?

[awilson500]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14773750#post14773750 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by sigster500
Yeh looks like a wild humilis to me and they require lots of flow and light Both i would say are lacking in this tank hense the downfall.

They are hard enough to keep healthy within the confines of a thousand watts .. if you have t5 lights .. You really need to mention your lighting as this is paramount to success normally

Don't be embarrassed the majority of us have been there done it
Its simply a learning curve as it were

I do have t-5's with brand new bulbs that the grim reefer hooked me up with. I know that I need a metal halide bulb in there somewhere and I'm working on it.

I have a single korilla 4 that is pretty much pointing right at this piece of coral. I can move the zoo's to the bottom of the tank.

As far as the montipora it is doing great that growth ring was not there when I bought it, so it has been growing pretty good scenes I got it.

I'm not embarrassed. I know I am new to this. I have only had this tank 3 years and have only kept softies in it.

I am at work right now so I will check back in about 2 hours thank you for all your help everybody.

[sigster500]

Well monti's are different from acroporas esp wild acros - And if were talking about wild humilis then these really do need metal halibe its great that the monti is doing well but acros on the other hand need very intense lighting.
And t5 wont help unless you have a massive amount of them.

Acros dont like direct flow but i suspect this isnt what causing the problem you have atm. As advised its best to frag your coral and place it as high as you can, But an upgrade in lights will be on the cards if you wish to further your advancements with SPS.

[Gary Majchrzak]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14773967#post14773967 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by awilson500
I do have t-5's with brand new bulbs that the grim reefer hooked me up with. I know that I need a metal halide bulb in there somewhere and I'm working on it.

I have a single korilla 4 that is pretty much pointing right at this piece of coral. I can move the zoo's to the bottom of the tank.

As far as the montipora it is doing great that growth ring was not there when I bought it, so it has been growing pretty good scenes I got it.

I'm not embarrassed. I know I am new to this. I have only had this tank 3 years and have only kept softies in it.

I am at work right now so I will check back in about 2 hours thank you for all your help everybody.
in addition to answering my previously asked questions:

why do you think you need a halide lamp? (I don't believe lighting is the problem here.)
what types of soft corals are in this aquarium? any Sinularia? (highly toxic over time.)
do you run carbon (GAC)?
(allelopathy is a real concern IME).

there's no reason for any embarrassment.
we all got to the point we're at by learning.

remember to raise SG slowly... replacing evap using new saltwater is a good method.

[sigster500]

Hmm ist happening very fast so dont you think it could be light deprivation, If this coral is indeed wild then it used to turbed flow and very intense light.

Given the coral has now moved under t5 ligts then this to me suggests its struggling!.

Could be a chemical inbalance but it seems too fast, How exactly did you acclimatize the coral aswell this might be a reason..

Along with a shed load of other factors

[awilson500]

yes I do have Sinularia in my tank. It has only been in there for about 6 months. No I do not a have carbon and yes I use a skimmer. I could use a bigger one though.

[Gary Majchrzak]

*newly introduced Acropora should be placed low in an aquarium and raised closer to lighting over a period of time.

*if you want to maximize your potential for growing Acros get rid of the Sinualria and run carbon.

*try growing a frag of an Acro from someone else's aquarium. Search around for a hardy fast growing Acro. Source and species can make a huge difference in success rate.

[awilson500]

Is there any good lit on how to frag. I don't have the right kind of tools, but I do have some gardening sheers.
What did you mean by gluing them horizontally???

[awilson500]

I went ahead and fraged out this piece and everything looks good 12hours later. I don't see any signs of it dying anymore. I will be looking again after work.

[revaltion131]

What is meant by mounting it horizontally is gluing it "up and down" along the branch on one side and sticking the glued side down instead of just gluing the base like you would normally think to.

[awilson500]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14786280#post14786280 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by revaltion131
What is meant by mounting it horizontally is gluing it "up and down" along the branch on one side and sticking the glued side down instead of just gluing the base like you would normally think to.

That is what I was thinking???? I glued the base.

[Stanley-Reefer]

Don't get discouraged. Wild colonies get us all! Frag it down.

Look at some hardy frags you will be able to handle and get your feet we with:
red monti
millies
brown/blue stag
pocillipora

[awilson500]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14788497#post14788497 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Stanley-Reefer
Don't get discouraged. Wild colonies get us all! Frag it down.

Look at some hardy frags you will be able to handle and get your feet we with:
red monti
millies
brown/blue stag
pocillipora

Thank you you the boost. I know that someday I will have a tank full of SPS.