Tale of two corals

[RockDocPro]

It’s been a sad two days for a couple of my favorite corals. I have come up with a few possible explanations for this RTN, but I thought I would let the photos tell the story.

Before RTN: Millepora on the right, seriatopora on the left:

http://i177.photobucket.com/albums/w235/rockdocpro/Tank/TankJune09/IMG_0397.jpg

Then, on a dark and stormy night, it started with the millepora:

http://i177.photobucket.com/albums/w235/rockdocpro/Tank/TankJune09/IMG_0468.jpg

This is 20 hours later:

http://i177.photobucket.com/albums/w235/rockdocpro/Tank/TankJune09/IMG_0473.jpg

Then, 4 hours after that:

http://i177.photobucket.com/albums/w235/rockdocpro/Tank/TankJune09/IMG_0500.jpg

And in a very unusual move, it spread to the seriatopora next door (photo taken at 20 hours). I’ve never seen that happen before except in coral warfare, and then in a much smaller and localized area:

http://i177.photobucket.com/albums/w235/rockdocpro/Tank/TankJune09/IMG_0475.jpg

My philosophy is that we do the best we can, and our tanks are dynamic and in a constant state of change. It's the journey that matters, since there is never an endpoint to our efforts. We will grow some beautiful corals, and we will lose some along the way. Some will be frags or young colonies, and some will be mature favorites. I will replace these with specimens from my frag tank, and over time, as I lose and replace corals, the tank will evolve, and always exhibit corals in a variety of states of growth. Can I get an amen?

:)

[krucial]

A_M_E_N.
That is a great point of view!

[M007]

EHMEN from Canada. Been there and it always bums me out but alas we're all just a blip away from a wipe out for no apparent reason. Had one of those 6 months ago. I feel your pain and share your optimism!

[Capt_Cully]

I like your style. One of our local guys had a major tank crash losing the majority of his SPS colonies. Rather than clear it all out he let all of the old skeletons encrust with coralline.

As natural reefs are built on the skeletons of old colonies, he decided to do the same with his reef. He now has many new colonies in place and grown out. Pictures of his reef look like they are taken in the wild, of a natural reef.

I've begun to do the same. IF I lose any frag or colony, it's skeleton stays put. It eventually encrusts and a new frag is placed in or on top of it.

So, to answer your question, AMEN!

[Capt_Cully]

Page 20 shows the dead reef, last page 29, shows new regrown reef. Excellent thread!!!!

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=819275&perpage=25&highlight=new%20canvas&pagenumber=29

[RockDocPro]

In our last exciting episode of “Tale of Two Corals,” the bleaching had started involving corals that were next to the doomed millepora. The next day, this is how it looked:

http://i177.photobucket.com/albums/w235/rockdocpro/Tank/TankJune09/IMG_0503.jpg

A day later:

http://i177.photobucket.com/albums/w235/rockdocpro/Tank/TankJune09/IMG_0510.jpg

And yet another day (today):

http://i177.photobucket.com/albums/w235/rockdocpro/Tank/TankJune09/IMG_0545.jpg

Now it was obvious that this coral had seen it’s better days, and was circling the drain. So I clipped off as many frags as I could save from the left edge. The next few pictures tells the rest of the tale:

http://i177.photobucket.com/albums/w235/rockdocpro/Tank/TankJune09/IMG_0555.jpg

http://i177.photobucket.com/albums/w235/rockdocpro/Tank/TankJune09/IMG_0576.jpg

http://i177.photobucket.com/albums/w235/rockdocpro/Tank/TankJune09/IMG_0564.jpg

Alas, the circle of life . . .

The end of the story . . . or is it just the beginning?