STN on my green birdsnest?

[krak256]

I think I may have STN on my green birdsnest. the skin has been peeling off the base of the coral very slowly over the past couple of days.

Here is a pic:
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2506/3970117111_406fac43e6_b.jpg

you can see the skin peeled off on the bottom right. what do I do to stop this? I have a 34g solana and I did a 5g water change on sunday. no other corals in my tank have this issue.

[sedor]

If its a pest of some sort that is aggrivating the coral and causing it to STN then you could determine what it is and remove the pest, but my guess that isn't the case. Best thing to do is just watch it carefully and make sure it doesn't keep growing every day and hopefully it will stop peeling and grow back.

[krak256]

i noticed a bit more flesh has peeled off. only 1-2mm. what is causing this?

[Henry Bowman]

I think they do this naturally, the top of the branches shade the lower parts until there is not enough light to support the coral. I have the same coral that's nearly the size of a volleyball, the inside of it looks the same but I have to look close because it is so dense and healthy on the outer area.

All the other corals in my tank are fine. I dip with interceptor, and revive. Started my system by QT'ing all my rock and treating, then QT'ing and treating each and every item I have put into it. There are NO bugs in my tank. I am very diligent about QT'ing my corals and fish.

[tastingSalty]

I am not someone that can rule out the possibility of any pests, but my green birdsnest does something similar to what Henry described. The higher branches shade the lower branches to where the polyps lose their vibrant color.

However.....

Now that I look at your coral, the very bottom of it on the right side of the first split looks to me like it could be losing tissue. JMO. Hopefully some experts here can help you.

[PogoMonogo]

whats the flow like on that piece?

[krak256]

I am not someone that can rule out the possibility of any pests, but my green birdsnest does something similar to what Henry described. The higher branches shade the lower branches to where the polyps lose their vibrant color.

However.....

Now that I look at your coral, the very bottom of it on the right side of the first split looks to me like it could be losing tissue. JMO. Hopefully some experts here can help you.

tastingsalty, u are correct. there is flesh coming off. i'm not concerned about the lack of color on the bottom, it has always been brown vs green up top. i just dont know why i'm losing flesh on the bottom right.

the flow is pretty good on it, not that strong tho. the colony has always been in the same spot, from when i got it as a 1.5 in frag.

[krak256]

I just ran some tests:
http://i178.photobucket.com/albums/w278/krak256/DSC_0044.jpg

Top left: Nitrate = 0
Top right: Nitrate = .5 - 1 (maybe?)
Bottom left: PH = 8.4
Bottom right: Ammonia = 0 (is that correct? the color is kind of mixed)

calcium is at 400 ppm

what do u guys think?

[peteyp923]

looks like your ammonia is between 0 and .25...

[greenmonkey51]

looks like your ammonia is between 0 and .25...

If it was ammonia the whole tank would be crashing. I have the same problem with my green birdsnest. They just get so clustered the lower parts just can't get the light.

[Prince916]

I have 4 different kinds of birdsnest in my tank and they do the samething. Only the part that does not or barely hit any lights turns white but still have some polyp extension. Same for my green and purple pocci.

[ADMTyPeReEf-eR]

+1 on the problem ? wonder the same thing

[krak256]

i tested my alk today with salifert, its at 7.55. thats ok right? maybe a bit low?

[krak256]

I have 4 different kinds of birdsnest in my tank and they do the samething. Only the part that does not or barely hit any lights turns white but still have some polyp extension. Same for my green and purple pocci.

its not even that it's white, theres no flesh on the coral.

[jbird69]

My green BN went into STN with lower alk. I almost lost the whole colony. There was only a few polyps peaking thru a mat of bryopsis. I got things corrected and its thriving and returnign to its former glory. I cant tell if thats an ORA GBN but the ORA is a lot fuller and shaggy with PE. That one there doesnt look totally happy. Are your other corals doing well? Have you tried moving the BN to lower light and less flow? Mine dont like strong flow or high light too well. 9dkh has been the magic number for me for crazy color, growth and all around health

[Henry Bowman]

Alk swings are most harmful to any SPS. Raising it should be done VERY SLOWLY ! I run a Zeo sustem and keep my alk at 7.5 dKH all the time with no ill affects. In non Zeo systems, 7.5 is lower than I have kept it in the past but it is close to that of Natural Sea Water. For a non ULNS (Zeo or Brightwell / vodka dosed tank), I would recomend an alk of 9 and keep it very steady.

[krak256]

j bird, my other SPS are doing fine. my GBN used to be shaggier, but recently the PE is much shorter. its starting to grow into the line of my vortech mp20. most other GBN i see are like mine now, not shaggy.

should i just cut off the base and reglue it to the rock?

[Toadally]

I wouldn't worry too much about it. It looks like the lower parts are just being shaded to me. JMO

[krak256]

if u look on the bottom right, u can see that the flesh is gone. bump for whether i should cut off the bottom and reglue the colony.

[krak256]

i'm still getting tissue recession on the lower right of the frag. its started to creep up to the first brand that juts out to the right. my dkh stays around 7.5 and calcium is around 425. what's causing this? should i just cut off the base and reglue it?

[acrylic_300]

You could pull it and dry the base off and apply super glue gel to the effected area.

You might even want to scrape the base clean with a razor before putting the gel on.

It will probably stop the stn but I doubt the coral will ever encrust over the area because birds nests seldom attach themselves to anything.


They don't mind being moved around like other corals...they may even like it.

[krak256]

thanks fort the help acrylic. i think imma dip the coral in pro cure tonight, and do what u said. i'll probably also cut off the base and reglue.