Green Slimer Help

[duoc9119]

Got a nice sized frag from the LFS, and was advised that it has RTN.

http://i776.photobucket.com/albums/yy44/duoc9119/Fish%20tank/Photo1029.jpg

It was free, and the first SPS I've had so I'm not really sure what I'm doing.

So then was advised to frag the living tips and hope that it didn't spread to the whole piece.

http://i776.photobucket.com/albums/yy44/duoc9119/Fish%20tank/Photo1037.jpg

They produced a good amount of slime when I was fragging and when put back in the tank. An hour later, the polyps are back out.

Thoughts? Should the Green Slimer frags be fine?

[trameaa]

Sometimes they make it, sometimes they don't. If they're not going to pull through, you'll probably know quickly - RTN spreads rapidly. One of my favorite corals is actually one that I saved from one of the LFS. Granted, mine was completely brown, not RTN.
I'd say if you still have them in 72 hours either things are turning around or it's actually STN.

Good Luck!

[duoc9119]

Sometimes they make it, sometimes they don't. If they're not going to pull through, you'll probably know quickly - RTN spreads rapidly. One of my favorite corals is actually one that I saved from one of the LFS. Granted, mine was completely brown, not RTN.
I'd say if you still have them in 72 hours either things are turning around or it's actually STN.

Good Luck!

So how would I know if its STN or not?

[ChicagoReefOne]

Literally it will be 24 hours before you know and there's nothing you can do at this point.

[duoc9119]

So its a waiting game. Bring. It. On.

[Acipenser]

In case you did not know...
RTN is Rapid Tissue Necrosis - tissue "dissolves" very rapidly (1-2 days max).
STN is Slow Tissue Necrosis - tissue "dissolves" more slowly (depending on the size of the coral can take many days).

To my knowledge there is no known single causitive agent, but it is a process of coral death.

It should not take long for you to find out.

[duoc9119]

the frags are only 1/4"-1/2" so if it is either, it would be completely dead by the end of the week?

[tpallas]

Alk drop or swing?

[duoc9119]

Alk drop or swing?

Doesn't seem like it. Has been stable for quite some time

[Jeremy Blaze]

A dying frag is not the best to try as your first sps.

I understand it was free, but, its still a dying frag, of a type you have no experience with.

I've never kept a goat, and I sure wouldn't try a dying one as my first.

[duoc9119]

I wasn't aware that it was dying seeing how it was the first SPS. I figured polyps were extended, and thinking along the lines of soft corals, that is a good sign.

What are you going to do? Gotta start somewhere, kind of a learn as you go

A dying frag is not the best to try as your first sps.

I understand it was free, but, its still a dying frag, of a type you have no experience with.

I've never kept a goat, and I sure wouldn't try a dying one as my first.

[Jeremy Blaze]

Flesh peeling off should be a pretty good sign something is dying.

I understand "you gotta start somewhere"

You should start by researching Before you buy.

If you did not know what RTN was, a qucik google seach would tell you a ton.

[duoc9119]

I've done some readings on SPS and when I heard peeling, I literally thought visibly coming off. This piece just had receded a bit, assuming it was fragged recently.

After this I do know what to look for if I do decide on continuing SPS. It was an honest mistake anyone could have made if they are branching out to new things. You just have to give it a try and learn as you go.

I've only really grazed RTN and STN, no one is really sure of why it happens. Thinking it was something more along the lines of rotting flesh

Flesh peeling off should be a pretty good sign something is dying.

[Acipenser]

Personally, I think that you made a good choice. You selected a coral that is relatively hardy, and as you say it was free. If it truly was RTNing as told to you by the LFS, there is not much anyone could have done for the coral. If not, you might be able to save it.

You can do all of the research in the world, but at some point you got to put a coral in your tank. That is when you really learn.

To get back to the topic of the thread - How are the frags doing? Still alive?

[duoc9119]

It was more of hospitality than choice. They were kind enough to give me one of their green slimer frags since all they had were your high end zoas and show piece corals.

As far as I can tell, no receding flesh, and polyps are still extended out. They were never really retracted to begin with unless you count the fragging process. So it must not be RTN since it's been a day or two already after fragging.

Personally, I think that you made a good choice. You selected a coral that is relatively hardy, and as you say it was free. If it truly was RTNing as told to you by the LFS, there is not much anyone could have done for the coral. If not, you might be able to save it.

You can do all of the research in the world, but at some point you got to put a coral in your tank. That is when you really learn.

To get back to the topic of the thread - How are the frags doing? Still alive?

[007Bond]

A dying frag is not the best to try as your first sps.

I understand it was free, but, its still a dying frag, of a type you have no experience with.

I've never kept a goat, and I sure wouldn't try a dying one as my first.

+1---I have to agree with this! Dying goats are not a good thing!!:spin1:

[d0ughb0y]

free or not, you are playing Russian roulette by adding a frag with a known problem into your tank. you might get lucky now, but I'd think twice next time before adding any coral with a problem. better to be safe than sorry. just my 2 cents.

back to the green slimmer, if you don't see any further tissue loss, then it should be fine.

[duoc9119]

Live and learn. Still have to start somewhere.

I didn't know what to look for and no one could really explain what RTN or STN looks like besides flesh falling off the skeleton.

[xcorallusx]

maybe your lights were too strong, if its free there could be something wrong with it, maybe they had a alk spike the day before they gave it to you.

[duoc9119]

I raised my light up a bit in case it was. They had quite a few frags since they had just recently fragged them from a mother colony, and they gave it to me for helping them figure out their security system because someone had gone in the store and stolen a phone off the counter.

maybe your lights were too strong, if its free there could be something wrong with it, maybe they had a alk spike the day before they gave it to you.

[Acipenser]

Ok. A little confused.

Did the frag look like the initial picture when you got it or after it had been in your tank for awhile?

My initial interpretation was that it looked like that when you got it from the LFS, and that they had given it to you free because it was RTNing.

[duoc9119]

Thats what it looked like when I got it.

I'm sure they wouldn't purposely give me a RTN frag. It could've been a bad frag from the lot.

Plus, I've only really heard of RTN and STN, even with research nothing really concrete as to what I should be looking for. Thinking it should be obviously rotting or something because of the necrosis in RTN.

Maybe someone can give me a better definition besides flesh is falling off or its dying. You know, something helpful. :strange:

Ok. A little confused.

Did the frag look like the initial picture when you got it or after it had been in your tank for awhile?

My initial interpretation was that it looked like that when you got it from the LFS, and that they had given it to you free because it was RTNing.