bring back colony from bleaching

Ron Popeil · 09/07/2009, 12:20 PM

i have a large colony of green slimer that bleached out during a combination of summer heat and a long period without lights. randomly three other colonies out of the dozen or so in my system also suddenly bleached while the other corals remained unaffected. regardless, with the bleaching suddenly red bugs appeared on the slimer, which were swiftly dealt with. the other bleached colonies slowly lost their polyps and died, while the slimer remains. there are still bright neon green polyps and the structure appears to have tissue on it, albeit white. the tips of all the branches all have turned blue now.

i do not want this colony to die like the others. ive been feeding the tank more and adding adding amino acids. ive been keeping a close watch on my PO4 levels (.02) All my other corals are still growing unaffected from the event three weeks ago, the other bleached corals are slowly getting their color back. ever so slowly.

would running my lights longer help? im currently using a 400w XM 20k with two actinic + T5s. would switching out to a 10k bulb fry the slimer colony, or help it recover faster?

any ideas would be appreciated! thank you!

tas5tas · 09/07/2009, 12:26 PM

Do not switch bulbs!!! Do not lengthen the photo period either. keep a good eye on all of your levels as you are doing. Do weekly water changes of 10%-15% for the next couple of months to make sure they have the essential elements they need and that the water stays free of toxins from the stressed corals. Stability is the key here. When something is stressed out, you don't want to go making big changes with lighting colors or photo period. You may want to try increasing the flow a little also to help carry nutrients to the corals better.

09/07/2009, 12:20 PM	#1
Ron Popeil Love them clownfish. Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Tigard, Oregon Posts: 1,801	bring back colony from bleaching i have a large colony of green slimer that bleached out during a combination of summer heat and a long period without lights. randomly three other colonies out of the dozen or so in my system also suddenly bleached while the other corals remained unaffected. regardless, with the bleaching suddenly red bugs appeared on the slimer, which were swiftly dealt with. the other bleached colonies slowly lost their polyps and died, while the slimer remains. there are still bright neon green polyps and the structure appears to have tissue on it, albeit white. the tips of all the branches all have turned blue now. i do not want this colony to die like the others. ive been feeding the tank more and adding adding amino acids. ive been keeping a close watch on my PO4 levels (.02) All my other corals are still growing unaffected from the event three weeks ago, the other bleached corals are slowly getting their color back. ever so slowly. would running my lights longer help? im currently using a 400w XM 20k with two actinic + T5s. would switching out to a 10k bulb fry the slimer colony, or help it recover faster? any ideas would be appreciated! thank you! __________________ ...he came with a razor blade bound, like us all, for the ocean... Current Tank Info: 60 gallon amphiprion nigripes/heteractis magnifica cube. 45 gallon amphiprion tricinctus/heteractis crispa cube. 175 gallon chrysogaster, chrysopterus, akindynos, latezonatus clownfish/bubble tip magnifica anemone reproduction system.

09/07/2009, 12:26 PM	#2
tas5tas Registered Member Join Date: May 2007 Location: Lumberton,TX Posts: 607	Do not switch bulbs!!! Do not lengthen the photo period either. keep a good eye on all of your levels as you are doing. Do weekly water changes of 10%-15% for the next couple of months to make sure they have the essential elements they need and that the water stays free of toxins from the stressed corals. Stability is the key here. When something is stressed out, you don't want to go making big changes with lighting colors or photo period. You may want to try increasing the flow a little also to help carry nutrients to the corals better. __________________ In school for the next few years, but will be back bigger and better than ever!! Current Tank Info: Hiatis from hobby