1st time RTN

danny zubot · #1 05-21-2008, 05:32 AM

For the first time in almost 6 years in this hobby I've experienced RTN.

I think I caught it soon though because only half of one colony was lost....hopefully.

I came downstair to feed the fish and noticed the smell, you know, the smell of dead acro. So I looked around in the tank and noticed two colonies showing white skeleton. One, my beloved prostrata acro had tissue slaufing(spelling?) off of it. The other was my pink rimmed cap, but it only had a small section that had whitened. Prior to yesterday the cap was in close proximity to a GSP colony that had killed a very small section of it. I moved the GSP, but didn't trim the effected region of the cap. I wonder if I should have? Anyway, I've prunned the cap down, getting rid of the dead pieces. I'm not worried about that colony as it is very hardy, and needed a good pruning anyway.

I am concerned about the prostrata though. It too is a hardy coral but about half of it was gone by the time I noticed it. I fragged out about 5 pieces and mounted them, and I hope that they survive. It saddens me to see my once 7" across acro deminished to a mere 3" colony.

The only thing I really noticed different about the tank was that the temperature was up to 81.4, from it's usual 80.5 degrees. When I discovered the acro, my smaller tuzedo urchin was in the area of it. It couldn't have caused it to RTN could it? Doubtful, since it scurries around all of my SPS with no ill effects. Other than those two things, I can see a reason why these two colonies would suddenly RTN. Any thoughts?

Delphinus · #2 05-21-2008, 05:53 AM

I feel your pain man. 81.5 seems warm to me but if normal is 80.5 that's not even a full degree Celcius difference .. seems implausible. More troubling with temperature spikes, I find, is not the min/max so much as it is the speed of the change though. Have you checked your alkalinity? Alk swings can do a real number on SPS although you'd think it would be more systemic if it was that, and not just 2 pieces.

Good luck..

atcguy · #3 05-21-2008, 07:36 AM

not temperature// last week my tank made it to 84.5 from a normal 80-81 no problem

Drock169 · #4 05-21-2008, 03:31 PM

I had the same thing as atcguy, no problem in my tank

danny zubot · #5 05-21-2008, 08:26 PM

I checked on the colonies this morning and the cap looked fine with the trimming it got. The prostrata has RTN'd more. I'll likely loose the entire colony, along with all of the frags I made last night.

Thankfully, the frag I made of it two months ago is fine, so I'll be able to regrow the colony in time.

bv_reefer · #6 05-22-2008, 02:33 AM

i know how ya feel, i lost all the frags i made from my last colony except the earliest one i fragged, unbelievable how quick it happens, in the morning theres a couple frags that look great and you think they'll pull through, then by afternoon there already peeling like mad at the base and tip

, by far the evilest disease to ever beset an sps reef tank isn't it!

CLINT · #7 05-22-2008, 03:53 AM

I wonder if when you fragged your cap maybe it slimed and somehow that has affected your other coral.Ive had this happen but it's been slime from a ricordea and it very quickly killed a couple small SPS frags in the area.Sorry for your loss and I hope your frag makes it so you dont lose it all together.Clint

sphelps · #8 05-22-2008, 04:15 AM

Like others I also know what you're going through, I recently lost a few corals from STN, some pulled through but are much smaller than before.

I find both STN and RTN to act like an infection and even fraging healthy sections rarely saves the colony.

Usually the cause is difficult to find as it tends to be a result from multiple sources rather than a single one. These corals can usually survive one or two stresses but more can serve to be too much.

I would recommend dosing amino acids as it can improve coral vitality. I have had very good experience from using Zeovits amino acid concentrate. Checking water chemistry would be good for sure. In addition, when you said you could smell the corals, to me that suggests poor skimming. What are you running for a skimmer and have you been maintaining efficient skimming?

danny zubot · #9 05-22-2008, 05:23 PM

After closer inspection of the area last night, I realized that it may have been attacked by another SPS colony under the effected colony. Which is strange because I always thought that Prostrata's were right up there with milli's as far as how aggresive they are. The colony below has a small white patch that doesn't appear to be spreading, but could be considered evidence of a fight between itself and the prostrata.

danny zubot · #10 05-23-2008, 04:38 AM

Well, when I got home all of the frags I made were white. And aside from one small tip the entire mother colony was white aswell. my old frag is still with me though. Somehow, some way, nature will persist.

The colony under it that I suspect it was fighting with got fragged today as well. The Small section of RTN I noticed yesterday grew a bit more so now I'm trying to save it. When will this stop!?

Small bits of the pink rimmed cap are faded but nothing that I'm too worried about. They could have just been damaged during its trimming the other day.

On another note, my carnation coral looks like crap. I guess it doesn't like the taste of dead acro tissue. I hope it perks up soon, I'd hate to loose it too.