Anyone ever seen anything like this before (sps death)?

christyf5 · #1 09-10-2010, 03:30 PM

Seriatopora caliendrum on its way out. I've never seen anything like this before. I didn't take any photos of it yesterday but part of it was bleach white so I assume after the polyps swell up like that, the tissue just sloughs off to pollute the tank.

Nearby corals were unhappy as well:

As well, the polyps on my pink pocillipora damicornis and pink irridescent birdsnest are pulled in and they look pretty unhappy. I'm running new carbon and hopefully this doesn't progress any further.

MitchM · #2 09-10-2010, 03:44 PM

It looks to me like you have some serious chemical warfare going on in there.

Mitch

christyf5 · #3 09-10-2010, 04:01 PM

Well yeah, but I'd like to know what the heck triggered it. These corals have all lived together for a couple years now (first in the 90 and now in the 180).

MitchM · #4 09-10-2010, 04:07 PM

Well, if they've all been living together for a while now, they've all been growing, right?
Maybe your schedule of water changes and carbon renewal needs to be upped a bit to keep up?

Mitch

christyf5 · #5 09-10-2010, 04:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MitchM

Well, if they've all been living together for a while now, they've all been growing, right?
Maybe your schedule of water changes and carbon renewal needs to be upped a bit to keep up?

Mitch

Perhaps, currently I do a 20% weekly waterchanges and well, yeah the carbon could be changed more often I think I do it every 3-4 weeks right now.

Borderjumper · #6 09-10-2010, 04:22 PM

What kind of carbon? There were some posts a while back about a certain carbon having iron chunks in it

christyf5 · #7 09-10-2010, 04:22 PM

I'm using Kent carbon. I've done the magnet test and it seems ok (ie. not much stuck to the magnet, maybe a couple little pellets).

MitchM · #8 09-10-2010, 04:25 PM

That sounds like enough.
Maybe a larger quantity of carbon?
Maybe increase circulation around the SPS to help them process the toxins through?
Mind you, their tissues are probably fairly delicate being inflated like that.
Tough balance.

Mitch

MitchM · #9 09-10-2010, 04:30 PM

Here's a term for you:

Extracoelenteric Digestion:

Corals expel digestive filaments which contain cnidocytes (digestive fluids).

Cnidocytes can be expelled from the digestive track en masse (puking) onto a nearby coral, digesting it.

Sounds lovely....

Mitch

Delphinus · #10 09-10-2010, 04:33 PM

AI yi yi.

My biggest worry about this sort of thing, beyond the chemical warfare is if it could be a pathogen of some kind (baterial, viral, or protozoan). The real worry with that is that it's 1) impossible to verify or test for, 2) essentially impossible to treat for. It's sort of like a greenhouse with bugs and all you can do is hope they die out on their own or that the stock becomes resistent to it.

I hope that this is an isolated incident. Sorry, I realize I've said nothing helpful ... just that I sympathize (and empathize) and wish you good luck!!