Large sps colony dying from the bottom?

[Animal-Chin]

hmmm maybe. Would this cause the tissue to go from green/pink one day to pure white from the bottom of the coral to the top of some branches in 1 day though? I was cutting off entire dead branches of the coral that were totally healthy the day before. I've never seen anything like it. I'm googling and finding people talking about Rapid Tissue N somethingorother but no one really seems to really understand whats happening. I'm reading alk, I'm reading temp, I'm reading light...lol

So ya, like everything else in reef keeping its a mystery. I'll have to test the heck out of everything tonight.

[whatcaneyedo]

That is my experience with large SPS coral. They reach a maximum size after 3-5 years and then the lower branches no longer receive enough light and flow so they die from the bottom up. At this point I usually haul the entire coral out, break it up, start it over again from a large frag and sell off the rest.

[Animal-Chin]

Thanks for the comments everyone.

[rsisvixen]

Could be that was just it for the lifespan of the coral.

[SeaHorse_Fanatic]

Originally Posted by rsisvixen

Could be that was just it for the lifespan of the coral.

3 years is a very short time in the lifespan of a coral.

It may also be lack of flow, combined with limited lighting. I know that with a lot of poccilipora sps colonies, the heads on the outside look healthy, but the inside branches are bare or sparse for live polyps.

[Animal-Chin]

I'd believe light over flow but really don't believe either. I have a LOT of both.

Its the colony right under the square back anthias. Its up high so lots of light and in a really good flow area...

[rsisvixen]

Originally Posted by SeaHorse_Fanatic

3 years is a very short time in the lifespan of a coral.

I was reading documentation about cumulative lifespans, they were discussing zoanthids specifically but I don't see why it shouldn't apply to all corals.
The premise is that a coral has a lifespan = to x years and that is built into the genetic code, so in theory you have the original colony, say its got a lifespan of 200 years, its 150 years old when Bob the diver takes a frag/whole colony. This then lives in a tank for x years, fragged, frags live x years, etc, but once those extra 50 years are up, no matter the age of the frags the timer is up and the coral and all its frags die.
The theory being that frags aren't offspring but still part of the original animal and thus subject to the original genetic code.
Was an interesting read.

[Aquattro]

I'd look for pests or something stinging it. Sure, large colonies can start to fade at the bottom, but not in a day or two from a healthy colony. It's location is a premium spot in the tank, lots of flow and light. I do 50% water changes all the time, so I doubt that either, and it wouldn't limit the effect to one colony. something else going on here.