codyja Posted October 13, 2016 Share Posted October 13, 2016 Hi All, I wanted to see if I could get some assistance identifying some stuff. First is a set of Candy Canes with some growth around the base that has started recently. There's several long stringy pieces that are move around in the water flow, but a majority is around the base of the Coral on the rock. Part of the coral skin has started to pull up also. The second issue is with a piece of Acro that I assume is bleaching, but on the undersides only. It actually has some polyp extension on the healthy part. In the middle of the picture, right in the middle of the white is a small snail that's probably 1-2 MM in length. I'm not sure if he's related to this or not. I see a ton of those snails at night, not really on the coral, but just all over the tank. I had my ALK around 12 dkh before this started happening, but I lowered it to 8 where it has been very stable for weeks. Then this happened suddenly about 2 weeks ago. Nitrates are at 5ppm. Anyone have any ideas? Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jestep Posted October 13, 2016 Share Posted October 13, 2016 SPS looks like it is likely suffering from alk issues. But, what are you testing NO3 with? With the level of browning, I'm almost certain you have higher NO3 than your test kit is letting on or you have PO4 issues which both can be masked by consumption from coral and algae. As for the candy cane, it looks like you're having issues with vermetid snails which is the pointy looking thing the purple'ish sponge is encrusting around. These things bother coral to the point where they can cause recession as yours is doing. Could also be the sponge itself, some of these are known to use chemicals as a defense. Not 100% certain on either but these would be my guesses given the pictures and information. Great closeup shots by the way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FarmerTy Posted October 13, 2016 Share Posted October 13, 2016 SPS looks like it is likely suffering from alk issues. But, what are you testing NO3 with? With the level of browning, I'm almost certain you have higher NO3 than your test kit is letting on or you have PO4 issues which both can be masked by consumption from coral and algae. As for the candy cane, it looks like you're having issues with vermetid snails which is the pointy looking thing the purple'ish sponge is encrusting around. These things bother coral to the point where they can cause recession as yours is doing. Could also be the sponge itself, some of these are known to use chemicals as a defense. Not 100% certain on either but these would be my guesses given the pictures and information. Great closeup shots by the way. +1. Alk issues are probably the source of the SPS recession. How long did it take you to drop from 12 dKh to 8 dKh?Also, I agree with the nitrate issue. The acro looks pretty brown. What test are you using? I like to keep my nitrates around 5ppm-10ppm. Any higher and my acros start browning out. Acros will also brown out due to low light (doesn't look the case) or when they have pests. For the candy cane, just might be that sponge encroaching on it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mFrame Posted October 13, 2016 Share Posted October 13, 2016 The first is a sponge overgrowing the base of your candy canes. It is not technically invasive but it will harm the coral (I currently have an orange sponge overgrowing my Texas Trash palys, I didn't think anything could take them on and live). I'd remove it and put it somewhere else in the tank or in your sump. It is great to have and is an excellent filter feeder, it's a sign of a healthy tank. It will do best in shadowy parts of your live rock where it won't compete with corals. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
codyja Posted October 13, 2016 Author Share Posted October 13, 2016 I just looked up vermetid snails and realize I have a lot of those. There's been times where there's tons of stringy thin stuff hanging out of the tubes all over the tank. Need to research that more. I use Salifert for all tests now. I test Nitrate somewhat often and haven't seen over 5 ppm yet. It's been probably 2 or 3 weeks since the last P04 test, but it was 0 at the time. I'll check them all tonight. I don't recall now how fast I dropped the ALK from 12 to 8, but I seem to remember thinking it was a little sudden after the fact. Also my 250W halide 14k bulb is about 9 months old now. I'm thinking I should consider replacing it soon. On that acro, if everything stays stable, should the skin regrow over the white part, or will that stay dead? Thanks for all the info too! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
codyja Posted October 14, 2016 Author Share Posted October 14, 2016 Ran tests this evening to verify where I'm at and here are the results. Alk: 8.4 Cal: 430 Nit: 5ppm Po4: 0ppm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FarmerTy Posted October 14, 2016 Share Posted October 14, 2016 Vermatiid snails are no real problem, just annoying more than anything. Yes, your acros will grow back over the skeleton if happy but it'll take awhile. Numbers look good but I still don't trust your nitrate level. Can you post a full tank shot? What's your Mg level? Salinity? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gig 'em @ NDstructible Posted October 14, 2016 Share Posted October 14, 2016 Not to be an alarmist, but the underside of that acro looks like mine when I had an AEFW infestation. Keep your eye out for bites on the flesh and little eggs on the dead underside of the coral. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Isaac Posted October 14, 2016 Share Posted October 14, 2016 The first is a sponge overgrowing the base of your candy canes. It is not technically invasive but it will harm the coral (I currently have an orange sponge overgrowing my Texas Trash palys, I didn't think anything could take them on and live).time to create a sponge border around palys! one thing that might have been overlooked... water flow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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