Birdsnest not looking so hot

Discussion in 'SPS Corals' started by Godbert, Jun 6, 2008.

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  1. Godbert

    Godbert Montipora Capricornis

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    my birdsnest is looking like the skin is starting to come off, i know this is a delicate coral but i have not done anything to agitate it, my calc levels are at about 490-500, i know its a little high but i thought you were supposed to keep it high for acros, he is right underneath the Mhs and has a decent amount of flow, any ideas?
     
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  3. missionsix

    missionsix Super Moderator Staff Member

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    Can you post a picture of it? Possibly rapid tissue necrosis?
     
  4. Matt Rogers

    Matt Rogers Kingfish

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  5. Jason McKenzie

    Jason McKenzie Super Moderator

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    This is not uncommon. I've had perfectly healthy Birdnest corals RTN in hours. I was never able to find a cause.
    Have you added any other coral or fish lately? or changed Salt brand or additives

    J
     
  6. wildreef

    wildreef Stylophora

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    if any readings of nitrate are above 5ppm , acros tend not to like any thing above that.
    As with most acros, any one purchases from lfs/online they are kept in "sterile" grow out tanks.
    meaning theres nothing of nitrates/phosphates, etc. and when people purchase them and put them in their tanks with readible nitrates , etc. the acros tend to die off rather quickly.

    that gos with out saying where they kept their PH/alk etc.
     
  7. Godbert

    Godbert Montipora Capricornis

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    i use a ph buffer so it is close to 8.4 last time i measured it it was 8.2 i dont know my alk but i have other acros in there that are doing just fine
     
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  9. antonym518

    antonym518 Purple Spiny Lobster

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    All corals are tricky like this, IMO. It could be 1 of a 100 things that could be wrong with it. Try increasing/decreasing light and flow. Logol's dip water change, test params, retest params, so no. Just hope that nothing else happens like that to any of your other coral. Sorry but its the truth, its all an experiment. Every coral/invert acts differently in different enviroments. You may have do nothing wrong just is dying. Just don't change anything that doesn't need to be changed. Aways use the same water, same salt, same temp, same additives. If something is off fix it.
     
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  10. Daniel072

    Daniel072 Giant Squid

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    I agree, for example, ever since my sps tank has been up I've found it pretty easy to grow acropora. The tank has been up for about a year and a half now and it's only been in the last 6 months or so that i've been able to grow monti's of any sort. They just wouldn't live in my tank. This hobby is just unexplainable sometimes.
     
  11. geekdafied

    geekdafied 3reef Sponsor

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    for the record... A "birdsnest" is not an acropora, totally different coral, its a Seriatopora. In my experience, Seriatopora are more delicate then Acro's. Ive had perfectly healthy Seriatopora's bleach out during a 1hr transit to a frag swap before when everything else in the same color was great.

    With your Ca being close to 500, Im betting your Mg is up there as well. If you plan on keeping SPS corals, you have to have a good test kit and know what your Ca, DKH and MG is. If one of those 3 is out of whack, you're asking for problems.
     
  12. wildreef

    wildreef Stylophora

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    ah' ok ok, it is not clasified as an accro.
    learn somthing every day.....