Bleaching montipora digitata?

Discussion in 'SPS Corals' started by m_lacom99, Oct 28, 2006.

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  1. m_lacom99

    m_lacom99 Stylophora

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    Went to my LFS today and he gave me a free montipora digitata frag. It looked fine in his tank from the side i could see it. When i got home and put it in the tank i noticed some white on the side that i didnt get to take a look at in my LFS tank. So i just want to know if its bleaching or growing?

    [​IMG]

    If it is bleaching, anything i can do? Let it be, frag it or what? Its my first experience with SPS.

    Thanks for any help

    Marc.
     
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  3. Diver_1298

    Diver_1298 Eyelash Blennie

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    Marc,
    My wife has bought a couple of sps frags that were starting to bleach. Only a very few actually improved in the tank and made it. I am not sure what you can do but I am interested in hearing about what other people think or have done....
    Jim
     
  4. Tangster

    Tangster 3reef Sponsor

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    Cut off the nice healthy looking branches and just frag them to a new rock and toss the dead stuff out. If you do nothing the RTN will spread. I always do an iodine dip after fragging a coral. Then again a Iodine dip maybe will save this one ? But once it has started it seldom stops on its own.
     
    Last edited: Oct 28, 2006
  5. m_lacom99

    m_lacom99 Stylophora

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    Ok so it is bleaching? I have some seachem reef dip would that help any? If so how do you frag that kind of coral, i've only done it with softies.

    Thanks

    Marc.
     
  6. amcarrig

    amcarrig Super Moderator

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    Just wanted to mention that bleaching and RTN are two different "events". Bleaching means that the coral has expelled or lost its zooxanthellae leaving them with a white, bleached appearance. Tissue and polyps remain on the coral and it can eventually recover and color back up. RTN means rapid tissue necrosis and when this happens, the coral loses its polyps and flesh leaving behind only the dead coral skeleton. When I see a coral bleach, I will leave it be. When I see a coral start to RTN, I start fragging like crazy.
     
  7. amcarrig

    amcarrig Super Moderator

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    Take a very close look at the coral and let us know if the coral looks like it has bleached or if it has RTN'd.
     
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  9. m_lacom99

    m_lacom99 Stylophora

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    Will do. Do you have anymore advice on how to identify if its bleaching or it has RTN? Like a said before i'm a total newB when it comes to SPS.

    Thanks

    Marc.
     
  10. amcarrig

    amcarrig Super Moderator

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    I wish I could say more than take a really close look at it to see if you can see polyps on the white part but if you just added it to your tank today, it's quite possible that none of the polyps will be out because it's still adjusting to your tank. Is it possible to take a really really close up picture of the white areas? Was it white like that at the lfs or did this happen after you added it to your tank?
     
  11. rickzter

    rickzter Torch Coral

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    Leave it alone. How long have you had it? If you just noticed it when you first got it, it might be from mal-nourishment. Leave it alone and provide it with the necessary chemicals including Ca. Not sure on Monti's, but Acro's need Strontium to survive in captivity so dose that.

    Also, do you see pieces of skin falling off or "peeling off"? If so, it might be necrosis and even fragging a healthy piece off wont save it. Not with SPS. If it just looks like a bleached area, might just be mal-nourishment as I said before. Leave it alone and research on it with flow requirements, etc.
     
  12. Jason McKenzie

    Jason McKenzie Super Moderator

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    It looks to me like it is natural lack of light and flow Digitata will do that. the white tips of each branch is also normal growth.

    the coral looks good to me. If you get some light and flow to the light parts they with colour up.

    J