Urgent Need help now! Asap! PICTURES!!!!

First, sorry about the lack of quality pictures but I am sure you will see what I am seeing. Tonight while staring into my reef I noticed something about my Acro I have never seen before. On the back side out of sight appeared to be a white shade on the coral. This is in a shaded area of the coral due to the branches over head. I have read horror stories on RTN. I grabbed the coral and took these pics. Please advise me what to do.
Params were checked first and are as follows.
Ph 8.2----normal
Alk 9----normal I usually hang at 9 or 10 with little or no shifts for long periods of time
Cal 420-----low I usually hang at 480. Not sure why I had the drop in Cal. I run kalk in my ATO and have done this for a long time without any issues. I did dose a little reef complete to try to bring this up.
Nitrites, Nitrates, Am, Phos all undetectable. I have had this coral for about 6 months. I have seen some good growth from it. If you look closely the pictures will show the growth at the tips and even at the base spreading out over the rock. All of my other corals seem fine. I have several montis that are growing like champs and a birdsnest that is more vibrant than ever. My birdsnest I have noticed in the past has the same thing happen to it. On the bottom side of the branches near the base the coral turns white but it never appears to actually die. However, this seems different on my acro. There is no tissue what so ever on the white portion of the acro. Please help!!!!!!


See the base here. This would be the back side where it is shaded. Even the new growth out across the rock has turned white.


This would be the front side of the colony in perspective to the front of the tank


Another shot of that spot


Another


Another


Top view. Not a great pic sorry. But notice the new growth at the ends. Polyps are closed because of my freak out and grabbing the coral. But they have been open everyday.


This is again the front side


Panic setting in


Lousy picture but this is the corals orientation in the tank. Notice the bottom back/right of the coral. This is shaded.

 

Bump

 

Corals don't spend energy maintaining tissue if it is not productive. It sounds like that is the case here. I.e. the coral is allowing the shaded tissue to die because it is not doing anything for the coral. If the tissue exposed to light starts to die, then it may be an issue. From what you've described, that doesn't sound like it is the case though. Is that correct?

 

I think or at least I am hoping this is the issue here at hand. I have never had any of my SPS turn on me like this though. (With exception of the touchy birdsnest) But this for some reason seems different. Yes it is completely shaded in this section. It has great flow especially directly on the dead portion. Am I panicing for no reason?? Love this coral. Pictures dont do justice.

 

Red Bugs? acro eating flatworms? Do you dip all new coral?



Param swing? Temp swing? Too much/not enough light?

By the way your RBTA is sweet!

 

No way on the temp swings. I got 4 therms in that thing and they are all closely monitored. Param swing maybe. Cal is low for some unknown reason to 420. Normal is 480 for me. Everything else is stable. Reef complete dosed. No movement or adjustment in lighting schedule. All is automated. Red bugs maybe? Ive noticed my 6 inch Toadstool hasnt opened in 3 days and my gorg seems pissed. The other night I got a flash light and saw what I thought were tiny red critters running like hell to get out of the light on the toadstool. Never seen any kind of flatworm to suggest I have any that would do this. Sump is plum full of flatworms, bristleworms, stars of various types, and a multitude of unknown critters but they do not go into DT that I have ever seen. Threw out a star the other day that was attacking my hammers. Lots of new heads maybe 25 coming out the side of the main colony. The star was on it like it was a freaking buffet! He went down the drain. And yes all corals are dipped.

 

And thank you on the RBTA. That guy is irritating though. You cannot tell from the picture but he is actually attached to the bottom of that rock. At night when it receeds he hangs upside down!

 

Could be red bugs or acro eating flatworms. Could just be your calcium swing.

by the way. For night watching in the tank. I bought one of these: Red LED Flashlight This way things wont scurry to get out of the bright white light. You can snoop around all night and it's fairly cheap too.

 

So if I wake up in the morning and check my tank and this hasnt progressed any further I will wait it out. But, if it has spread which would say to me RTN then I should frag correct? Looking for any input on this. Especially if you have battled RTN in the past.

 

What about super glueing the edges of the live tissue around the dead tissue? Anybody ever done this or heard of it?