Montipora Turning Brown?

Pat24601

Pat24601

Well-Known Member
I bought 3 montipora frags about a week ago. Two of them look like they are doing great. The third looks like it is turning brown. Any thoughts?

Could it be that before I glued it down snail knocked it over and it took some physical damage?

Could it be location? They were all at about the same light level, but maybe flow is a little different?

Could it be disease of some kind? The dreaded brown jelly popped up in my google search, but I wouldn't recognize it if I saw it.

Chemical warfare of some kind with one of my other corals? It wasn't that close to my frogspawn, but it was closer than the other 2...

I wouldn't think water parameters since my other 2 are fine, but phosphates are at 0.05, which is a touch high. Calcium 450, alk 9.5.

Amy thoughts?

Browning coral:
14brvc7.jpg

Good corals:
2ntjwaf.jpg
 
S

Steve L

Member
Monti's can change color depending on how much light they receive. Usually when they die they bleach out, so the one turning darker probably isn't getting as much light as the other 2 if they were all fragged from the same parent.

I have a green monti that I didn't have room to place on top of a rock so it's at a slight angle. The edges of it began to grow level to get the most light, and the old part that doesn't get as much light is a much darker dull green than the new part getting more light which is bright and vibrant green. I also have a bright orange one that got considerably darker after I bought it because my LED's were not as strong as the lights in the tank they came from.
 
Pat24601

Pat24601

Well-Known Member
Thanks. It could certainly be light and you make an interesting point about the angle. While they are all at the same height, that spot might be more shaded and definitely angles. Let me move it and see what happens,
 
C

Corvus

Member
I would think that light plays a key role in your situation. I had a nice green monti near the top of my tank that was growing nicely at first, but then after about 5-6 months stopped growing. I figured it was dead when coralline algae started to grow all over its once-alive surface! Why did it die? My light was not strong enough (even with the coral near the top). So I got another much stronger LED light fixture and fixed the light problem. I have not bought another monti yet, but the other corals are enjoying the new light.

C.

PS By the way, I love montis!
 
Pat24601

Pat24601

Well-Known Member
Oxylebius said:
It is a week later, how are the corals doing now? What did you end up doing?
Click to expand...

Thanks for the follow up. :)

I did move it it a different location and it's still a bit "brownish", but less than it was. It feels like it is working out better, but another week or so may be telling.

The three causes I read for something like this are:
(1) light
(2) phosphates
(3) relocation stress.

Really, it could have been any of those three.

My phosphates are 0.04, so it could have been that as that is a tiny bit high, but I'm not sure why it wouldn't have impacted the others.

I'm really guessing it is light or relocation stress, in which case I would expect it to continue to get better shortly.

We will see. :)
 
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