staghorn, acropora problems

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Rye_84

Member
I was wondering if someone could tell me what to do to stop this problem. I always seem to have a problem whenever I try to keep a staghorn or acropora coral. The tissue just starts to shed off. I have done dips in a "safe" solution to rid it of parasites. I have broken the the parts of the coral apart from the parts that seem to be having problems but still haven't had luck keeping these. Anyone have any recommendations?

Here is a picture of my latest attempt at failure...
 

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framerguy

framerguy

Well-Known Member
What are your tank parameters:
Calc
Alk
Mag
PH
NH4
NO2
NO3
temp
SG
Lighting
placement in tank
Flow
how long before shedding occurs
 
R

Rye_84

Member
calc-400-425
alk- 8
mag- no test kit
Ph- 8.3
NH4, no3, no2- 0
temp 78
sg 1.025
lighting 400w halide
placement is mid range to the side of the metal halide to acclimate
flow is 4 maxi jets, 1 modded
I just got it yesterday afternoon and already one of the branches is pretty much gone. I just read that super gluing the bare skeleton and edges of the tissue loss will stop it from continuing. Think that is a good idea?
 
framerguy

framerguy

Well-Known Member
It sounds like RTN. Not much can be done and it's hard to watch. I would try the superglue, although I've not heard of it before. Also, fragging the still healthy parts may work. Have you had this kind of acro before that did this? If so, I have read that after RTN happens in a tank that you may not be able to support that particular kind of acro again. Your parameters seem good on the surface. I'm assuming there are no serious PH fluctuations or temp fluctuations. One possible cause of RTN is temp fluctuation. I would PM Snappy, he has a tank full of SPS and would be more help probably. Sorry I couldn't be of more assistance.
 
reefman420

reefman420

Active Member
i also had a stag horn rtn on me,their is not much u can do,i know it sux.I narrowed it down to a salinity swing.But i also had two stags,the frag is the one that rtn,but the coloney that was not even three inch's away was nt effected at all.
 
R

Rye_84

Member
super glue rocks!! From the time it started last night before bed to this morning almost 1/4 of the frag had lost its tissue. I took the frag out of the aquarium and removed one of the branches that was beyond repair and super glued the crap out of any areas with exposed skeleton and the edges of all the tissue. It is about 10 hours later with no signs of any tissue loss. I will continue to monitor the frag closely to see if I fixed the problem or not. I'm hoping I did. Unfortunately I still don't know why it continues to happen.
 
Frankie

Frankie

Well-Known Member
RS STAFF
Super glue to the rescue! LOL :)
What other corals do you keep in the tank? You could be having chemical warfare going on in there. Are you acclimating these corals before adding them? 20 minutes slow drip is how i do it. How about a full tank shot?
 
R

Rye_84

Member
I don't know what all of the corals are exactly because I ordered a pack of frags from online. I know there are quite a few montipora. I have 2 birdsnest, galaxea, an open brain and many others. Mainly SPS. I do the slow drip for anywhere from 15-30 minutes and then add them lower and to the sides of the tank. I'll try and get a picture of the tank as it is now tomorrow when the lights turn on. The only full shot that I have was when I first set up my 75 back in May and the positioning of everything has changed since then because I felt everything was too crammed.
 
Frankie

Frankie

Well-Known Member
RS STAFF
I will look for the pictures tomorrow. Super glue will work i have seen it done. But it does not fix the problem in the tank if there is one. Acros are some of the most sensitive corals to keep.
 
R

Rye_84

Member
here is the full tank shot, all the frags are still very small, but there has been substantial growth in a lot of them.
 

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framerguy

framerguy

Well-Known Member
One other question... how close is the Galaxia? I ask because they are among the most potent stingers in the aquarium trade and have sweeper tentacles up to 12 inches. It could be as simple as he's being stung.
 
C

crawlerman2

New Member
I had a similar problem and it was phosphates. It can also happen if you have a big swing in your alk. Like if you saw it was low and brought it up to fast. You also need a quality skimmer to keep some acros happy or do a lot of water changes. Although it looks like you have a light bio load
 
R

Rye_84

Member
I am really not sure what it is. Its possible the coral was just beginning to have problems when I got it from the LFS and I didn't notice it. Whatever caused it though, the glue has stopped it from spreading. The frag is on its way to becoming a nice colony as long as it doesn't happen again.
 
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