High Tide Aquatics

When tissue necrosis starts at the base ...

A_Lee

A_Lee

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Hey all, this one goes out to all you coral crazies :glasses: just wanted to ask a question for my own personal knowledge (thank goodness it is not happening to my corals :) )

Often times in threads on other forums (like Reef Central > SPS forum, for instance), there are many threads regarding SPS frags starting to die, or show tissue necrosis from the base of the frag/colony, and up. Whilst other threads, you have some folks who are experiencing tissue necrosis in an opposite fashion, from the tip to the base.

Is either one of these conditions (base to tip, and tip to base necrosis) due to, or correlated to a certain problem, such as low/high alkalinity, or low/high calcium, too little flow versus too high flow, et cetera?

Also, are there any factors in particular that induce RTN, or STN? I'd imagine RTN would take place in response to something very traumatic happen to a coral. Likewise, I would imagine STN being indicative of a constant or chronic error in water quality, or chemistry? That's what I am speculating anyways.

Thanks!
 
Usually low alk causes STN from the bottom up and high alk causes tip burn. STN usually comes from long term stress, and RTN is caused by some sort of rapid change or bacterial infection (mostly Vibrio), my tank just experienced a bout with rtn for some unknown reason and I lost some VERY nice pieces :(
 
Thanks for the low down, but so sorry to hear you lost some nice pieces Jeremy :(
Can a healthy coral come down with a bacterial infection out of no where? I can understand an infection more likely occurring in a colony that recently went through a fragging session (at the site of fragmentation).
So, if STN from the base to the tip of a coral is indicative of low alkalinity and tests prove this to be the case, the best thing to do I assume, would be to rectify the alkalinity problem, and all should be well?
 
I fight recession all the time, it's part of the game when you're playing with fire like me (reefing on the edge)

Best thing to do is to test your tank regularly and get an idea of it's consumption, that way you can keep things stable easily.
 
tuberider said:
I fight recession all the time, it's part of the game when you're playing with fire like me (reefing on the edge)
Click to expand...

Pardon my asking, but what do you mea by "reefing on the edge?" Reefing on the edge as in keeping very difficult to keep species?
 
Not really, more of a super low tech approach to reefing combined with a super unstable ambient environment. I live with the idea (as all reefers should) that my tank could crash at any moment.
 
You have a low tech approach? I only have a skimmer :) No calcium reactor, or phosban reactors here either. I don't even have room for a refugium :(
 
Oh, I agree, I agree. As a good friend of mine once mentioned; less technology, more biology :bigsmile:
Hey Jeremy, one more question! I got a small mini-colony of Milleopora. I placed it nice and high in my tank, so it gets some nice intense light. However the undersides of some of the branches aren't getting any (barely) light. Will these areas just die? Likewise with the encrusting portion; one area doesn't get much light because the branches shade it.
I've never had a colony this large before, but I suppose you just let it be, and watch the tips grow? :)
Thanks!
 
A_Lee said:
Oh, I agree, I agree. As a good friend of mine once mentioned; less technology, more biology :bigsmile:
Hey Jeremy, one more question! I got a small mini-colony of Milleopora. I placed it nice and high in my tank, so it gets some nice intense light. However the undersides of some of the branches aren't getting any (barely) light. Will these areas just die? Likewise with the encrusting portion; one area doesn't get much light because the branches shade it.
I've never had a colony this large before, but I suppose you just let it be, and watch the tips grow? :)
Thanks!
Click to expand...


Sometimes you'll see STN on those area that do not receive light, sometimes they thrive through feeding, it really depends on more variables than we can calculate. I have a few colonies that were mounted, grew, and receded and now look like they just grew out of the live rock.
 
Well make sure it has really good flow and food, but other than that millis table so eventually there will be shaded area on the coral so there is nothing you can do about it.
 
Low tech is cool becuase it's all about how good YOU are...not your equipment. But,...but gadgets and widgets are fun to play with... :D
 
Hm, I noticed a couple tips on my pink acroproa colony are turning brown (not sure if it is algae, or coloration change). Water quality checks out. I'm getting kind worried :(
 
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