Colt Coral Mystery

[GreyHawk1968]

O.K. here's a new one on me. My Colt coral is well over a year old and I had taken a cutting from it and had succesfully attached it to a rock. The two pieces are setting next to one another. It's a 75 Gal Reef mixed: Softies,LPS and SPS. I know there are a lot of people that stick to one type of coral in thier tank but I like the variety. Lighting: Outer Orbit Dual 150 Watt 10K MH and Dual 130W dual Actinics. Water quality is constant. 1.025 SG. 1350PPM Magnesium, 390 PPM calicum, PH of 8.3 , Alk of 10 , Temp 82 , . Iodine supplements twice a week, lime water every night(1400ML) , DT's and zooplex twice a week.
OK, Here's the mystery. The Colts were a light tan or flesh color and all of a sudden(overnight) they went to a ghost white color. Polyps are still expanding and contracting and it is still reactive.
Filtration is a 20G long set up as a refugium and my protien skimmer is in the refugium. Two powerheads in the tank along with a magnum with no media in it, just for flow. All together I'm pushing around 1300 GPH.

[reefnewbie54321]

Sounds like its bleached

[blange3]

Do you test for iodine? What are you using to supplement the iodine?

Also, what other corals do you have in the tank and how are they doing??

[caldel]

Mine is doing the samething. has been beutiful for months. All of the sudden it is shrinking and turning milky white. My water perameters are good and have not chaged sance the COLT was introduced to the tank. It is at the top of the tank in medium flow

[GreyHawk1968]

I supplement with Iodine plus twice weekly. 6.5 ML at a time.
I also have Xenia,which are doing great , about 20 heads of it and more forming all the time.
Star polyps which are extended about all the time.
Yellow polyps , Gheeees do they multiply fast.
Assorted mushrooms all doing well.
Green Gonipora, ya need sunglasses to look at it.
Green and brown Zoas. They do seem a little lighter in color lately.
Tri color Acropora , it extends well. New growth all over it.
Pink Pocillipora. Slow growing but still has its color.
Pink Birdsnest, It looks bleached out also.
Green Trac Brain. A lot bigger than it was when purchased.
Thats about it for the corals. I admit I haven't kept SPS corals for long ,about 6 months I'd guess.
This is the first MH light I have ever had. It's about 4 inches above the water surface. Thought it may be too low.
I did notice something tonight upon inspection of the tank after the lights went out. The colt that has been one large stalk for so long, now I see it is in the process of splitting into several stalks . looks like 5 smaller but equally sized colts are going to come from the split. Once it was drawn up I could see clear through to the rock it's attached to. Plus it has started to attach itself to the neighboring rock.
Coral, such a beautiful and amazing creature. But also so darn confusing.

[vessxpress1]

Mine just started doing the same thing too about a week ago. It has been somewhat gradual. Just the tops started getting a little lighter, but now, they're white halfway down. I have two good sized ones mounted on the same rock and they've expanded with some new stalks growing on the existing rock. I've had these for months.
I messed around with them to try to figure out what could be bothering them and a green striped mushroom about the size of a quarter had popped up behind them and was rubbing on both stalks. It must have been for a long time. So I ripped it out of the tank and now the colts are expanding much better. They're still white but I intend to supplementally feed them more for a while with all kinds of good stuff and see if I can't get their algae grown back.

[sharky_steve]

Could it be shedding its mucous? My colts turn while from time to time, and I usually find a lot of tiny bubbles on them when this happens (I think gases produced from the decomposition of the shed mucous). My remedy is to clean it off by blowing water at it with a turkey baster and the next day the colt always looks better then ever.

[GreyHawk1968]

Mine seems to be getting better. It's color is starting to return and it has never stopped expanding.Only thing now is I have 5 colts,,,,lol . They have all but totally split apart from each other.
I also diffused the light it's getting and that seemed to have helped . MH light bleachs them very easily I guess.
I can run my hand over the colt and it will contract and 15 minutes later it's beck out like it was. I have not noticed any mucus coming from it. I guess I'll chalk this one up to the mysterious things corals do to baffle thier owners.

[jaymz101]

They can and will eject their zooxanthellae when stressed (bleach) usually it's not permanent and they will gradually incorporate it back into their tissue.

Interesting side note, I read the other day that it may be an evolutionary response to new environmental conditions ie: eject the old stuff that doesnt work as well now and find something that works better. Pretty cool.

[GreyHawk1968]

Well that's interesting to say the least. It's hot here and I think I will eject my guts and regrow new ones....lol
My colt is beginning to regain it's color and is looking better with each passing day.
Guess we learn something new every day. Even for an old guy like me.