should i frag this coral (pic included)

dmilne85 · #1 07/12/2007, 01:22 PM

well unfort. my purple rim cap took a turn for the worse. i have no idea what happend being that my tank is stable and all the levels are in check. my question is should i just frag this up and hope that something makes it? it seems that cyno bacteria has infected alot of it and is eating away the coral day by day. it started losing tissue about a month ago and this is where it is now.

here is a pic, sorry its a not the best quality.

[IMG]IMG]http://i115.photobucket.com/albums/n292/dmilne85/100_1652.jpg[/IMG][/IMG]

dmilne85 · #2 07/12/2007, 01:24 PM

amcarrig · #3 07/12/2007, 01:24 PM

have you checked the coral for nudibranchs?

dmilne85 · #4 07/12/2007, 01:29 PM

i havn't seen any, does that look like nudibranches have munched on it? ive never had them before so i wouldnt know what the signs would be.

amcarrig · #5 07/12/2007, 01:31 PM

Yes, I've noticed that with monti caps, the nudibranchs tend to start munching from underneath then work their way to the edge then towards the middle on the surface of the coral. Get yourself a magnifying glass and take a very close look at your coral.

gasman059 · #6 07/12/2007, 01:31 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by dmilne85
i havn't seen any, does that look like nudibranches have munched on it? ive never had them before so i wouldnt know what the signs would be.

look in the folds or under u will def see them.
Plenty of info here on RC just do a SEARCH ON MONTI EATING NUDIBRACNHES.

Wazzel · #7 07/12/2007, 01:35 PM

I would make a few frags out of it. While you are doing that give it a good cheking for nudi's.

dmilne85 · #8 07/12/2007, 01:38 PM

ill read up on it, def dont seen any nudibranches when inspecting with my bare eyes but who knows... anyways back to the main question... should i cut up my prized coral thats over 12 inches round :0(

amcarrig · #9 07/12/2007, 01:43 PM

Yes but if you have monti eating nudibranchs, you will have to place those frags in quarantine and treat them or they will be eaten just as the parent colony has.

Edit: Wanted to add that newly hatched nudibranchs are barely visable to the naked eye so if you have a magnifying glass, use it. The adults are easy to see as they're a bit larger.

atzak · #10 07/12/2007, 01:49 PM

Check for the nudi's at night with a flashlight

Marko9 · #11 07/12/2007, 02:06 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by dmilne85
ill read up on it, def dont seen any nudibranches when inspecting with my bare eyes but who knows... anyways back to the main question... should i cut up my prized coral thats over 12 inches round :0(

That coral is dying and fast. The cyano is only a secondary problem. If it is not nudi's, what is your PH and how much does it swing at night/ You need to frag that thing up because over half of your prized coral is dead already.

dmilne85 · #12 07/12/2007, 02:09 PM

alright well i guess its time to cut it up, this is goign to be sad. i guess it gives me a chance to aquascape a little and have room for more coral though...

dmilne85 · #13 07/12/2007, 02:13 PM

my ph is about 8.1 (lower due to calcium reactor) during the day, and at night... not sure, i havent checked that in a while. my tank is open and has lots of air flow plus a 20 gallon refugium that runs with lights on at night to help keep control ph swings.

amcarrig · #14 07/12/2007, 02:18 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by dmilne85
and have room for more coral though...

Until you're 100% positive that you don't have these nudibranchs, avoid adding any montis as they will be eaten as well.

Marko9 · #15 07/12/2007, 02:23 PM

I have aregugium on a reverse light schedule and my PH used to drop from 8.1 during the day to 7.6-7.77 at night. I ended up having to add Kalk at night. Now I am 8.2 during the day and 8.0 at night.

pk1 · #16 07/12/2007, 03:59 PM

Have you added anything lately? Any problems with any other corals? I had this exact type of damage after OD'ind on mag...

trueblackpercula · #17 07/12/2007, 04:08 PM

yup time to frag!!! save what you can.
Michael

dmilne85 · #18 07/12/2007, 05:20 PM

alright...welll.. i did it, and i saved what i could... didnt see any nudibranches and i threw out the dead stuff. all my other corals are fine so im not sure what caused that coral to die.

orlandobrian · #19 07/12/2007, 08:19 PM

Do you have other Montis? If so were they fine too? I have a friend who had a similar problem but it was all the montis. Wasnt a nudibranch - but he still doesnt know what caused it. The fragging helped him though.

dmilne85 · #20 07/13/2007, 12:49 AM

yeah i do have other montiporas and they are fine. i really dont know what caused it to die, im stumped.

orlandobrian · #21 07/13/2007, 07:34 AM

dmilne85:
Is the Monti doing well after fragging it? It is problably too early to tell yet huh?

others:
Even though Nudi's werent the problem... Can you control these Monti eating Nudibranches with a Pipefish or Mandrin Gobie?

Wazzel · #22 07/13/2007, 07:51 AM

It is too early to tell. Keep an eye on it. AFAIK any evidence that either of those fish eat nudis is anidoal at best.

orlandobrian · #23 07/14/2007, 07:38 AM

AFAIK?

smcnally · #24 07/14/2007, 07:48 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by orlandobrian
AFAIK?

"As Far As I Know"

That looks like nudi damage to me. I was in the same situation as you a couple of years ago. They hit my purple rim cap and didn't touch the others. The nudis are touch to see, but to give you a description, they are almost white and fuzzy. I originally though they were detritus until I saw them on the move. I was ble to save a 1"x1" frag of my colony by doing a fresh water dip on it.

Here's a picture I took of mine pointing out the nudibranchs

orlandobrian · #25 07/14/2007, 08:00 AM

"AS FAR AS I KNOW"! Thanks!!!! That makes total sense. I just found out what LOL means last week

. You wouldnt happen to know what RTN is would you?