Is my montipora sick?

[flyerfridge01]

I just noticed a small white patch on the top of my montipora. Is this it dying or being sick? I am new to hard corals and could really use some advice on this one!

 

[Ingy]

How long have you had it? The whitish edges show the coral is still growing. I'm wondering if it is wounded on the backside from the fragging process.

 

[Flyerfridge]

I have had him for about 3 weeks. I just moved him to the bottom of the tank for fear of bleaching beginning.

 

[Sniperhank]

Take a turkey baster to it or gently wave some water at it...I have this all the time on my monti. If it is what happens in my tank, you have found yourself some sand.

 

[flyerfridge01]

It doesn't appear to be sand. About 3 weeks ago when I initially wrote this thread I had moved it to the bottom of my 55gallon tank. I had moved it up to mid way in the tank about a week ago when there was no change. Now it appears that the white is spreading. I just put it back to the bottom of the tank.

 

[flyerfridge01]

I did a coral dip tonight. The pictures show what came off them. Are these nudibranches?

 

[Sniperhank]

No, those look like pods. Nudibranch don't feed on montipora.

 

[bribo12]

No, those look like pods. Nudibranch don't feed on montipora.

Yes they do...however I agree those arent nudis.

 

[Sniperhank]

Must be one of those days...you're right about that. Still aren't nudibranch. You'd see a slug with large protrusions coming out of the back about as long as your fingernail.

 

[bribo12]

Must be one of those days...you're right about that. Still aren't nudibranch. You'd see a slug with large protrusions coming out of the back about as long as your fingernail.

We all have them . Yep spot on with the description.

 

[Sniperhank]

To keep on topic on your monti, tell us more about your tank so we can figure out what is going on. Did you acclimate the coral to your tank or lighting? What is your lighting? What is the tank size and flow?
It might come down to wanting to fragging a piece of your monti off if the bleaching keeps spreading.

 

[bribo12]

If it's bleaching from the center out it could be stn. Any sudden changes in parameters lately or lighting?

 

[flyerfridge01]

What is stn? No, no changes in parameters or lighting.

 

[flyerfridge01]

It's a 55 gallon tank. 4 high output 39watt t5's ( 2 actinic, 2 daylight). I try to keep the parameters like so: ph8.2-8.4, calcium is about 440-460, ammonia, nitrate, nitrite all typical at 0ppm. Medium flow. I have two power heads on opposite sides of the tank pointing up, they are on a cycle every half hour, with a couple hour break at night when they stop. Salinity around 1.023 never higher than 1.025. The only change in lighting was a change of a daylight lamp to an actinic. So I had three day lights in when I first got him then made this change about two weeks later. I do about a 10 gallon water change every two weeks.
Let me know if there was anything I left out that might help save this little guy.

I think I would have a hard time fragging off a piece if the bleaching continues bc he is already so small.

 

[bribo12]

Slow tissue necrosis. What's your alkalinity usually? Idk why it's bleaching

 

[flyerfridge01]

9dkh

And I did acclimate it to the tank, about 1.5 hours on a slow drip.

 

[Sniperhank]

A 4 bulb t5ho just isn't enough light for a monti in a 55. It needs moved up in the tank. Might be part of the problem.

 

[Ingy]

I have a 4 bulb T5HO over my 110 gal super tall and my Montipora grows like mad. On the top layer of rocks but still about 8" down.

 

[flyerfridge01]

I made a water change about 7 gallons, before I ran out of salt. So I have three more to add. But I dip the dip and placed him back to the original position at the top part of the tank where he did well for the first two weeks. I also added a 6-line wrasse. Research said they were ok at eating pests in the tank. I will give it a couple more days and see if there was any progress.

 

[Flyerfridge]

Just wanted to thank you guys for helping with your advice. The monti is looking much better and starting to grow out a little more. I am not sure what the final analysis would be but I did a coral dip of all my hard corals and that seemed to work out. He is back up at the top of the tank and seems to be happy!