Is my acro okay?

[needmorecowbell]

I was given an acro to see how it would do in my tank. I haven't seen anything bad with it yet but I noticed the bottom looks bleached. Is this normal? I have heard of necrosis (I think that's what it's called. Where you have to cut of the part of the coral thats still alive..) but I'm new at this. My Birdsnest and monti are doing great.

[needmorecowbell]

I was on another forum and they said rtn... Can anyone verify? I don't know what to do.

[ccCapt]

It's almost impossible to say what's happening to it except it is bleaching from the bottom up. There really isn't a definite answer on exactly what causes coral necrosis.
RTN = rapid tissue necrosis
STN = slow tissue necrosis

[needmorecowbell]

It's definitely bleaching though? I saw it this morning and the polyps were out on the more colorful parts. If it does have necrosis, slow or fast, should I frag it? I really like the coral and don't want it to die..

[needmorecowbell]

I just looked at it and one of the whiter parts is getting a little color back. It was pure white and had a very small spot of color at the tip. It is now more of the brown/ red than white. Does this mean it was just because of the acclimation? Sorry for double posting so many times, I don't usually do that.

[catmel]

The acro frag I got looked 'bleached' when I put it in my tank in the exact same place as yours, found out it was just encrusting the frag disk it was on.. it was just new growth.. a week or so later it started getting the color of the rest of the frag.. maybe its just growing?

[needmorecowbell]

Alright, I'll tell you in a few more days. I think Its getting color..

[mr_X]

That's not bleaching, it's skeleton showing.

[needmorecowbell]

Isnt it the same thing?

[mr_X]

No. A coral can lose it's zooxanthellae, which will make it lose all color, but this is clearly areas where the flesh has peeled off completely.

[needmorecowbell]

So it won't spread then? What should i do?

Also, Thanks for the help everyone.

[mr_X]

It can spread. I don't know what you should do because I don't know what is causing it.

[needmorecowbell]

All I can think of is the plane ride to my city. It didn't come in a heat pack. It came from florida to pennsylvania, which was about a 1 1/2 hour flight. Not enough flow maybe? I have good polyp extension.

[mr_X]

It's possible a temp swing could have effected it. Flow, alk swings or other parameters, etc. Hard to say for sure. Acropora is not as easy as the other sps.

[needmorecowbell]

Ya, it stinks.. I guess I'll just see how it goes. If it gets worse ill super glue, it's too small to frag.

[mr_X]

Sometimes it helps to cut away the dead tissue. Hard to do in this case, but when I have a colony dying, I frag it up and put pieces all over the tank in different lighting and flow.

[needmorecowbell]

I could break it into three.. That's about all. I have the supplies to do it. You think I should?

[needmorecowbell]

What's a substitute for bone cutters? Scissors? I can't take it out of the tank...

[needmorecowbell]

So I used wire cutters to frag it, and it turned out well. I got 4 frags, including the mother colony, in a rack now. I do not know where to place them. Here is a pic of my tank. Is there any place anyone would recommend? I can move stuff if I need to.

[mr_X]

All over the top of the rocks at various points.