Yellow Birdsnest RTN

[phinatic]

The tank has been doing great the last few weeks, so I let it roll on auto-pilot while I went on vacation for 7 days. A week or two prior to vacation, I had a snail knock my birdnest frag down. It landed on my stylophora frag and they both end up in the sand. I found it and put them back. No real issues after that, but the birdnest did get placed in a different orientation. The flow was now hitting a different side of the frag.

 

I came back from vacation and noticed a bunch of tissue loss. Loss is on all of the branches. Some near the tip, other spots in the middle. The tissue between the polyps is also very thin, exposing the skeleton. Everything else in the tank seems great. It is right next to a purple birdsnest that has great tissue. Tested water and Mg seems low, but I wouldn't expect this from low Mg. I don't have a low range phosphate test, but the one I have places it under 0.25. I'm fairly certain it isn't 0 based on feeding and the presence of nitrates. Do you think the change in orientation could be to blame? I spun it back around and dose some Mg. After a couple of days, the tissue is still receeding.

 

Temperature	Salinity	pH	Alk ppm	Ammonia	Nitrite	Nitrate	Phosphate	Ca ppm	Magnesium
78.0	1.0265	8.1	188.0	0.0	0.0	5	< 0.25	400	1125

 

 

 

[seabass]

Spot checking the parameters is good, but I'd like to know how stable these parameters are and if you are dosing anything.  Stress due to parameter shifts (especially alkalinity, but could even be temperature) often causes problems.

 

As you pointed out, the magnesium level is low.  I'd prefer to see that at 1300ppm.  I'd double check your alkalinity, calcium, and magnesium levels to rule out testing error.  Also, as you stated, you should know the phosphate level (as it could be near zero, or unstable).

 

  From what you provided, I'm not really sure what the cause is.  It could even be an infection.  How old is the frag?  Often we frag off the dying segments, leaving only the healthy tissue; however, there isn't much healthy tissue on that particular frag.

 

I would probably try to correct your parameters (magnesium and possibly phosphate) and keep them as stable as possible.  Make sure there is adequate flow and light without being blasted by either.  And maybe feed some SPS food sparingly once a week.

[phinatic]

Thanks @seabass. The parameters have been stable. I am dosing All For Reef through the ATO, and the daily top off has been consistent as well. Temp has been very steady as well. Only the Mg and Alk have varied. The Alk was only slightly varying. It has been 179 or 188 for a month. I have been testing Alk, Ca and ph daily.

[phinatic]

I ended up removing the frag. The tissue was pretty much gone and if it did have an infection, I didn't want to give it too much more time in the display

[mcarroll]

Alkalinity spikes and/or phosphate dips (ie close to zero) are the usually causes IME.....lighting changes or flow changes are less common causes.

 

Any chance there was a power outage while you were gone?

[phinatic]

Not sure, but I don't think so. I guess the most likely cause would be an alkalinity change from the ATO dosing. The average refill when I came back was spot on, but I suppose it could have ran over or under on any particular day. The tank is looking better and better each day though. The other frags, especially the montipora, are showing great growth of both the skeleton and polyp density.

[TheKleinReef]

as "hardy" as birdnest corals are, I've always had some sort of problem with them. I remember having a colony the size of a baseball that was doing great. I kept up with trimming and flow to make sure it was healthy then I woke up one morning and boom, bone white. Oddly enough a few other people near me had the same problem. I tried a few others since then and none survived more than a few months. I now consider them corals to rent, kinda like goni's. Older healthier strains are out there, but they're rare.

[mitten_reef]

I’ve kept a Bird of Paradise from @Cultivated Reef since my very first order with them back in 2016.  It’s been trimmed back several times or the larger portion turned into LFS, while I kept a frag or two going.  If you know my tank history, I’ve been thru many alkalinity issues and enough dino battles to make many other reefers quit, and through all that the BoP is still one of the main remaining pieces of mine.  Again, mine is from CR, they’re NR sponsor and also having a good sale right now, def a great online starter place as you get going in the hobby.  
 

current size

 

Here’s the original post when i first got the frag