Guits' Rose Garden - Fluval Spec V Florida biotope

[Guits]

Very neat little tank. I love the concept

 

Thanks!

 

Looks fabulous! The masked gobies look so perfect in there .

 

Thanks! I think they are a great fish for nano tanks. I'm crossing my fingers about the new addition though ... it's getting bullied and I'm afraid the stress may make it weak and susceptible to ich which as you know I had a bad time with a couple months ago

[gena]

Thanks! I think they are a great fish for nano tanks. I'm crossing my fingers about the new addition though ... it's getting bullied and I'm afraid the stress may make it weak and susceptible to ich which as you know I had a bad time with a couple months ago

Yes, I remember . I lost my masked goby to ich a few months ago. It's a bummer. I hope your little one pulls through!

[Guits]

Yes, I remember . I lost my masked goby to ich a few months ago. It's a bummer. I hope your little one pulls through!

 

Thanks I hope so too! Ich is the worst!

[Polarcollision]

Try sunglasses between the tank and your iphone. It helps cut the blue glare a bit

[fishfreak0114]

Anything new with this tank?

[Guits]

Anything new with this tank?

 

Unfortunately, only bad news I went to Canada for a week at the end of July, and when I came back the rose corals had bleached. I'm not sure why since they had previously for 2 years been very hardy - I suspect a combination of high temperatures while I was gone and maybe the LEDs being too strong. Unfortunately, in the weeks that I have been back two of the rose corals continue to exhibit gradual tissue loss, including the blue one which was the one "uniquely" colored one that I had. I'm starting to think it will not make it. There's also another one that continues to recede and I'm not optimistic about that one either. The others are ok, but they haven't regained color and aren't eating much. Hopefully I'll have better news in a couple weeks/months!!!

[teenyreef]

Oh no! That blue one was so beautiful

Best wishes for a full recovery

[Slowtwitch]

Sorry to hear about your troubles. I love my little rose. Yours were so pretty.

[markalot]

Sorry to hear about the trouble, hopefully you can nurse them back to health.

[Guits]

Oh no! That blue one was so beautiful

Best wishes for a full recovery

 

 

Sorry to hear about your troubles. I love my little rose. Yours were so pretty.

 

 

Sorry to hear about the trouble, hopefully you can nurse them back to health.

 

Thanks for the well wishes. I am pretty bummed, because other than ich issues this tank had previously been very low maintainance and hardy, and it had gotten to a point where I was extremely happy with its appearance. Curiously, it seems like all the rose corals, and only the rose corals, were affected. I'm wondering if there's something going on (like some pathogen only affecting the rose corals) that I don't quite understand, because my previous experience with the rose corals were that they are extremely hardy and regain damaged tissue quickly. For some reason 2 of them keep on regressing instead of recovering, and I see signs of regression daily for those 2 even though I've been back from Canada for a month. Maybe something really tipped them over the edge beyond recovery?

 

I'm fairly patient when it comes to my tanks though, so hopefully I'll be able to nurse the corals back to health, and hopefully minimize the loses!

[markalot]

Have you done a full battery of tests to see if anything changed? PO4 and nitrates, Salinity, KH and Calcium?

[Guits]

Have you done a full battery of tests to see if anything changed? PO4 and nitrates, Salinity, KH and Calcium?

This is going to sound really bad, but the only thing I've ever tested in this tank is specific gravity ... I don't even have any test kits except for alkalinity which I have not used in any of my tanks since 2013. Everything's always just been very smooth with this tank, for better or worse!

[Nano sapiens]

I assume that your 'Rose Coral' are Manicina areolata, correct? Can you post a pic of the recession?

 

These would be part of the Mussidae family and they are notorious for bacterial infections that can be broght about by stress. Acans and Blastos are in the same family and when they get this type of infection It's often fatal. Typically, its a slow wasting process where the tissue gets 'tight', the polyps stop extending tentacles/feeding and then the tissue typically recedes from the outside inward. And as you noticed, it doesn't effect non-Mussid genus/species.

 

Melafix (basically, Tea Tree oil extract) can be helpful and is what I would try if you see these symptoms and can treat the coral in a separate container.

 

Good luck!

[markalot]

This is going to sound really bad, but the only thing I've ever tested in this tank is specific gravity ... I don't even have any test kits except for alkalinity which I have not used in any of my tanks since 2013. Everything's always just been very smooth with this tank, for better or worse!

 

A decent size water change will get everything back in line, not sure you have to test with the corals you have.

[fishfreak0114]

Aww, sorry to hear about your coral troubles The blue one was gorgeous. I hope they recover

[Guits]

I assume that your 'Rose Coral' are Manicina areolata, correct? Can you post a pic of the recession?

 

These would be part of the Mussidae family and they are notorious for bacterial infections that can be broght about by stress. Acans and Blastos are in the same family and when they get this type of infection It's often fatal. Typically, its a slow wasting process where the tissue gets 'tight', the polyps stop extending tentacles/feeding and then the tissue typically recedes from the outside inward. And as you noticed, it doesn't effect non-Mussid genus/species.

 

Melafix (basically, Tea Tree oil extract) can be helpful and is what I would try if you see these symptoms and can treat the coral in a separate container.

 

Good luck!

 

Thanks! That sounds exactly like what is going on ... but how would I verify that it is a bacterial infection? Furthermore, I'm weary to dose anything - how would I treat with Melafix in terms of dosage, etc?

 

 

A decent size water change will get everything back in line, not sure you have to test with the corals you have.

 

I actually change almost 100% of the water on a weekly basis (since from back in 2013) and have done so as this has started happening.

[Nano sapiens]

 

Thanks! That sounds exactly like what is going on ... but how would I verify that it is a bacterial infection? Furthermore, I'm weary to dose anything - how would I treat with Melafix in terms of dosage, etc?

 

Short answer is we can't, really, The causal agent could be viral and the bacteria opportunists...don't know. However, as in many cases the best we can do is treat the bacterial infection and hope the coral recovers. if you research you'll find this condition fairly common to Mussids and it's even addressed in The Reef Aquarium Vol 3 (Sprung/Delbeek (pg 654) where the prescribed treatment is a 3 minute dip in seawater containing 5ml/gal Melafix. Safest to dip each coral in a separate container.

[Guits]

 

Short answer is we can't, really, The causal agent could be viral and the bacteria opportunists...don't know. However, as in many cases the best we can do is treat the bacterial infection and hope the coral recovers. if you research you'll find this condition fairly common to Mussids and it's even addressed in The Reef Aquarium Vol 3 (Sprung/Delbeek (pg 654) where the prescribed treatment is a 3 minute dip in seawater containing 5ml/gal Melafix. Safest to dip each coral in a separate container.

 

Thanks! I will definitely consider this. Thanks for the reference, especially from a such reputable text!

[Nano sapiens]

You're welcome. I have saved a coral or two using pure Tea Tree oil, so the potenital is there.

[metrokat]

[Guits]

 

Short answer is we can't, really, The causal agent could be viral and the bacteria opportunists...don't know. However, as in many cases the best we can do is treat the bacterial infection and hope the coral recovers. if you research you'll find this condition fairly common to Mussids and it's even addressed in The Reef Aquarium Vol 3 (Sprung/Delbeek (pg 654) where the prescribed treatment is a 3 minute dip in seawater containing 5ml/gal Melafix. Safest to dip each coral in a separate container.

 

I think what you describe is exactly what is going on. From my previous experience with Manicina, even if they arrive on live rock in awful shape with most of the flesh missing, they tend to bounce back very quickly and regrow flesh without any special TLC. However, with 2 of my specimens, they are just slowly melting away, with more skeleton being exposed every couple of days. One of the specimens is almost completely melted away by now . I've been busy at work and will try to pick up some Melafix today.

 

In your experience with other LPS, does this seem to spread to other specimens? Right now, 2 of them are actively melting away, while the rest are "ok" - not as healthy as before, but at least not actively melting, and (maybe?) holding their color/regaining color. I'm wondering if I need to remove the 2 that are melting away to prevent the others from catching whatever this is ...

[Mirya]

Yikes!

 

I had one of my Mancina melt away on me about 2 months ago. I rearranged my remaining Mancinas and it started happening to a second. That was when I realized that the affected Manicina were within reach of one of my photosynthetic Gorgonians. I moved the newly affected Manicina and it managed to bounce back. Like Guits said, even when I got them in on live rock all beat up looking, within a week they came back quick.

 

However, this is a very good thing for me to know not just about the Manicina, but about the other Mussids I have, since most of my Indo-Pac LPS are in the Mussid family. THanks Nano sapiens.

[Nano sapiens]

 

I think what you describe is exactly what is going on. From my previous experience with Manicina, even if they arrive on live rock in awful shape with most of the flesh missing, they tend to bounce back very quickly and regrow flesh without any special TLC. However, with 2 of my specimens, they are just slowly melting away, with more skeleton being exposed every couple of days. One of the specimens is almost completely melted away by now . I've been busy at work and will try to pick up some Melafix today.

 

In your experience with other LPS, does this seem to spread to other specimens? Right now, 2 of them are actively melting away, while the rest are "ok" - not as healthy as before, but at least not actively melting, and (maybe?) holding their color/regaining color. I'm wondering if I need to remove the 2 that are melting away to prevent the others from catching whatever this is ...

 

From personal experience, this particular wasting-away affliction seems to hit only Mussids, not other LPS. A number of years ago I introduced a Blastomussa that wasn't 100% healthy thinking I could heal it. Within a few days it was gone, then my Acans started to retract and a month or two later all had bit the dust.

 

About two months ago I received a 'freebee' fresh-cut Acan from a vendor and a few days later it was gone and then my years old Acan colonies started to get sick. Today, one small colony is trying to hold on. No other corals have been effected, not even a Lithophyllon sp (Fungia relative).

 

The good thing about Mussids is that the skeleton allows for tiny bits of flesh to stick deep inside, so there is a chance that they'll come back later. I had one Acan type resurrect 2 years later, which is astounding, and it's the last one trying to survive.

 

Personally, I don't think removing specimens once they show this affflication will help since it's already in the main system. Spot-treating prized specimens outside of the tank, then returning them, might be the best option.

[Nano sapiens]

Yikes!

 

I had one of my Mancina melt away on me about 2 months ago. I rearranged my remaining Mancinas and it started happening to a second. That was when I realized that the affected Manicina were within reach of one of my photosynthetic Gorgonians. I moved the newly affected Manicina and it managed to bounce back. Like Guits said, even when I got them in on live rock all beat up looking, within a week they came back quick.

 

However, this is a very good thing for me to know not just about the Manicina, but about the other Mussids I have, since most of my Indo-Pac LPS are in the Mussid family. THanks Nano sapiens.

 

Mussids are as bit of an enigma. The can be extremely resilient and bounce back from just slivers of remaining flesh, but then they can be very sensitive and waste away like this.

[Guits]

 

From personal experience, this particular wasting-away affliction seems to hit only Mussids, not other LPS. A number of years ago I introduced a Blastomussa that wasn't 100% healthy thinking I could heal it. Within a few days it was gone, then my Acans started to retract and a month or two later all had bit the dust.

 

About two months ago I received a 'freebee' fresh-cut Acan from a vendor and a few days later it was gone and then my years old Acan colonies started to get sick. Today, one small colony is trying to hold on. No other corals have been effected, not even a Lithophyllon sp (Fungia relative).

 

The good thing about Mussids is that the skeleton allows for tiny bits of flesh to stick deep inside, so there is a chance that they'll come back later. I had one Acan type resurrect 2 years later, which is astounding, and it's the last one trying to survive.

 

Personally, I don't think removing specimens once they show this affflication will help since it's already in the main system. Spot-treating prized specimens outside of the tank, then returning them, might be the best option.

 

Thanks for the info! Sorry to hear how it affected your corals. I hope mine make it ... especially since my vision for this tank is to showcase Manicina! I picked up Melafix today - I'll do some research online now to see the pros/cons and probably try it out ...