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cob web looking secretion on acro

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rmw2g View Drop Down
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    Posted: December 06 2013 at 8:43pm
Anyone have any idea what this cob web looking crap is on one of my acros? sorry for the bad pic. if anyone has any info or insight i can try to get better pics, but if you're reading this thanks for taking your time. 

The coral is new just bought it wed afternoon and it didnt have it when it was in the show tank I bought it from. it looked healthy and the polyps were out. And while im new to keeping acros, I did some research before making the jump from years of successful soft and lps keeping. In doing the research I found that acros can secrete mucus when stressed, I hope thats all it is. so here are my observations on the tank

-water perams are fine and well within normal ranges,
-as always I did a 20% WC on tuesday 24 hours before a planned buy,
-none of my other corals are showing signs of stress
-the mucus does not seem to be spreading to other corals like neighboring acros or montis

any help would be appreciated

Thanks!
Ryan 
 
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Mark Peterson View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Mark Peterson Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December 07 2013 at 8:09am
Aloha Ryan,

It looks to me like the mucous feeding net of a vermitid worm. You know what that is, right?
Has the mucous net disappeared overnight? If not, you can use your hand to waft it off or use a turkey baster. I use a large syringe in place of a turkey baster.
A syringe or turkey baster is good for feeding detritus to your coral. Do you know about that technique?

Your statement specifically about Acropora makes me wonder, Are there any other SPS coral in this tank? You probably tried a frag of Montipora already, yes?

Sorry for all the questions. Embarrassed
Mark Hug

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote rmw2g Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December 07 2013 at 2:14pm
Mark thank you for your time,

and I was hesitant to use a turkey baster or wafting as I don't (even though i know I should) have a quarantine tank. So I wanted to at least not spread it too much. Even though, whatever it is is in there now. This is why I have gone to a smaller (20 gal long) tank. my budget is small, and if a devastating outbreak takes place I dont have thousands tied up. 

I talked to Paul whom I consider a reliable source (Reef On) and he pretty much had the same conclusion about it being vermitid worms, and to answer your question no I dont know what they are but a google search will commence after this reply. And yes, I have other acros montis and some soft corals in there right now

  
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote rmw2g Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December 07 2013 at 2:21pm

Here are some pics of the current set up







Sorry crappy cell pics Ill send better ones later
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Mark Peterson Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December 07 2013 at 6:59pm
I'm a little surprised that it had not disappeared overnight. If it is indeed a Vermitid Worm net then perhaps water flow across the coral is not strong enough to dislodge it. The net spreads out to catch food and then the worm pulls it back in to eat what was caught. Look for where the net comes together and, unless it has already cut the net loose, there you will find the worm. It lives in a hard tubular shell like a tunnel. It should be living on the rock near where the coral was placed or the rock to which the coral is attached.
In moving the coral from it's previous tank, the water now flows in a different direction causing the net to get caught on the coral. These worms are good filter feeders that help clean the water. Simply turning the coral 180 degrees may allow the worm to spread its net freely and to be retrieved without obstruction.

In looking at the pics, the aquascaping is great - artistic yet natural looking with good open water. I have a suggestion. Try moving the powerheads down the glass pointed at more of an upward angle toward the water surface. Also aim one of them so the stream moves really close to the new SPS. I assume it is the one on the top shelf.

Thinking more about it, actually I would try this:
Even better flow with more turbulence would be accomplished by moving one powerhead to the opposite side of the tank, down next to the sand with the stream aimed directly at the stream from the opposing powerhead. Have both streams meet where they hit the center water surface. This will give the maximum benefit of those two powerheads; water turbulance, wave action, excellent gas exchange and best possible pH. The powerhead pointing just past the new coral might be closer to one bottom corner. Try both lower corners for each powerhead and please let us know with a pic which placement worked best.

BTW, I don't see any evidence of pests on the coral. It is okay, and even desirable, to have a strong stream moving across it.

Aloha,
Mark Hug
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Mark Peterson Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December 07 2013 at 7:22pm
Okay, I hope you don't get tired of reading my posts, but I have two ideas for you that may help the tank look more beautiful (to someEmbarrassed).

I see two HOB filters. What would you think if both could be removed? Would the tank look awesome? I think so. Here is what I would do. I would place some Blade Caulerpa on the sand. As it grows across the sand it would add color and variety but most important, it would add awesome biofiltration capacity. So much so that only one HOB filter would be needed just 2 weeks/month to run AC.

The only hesitation I can see to this idea is if those powerheads are not as strong as I hope they are. Vibrant flow with turbulance can double the biofiltration capacity supporting more organisms and healthier organisms. This equates to cleaner water. Without vibrant flow the biofiltration won't be so efficient and the HOB filters will definitely be needed as supplement filtration mostly for particulate removal. As an example, I have one 1300 gph stream powerhead on a 40 gal Breeder.

Sorry if my rambling is too much.
Aloha,
Mark Hug
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote rmw2g Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December 08 2013 at 2:04pm
Hey Mark! 

first off, thank you for always taking the time to respond. You helped me with a sick salifin a while back, whom I'm sad to say, passed on. That was in my 45 gal which is now gone. I spent 3 years establising that tank and then we were going to move but ended up getting into grad school and decided to stay put lol. so I went ahead and set this little tank up. And no, listening to what you have to say is never a bad thing in my book. The passionate people like you that take the time to help all of us in this forum is what makes our reef community here one of the best in the nation if not the world.

Anyway lol, So, I wanted to go VERY simple with this set up. I'm working on my build thread now. Both my girlfriend and I are working on design degrees and I wanted this tank to reflect more scape design than anything. in particular, I'm really trying to explore the idea of "negative space." As well, I thought that using the the negative space to look through a coral reef out to snow covered trees in the winter would create an interesting juxtaposition, perhaps even a dichotomy. I'm not really looking to have a ton super high end stuff in it because my budget just doesn't allow that at this point in my life. So here is the plan for this tank:

Later this month I will be replacing the hob filters (that I was using only to cycle the tank as well as a little puigen to polish) will be going away and being replace by a hydor slim skim. It will be going in the corner where the hobs are now. This should clean up the overall look of the tank. Hopefully by the first of the year I will be putting an mp10 at that end as well which should give me enough flow and pulse variations in the tank. I'm keeping the flow going in one direction longways from left to right to create a pocket of low flow on the left for my alvepora, one of my prize pieces, which HATES flow. I'm trying to get away from soft corals for this tank. I love them but just want the branching of acros & montis to be the theme of this tank. I'm only planning on keeping the one fish, a Black Cap Damsel in there to live his days out. Besides the fact that he would kill anything else I would put in there, I'm really trying to keep the bio load small since im focusing on scape for this set up. 

Thanks again for your input! 

Ryan  
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Bryce Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December 08 2013 at 7:20pm
Just looks stressed and slimming to me. Whenever I buy a larger sps colony they seem more prone to slime when added to my tank and settle in. Even if your parameters are "normal" to think that they matched the tank it was bought from is almost impossible and the coral needs time to adjust. If you see any tissue loss, then I would get worried.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Mark Peterson Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December 09 2013 at 7:30am
Aloha,

After all my looking at the net, its threadlike appearance and such, I may be over-thinking it and Bryce may be right. It could just be sliming. Embarrassed (btw, Bryce, thanks for the frags. They are doing great. I'm ready for more. Smile)

Ryan, I didn't realize that was you! Again, sorry the Sailfin didn't make it. So that tank is replaced by this one. I thought the background of this new tank was somehow familiar, in that two window corner. Thumbs Up Congrats on being accepted into grad school.  Beer
Is this Acro doing okay now?

Coincidentally, I have been thinking of you for the past week with regard to the subsurface coral greenhouse. Do I remember you telling me that you work at Cactus and Tropicals and that there had been a summer overheating problem? At which store are/were you working, Draper or SLC? Do you know of any other local greenhouses, maybe also private or wholesale greenhouses, that run year round? I visited C&T Salt Lake and spoke to an experienced gentleman, can't remember his name but he has long blonde hair. He answered some of my questions. (This week I'll be checking into J&J Nursery in Layton and Desert Gardens as were referred in the coral greenhouse thread). Thanks for all your help. Big smile

Mahalo,
Mark Hug
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote rmw2g Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December 11 2013 at 3:12pm
Hey Mark,

Sorry I been studying for finals. Yes I do work for Cactus, and yes we had a green house melt down this summer but it was only because our pesticide guy left the vents closed over 4th of july lol. Proper ventilation is key in a controlled environment. Think of a greenhouse as a big aquarium; ask yourself how much does temperature control play a role in it?
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