whats the deal with stn / rtn

[myreefclub0070]

while I have lost a few frags and one large colony of sps in the past and just let it go as water under the bridge but now its back again.
I haven't added any new fish or corals to the system in a long while, just letting it all grow out but last night I notice a bleached out branch on one piece and a little spot on another.
whats my next best move, take it out and dip it / frag and dip, do a full tank treatment of what?
these are the two pieces in the pictures.
thanks for the help.

 

[catgirl29]

This happened to me too this week. Beautiful birdsnest frag. Come home and whammo - white tips. I hadn't changed my lighting schedule or anything. Parameters were ok. I did a big water change anyway.

 

[myreefclub0070]

I think stn and rtn is cause by a fungus or bacteria but what I'm clue less about is why or how can it stay dormant for so long and just start to devour tissue out of the blue and what the fix would be if caught in time.
these pieces have been it the tank for some time now and have actually been doing well till now, I'm sure it's stn base on the rate of necrosis of what I seen in the past and the present rate.

 

[tater]

90% of the time STN as well as RTN is caused by unstable alkalinity. The other 10% can usually be attributed to lack of flow. Birdsnest are the canary coral of the sps world. They are the first to show signs of tissue necrosis when your alk is swinging

 

[mvm]

Not a bacteria at all. It's actually the coral intentionally losing tissue in an effort to survive unfavorable conditions. +1 to the alk issue/instability.


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[myreefclub0070]

Well I'm guessing that would be the issue and all my fault, both alk and cal dosing pump was intentionally turned off cause the water change was keeping with the #'s.
Last week I turned then back on and I guess a few pieces wasn't happy with that, only dosing 30ml over 11hrs at night but I guess that was enough to upset a few corals.
Cal - 430, alk - 10, mag 1400, just got done with a water change and will test again shortly.
What the suggestion for saving those pieces if possible at all?

 

[lsu_fishfan]

MYREEFCLUB0070;1050559 wrote: Well I'm guessing that would be the issue and all my fault, both alk and cal dosing pump was intentionally turned off cause the water change was keeping with the #'s.
Last week I turned then back on and I guess a few pieces wasn't happy with that, only dosing 30ml over 11hrs at night but I guess that was enough to upset a few corals.
Cal - 430, alk - 10, mag 1400, just got done with a water change and will test again shortly.
What the suggestion for saving those pieces if possible at all?

I've been told to stop stn and/or rtn, you need to cut away the dead tissue and a little of the living tissue on the areas that began to die off. The way it was explained to me was that after one part of the coral begins to die, the living cells nearby, begin to go into a suicide mode where it will begin to kill itself. If you cut off a little of the living tissue, you break the line for the "suicide cells"

 

[myreefclub0070]

Great, now I have suicide corals.....lol.
Thanks for the info guys, I'll let you know how it goes.

 

[outdrsyguy1]

I've saved them by fragging 1/2" from necrosis minimum, preferably more. If necrosis is early stages and you've corrected the parameter issues, i've also saved them by using super glue along the necrosis line and just past it by maybe 1/4" max. However, if params are still jacked they keep on committing suicide.
Just check for bites on AEFW, pretty easy to spot with a flashlight at night. Looks like either parameter swing or they got too low. I've had calc drop to 320 and had similar things happen, as well as with alk.

 

[camellia]

Just popped in to read up on this same problem!
I lost 1/2 of my SPS while on vacation and some are still slowly RTN. Guess I better get to fragging
I'm blaming mine on starting GFO either to much or to fast, it's the only change I made.
Anyone think this started it?