Let's talk about rtn and stn of sps...

djrice69

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#1
So recently I'm going through an rtn event with my sticks and monties. Things I noticed during these events is one by one sticks that I have had for years starts pealing it's tissue but also an increase in red slime.

Things I tried that seem to help is I lowered my tank temp down a degree and slowed down my flow. But still new corals would be attacked.

My thoughts is that if the tissues die off it would release chemicals and toxins that affects near by or surrounding corals causing a chain reaction.

Now my questions is that for the people who have gone through this have you found a way to prevent it from spreading to other corals? What did you do to help with stn. Dips? Spot treat? Etc...
 
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#2
For one reducing the flow is a very bad idea. That in itself causes majority of the RTN, especially in the colonies . An Acro that is going to rtn will rtn, with less flow the flesh with just hang on for a few more hours.
 

djrice69

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For one reducing the flow is a very bad idea. That in itself causes majority of the RTN, especially in the colonies . An Acro that is going to rtn will rtn, with less flow the flesh with just hang on for a few more hours.
Well I been slowing down my flow to minimize the tissue loss that could possibly be reaching other corals. This is to give tissue a chance to recover on the hard surface. Also lowering the temp aids with the slow down the vibro bacteria from spreading. Same thing that happens to my freshwater fish where it get hit with a negative gram bacteria causing them duck lip in cichlids and flowerhorns fish.
So I would slow down the flow and lower the temp and put in an antibiotic kinda like chemo radiation for cancer cells but with meds for the freshwater fish directly on the fish after I scrap off as much dead tissue on the fish I can find.

The time frame for the tank would be to slow down flow for one day. Next few hrs turn on normal flow to help with the removal of the dead tissue for about an HR or two so that some of the dead tissue could be skim out and to let some of the tissue settle rather then letting it land on healthy corals to be hit by the dead tissue that bacteria driven with an end result causing stings stressing the healthy corals( think of it as sand blasting a coral with dead tissue) I would slow the flow down again after that. Instead of trying to save the indivdual coral by chopping it (stressor) I adjust it's environment so other corals don't get it and lower temp helps with the bacteria growth from spread in it's environment. I'm not sure if you understand my logic.
 
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#5
I recently lost a colony to (seemingly random) RTN. Had it for years, real bummer. To try and hedge my bets against other colonies going, and since my wife was not stoked about the dead acro smell, I ran two cups of carbon in a reactor. So far so good, tank smells better and no other corals effected.

I am really bummed however at the loss of my prize SSC colony :(
 

djrice69

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#6
Sucks bro we all go thru it just wish there was better ways to fight it. Cooling the tank down for me seems to help a lot. After some of my sticks rtn my nitrate finally went from .02ppm to now 5ppm which I found odd. What was your water parameters before and after you notice the rtn?
 

joseserrano

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#7
I think when stuff like this happens, a ICP test is great. Also fancy controllers that can graph out possible changes can be very helpful. For example, PH dropping due to a party,..... Something someone may never think could of affected the tank, but did.
 
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#8
I know that my nitrates were quite high and the SSC did not like it (yes I know some folks manage to have very high nitrate successfully but I am not one of them). I have my sulfur denitrator running now and hopefully that brings things back into wack. [my nitrates were ~32ppm or more]

I just wish there was a better way to stop the RTN once it happens, but when it is something like your nitrate that will take time to change, it is tough.

ICP test is a great idea. In my case though, I recently did one and am pretty sure of the cause.

Best path: do like I did and give a bunch of local friends frags of your SPS, then when yours RTNs, you can get it back! :buba_phone:
 
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#9
SPS the million dollar question I still wonder why they go? I can say once they start to go pull the whole thing out as it seems to slow down the spread to other corals and I as well add Carbon. I am still scratching my head, but my P04 is a touch higher than I like so adding a little too much GFO took down a couple more because I pulled down too fast. Mostly comes down to Husbandry and not keeping my parameters constant. With that said they just go sometimes for no reason. I agree if you give you will receive it back!
 

joseserrano

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#10
I know that my nitrates were quite high and the SSC did not like it (yes I know some folks manage to have very high nitrate successfully but I am not one of them). I have my sulfur denitrator running now and hopefully that brings things back into wack. [my nitrates were ~32ppm or more]

I just wish there was a better way to stop the RTN once it happens, but when it is something like your nitrate that will take time to change, it is tough.

ICP test is a great idea. In my case though, I recently did one and am pretty sure of the cause.

Best path: do like I did and give a bunch of local friends frags of your SPS, then when yours RTNs, you can get it back! :buba_phone:
I never have success with high nutrient numbers either
 
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#11
I am slowly losing all my SPS due to something I can't figure out. I bought an ICP test and I am in the process of taking all the pumps out to see if something is leaching back into the tank.
 

djrice69

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#13
Just post in here we can try to trouble shoot it. I don't know about you guys I just won the rtn issue with lowering the temp and slowing the flow down take it for what it's worth you slow down the infection by slowing it's metabolism via cooling down Temp.
 

solitude127

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#14
about 5 years ago, I went through the same thing....... out of the blue, my softball size pearlberry colony just started to RTN. Nothing changed in my husbandry, nothing new was added, the tank was running status quo. Then slowly, the next colony started to RTN, then the next, then the next. I think I lost about 5 or 6 colonies during that ordeal and it was painful to watch. I sent water samples for ICP analysis and everything came back normal. Like [MENTION=3580]pciscott[/MENTION] mentioned, I think sometimes Acros are just done and decide it's time to go. SPS eventually stopped RTNing and gave my corals to a friend to hold while I took a break.
 

djrice69

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#15
Argg another rtn had that piece for awhile too
 
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#16
I read somewhere that Chemi-Clean is actually an antibiotic. I have no idea how truthful that is but, it would make sense considering what it does to cyano. Maybe it'll help clean up any bacteria infections? I might try this to considering I have a touch of cyano out of nowhere.
 

five.five-six

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#17
Having the same issues. One by on or two by two it starts with either white tips or at the base and in about 3 days POOF! That colony is gone. Sent off a sample to ATI about a week ago and did a massive water change yesterday with a new salt. I have heard murmurs that my brand of salt may have had a bad batch about the time I bought 2 cases and this all started about the time I started into one of the new cases. Unfortunatly I also opened a new to me 5 gal bucket of calcium hydroxide (kalkwasser powder) about the same time.
 

Dave57

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#18
I’ll usually frag the piece. Also I would try to maintain tank stability to prevent further episodes of RTN
 
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#19
Same here with STN. Almost two months ago my Montis started to STN from the base. From frags to a very big Digi.

All my parameters except Nitrates in range. Nitrates been 0 since day one. Phosphate however hover between .05 to .10.

I test my Alk every morning. It's swung between 7.8 - 8.3. It hasn't deviated more than .2 between each day.

Started dosing Potassium Nitrate daily to keep Nitrates around 3 - 5 ppm. STN has stopped. Crossing my fingers it doesn't come back or start affecting acros.
 
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#20
Forgot to add that I did an ICP test and only thing that came back needing attention was low Iodine. Dosed enough to get it back for .06.
 

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