birdsnest whitening

I have a birdsnest in my tank now for about 2 weeks. It at first had white tips (no prob) but now the white is spreading slowly down the stem.

I have it at the top (3" down) under T5 10ks in turbulent current.

I have not been direct feeding it, thinking it is unnecessary. but i do dose the tank w/DT phyto and Kent Zooplex for other reasons...


It doesnt look horrible, but want to see if there is anything I should do for it... maybe feed it something specific?

suggestions? or is it normal for them to develop some white at first and I should just give it some time?

 

Can you still see polyps on the tips, or is it actually receding from the tips? It could just be growth, depending on the exact type of birdsnest maybe it's just be growing fast. A picture would help.

I don't think feeding is going to help. It might be a little high in the tank, some birdsnests don't need blistering amounts of light.

EDIT: Also it might be worth doublechecking your alkalinity against another kit or at an LFS. "Burned" white tips on SPS can sometimes be due to alk fluctuations.

 

I cross checked my tests 2 weeks ago, so I feel my results are still accurate.

Its more than the tips. on some branches it is spreading down the length. It is still fully covered in polyps, but appears to be shedding (I guess) in some spots. I will take a pic when wife gets back from park (has the camera).

Thanks!

 

I cant say it is alright. But I got one a few days ago and they are in the sand bed. Mine is white with green polyps.

 

Yours is bleached and will color back up eventually given the right tank conditions.

Peredhil, if the flesh is coming off of the coral, it's a bad sign. Rapid tissue necrosis is my guess. Can you frag any pieces off that aren't peelig?

 

birds nest corals actually don't require all that much light. If the flesh is falling off, then rtn is probably what's happening, that is very hard to stop and usually results in the entire coral dieing. If it is just the color, then try moving it a little lower, if its still new, it may just take some time to get adjusted.

 

I havent been able to get the upload button in photobucket to show up on my ubuntu box, so ive been unable to upload photos.

but after a couple more days of watching the nest, I can say that it is not shedding. there are polyps even in the white (though they look less robust here) and the whitening is only on the sides that get direct light.

the underside of every whitened branch is still dark.


Its been here for a few weeks now, so Im wondering if I should just leave it be and it may very well bounce back. I epoxied it in place, so while I am able to move it , it would be a PITA. So I would prefer to not move it, if that is a viable option.

What do you think?

Alk has been stable 12 for months, but did drop to 11 this week. Setting up auto dosing today, so this is a short term issue.

pH stable 8.4.

 

I know this piece of advice is getting very repetitive between us but move it to the bottom in low flow, and leave it for a while. See if that helps it out. I have had to do this with both my different frags of birdsnest for the same reasons.

How long has it been doing this/how quickly is it receding?

 

Has been whitening for a couple weeks. Slow and steady like.

Birds nest has been in low flow at the bottom since July 2. Not seeing a change yet. Will update in another couple of days.

Hopefully this will work and then I can slowly move it up again.

 

Did it at least slow? The SPS will take a LOT longer to recover. When I did mine, it had to stay at bottom for probably at least 2 months, taking maybe 2-3 weeks before seeing an improvement.