Green Cap bleaching [Archive]

labnjab

03-09-2009, 04:41 PM

I picked up a small green cap monitpora (sp?) frag this weekend. It was 2 small pieces that were cut when I picked them up and I attached them to a rock fairly high up in the tank, and they were both doing great for the 1st few days, but yesterday 1 started bleaching, and today its all white so I assume its dead, but the other is still in excellent condition.

If fairly new to the world of sps, but this is the first coral we had die. Is it normal to have it die after fragging? The rest of the coral, including sps are doing great and parameters are dead on

ILuvMyGoldBarb

03-09-2009, 05:15 PM

That is odd that the Cap would bleach out, but yes, typically when they bleach out like that they are dead. Monti caps are nearly bulletproof. What do you have it close to?

labnjab

03-09-2009, 06:29 PM

Its directly next to the other half of it that is doing well, and the only other coral near it is a purple birdsnest which is 5-6 inches away. Its completely white now so its a gonner, the other has polyps extended and is bright green so its doing ok but I'll keep an eye on it

rageybug

03-09-2009, 06:41 PM

Was it fragged incorrectly? Maybe is was damaged...

ILuvMyGoldBarb

03-09-2009, 07:05 PM

It's hard to frag Monti Cap wrong. You break a piece off and viola, you fragged it. LOL

kaybee

03-09-2009, 10:32 PM

Corals, under certain conditions, can recover from bleaching. I wouldn't rule it out yet. But if all the tissue is gone (bleached or no), then yeah it's a goner.

What are your current water specs?

labnjab

03-09-2009, 11:18 PM

Well I thought it was a gonner but I looked a little while ago and there were 3 green polyps sticking out while the rest is bleached, so there may still be hope. The other one looks great

Ammonia, Nitrite, nitrate all 0, alk is 9, phosphate undetectable (I'm running a pura pad phosphate remover in the sump), calcium is 460 and ph is 8.4, SG is 1.026. All are where they normally are.

labnjab

03-27-2009, 02:05 PM

That bleached out piece now has most of its color back and is growing some new polyps. I'm thinking the epoxy had something to do with it, but it managed to fully recover in just a few weeks

travie

03-27-2009, 04:05 PM

Great to hear about the recovery. :19: