White Cotton Ball on SPS coral
Printed From: Utah Reefs
Category: Help
Forum Name: EMERGENCY FORUM
Forum Description: If you have an Emergency post here and you should receive a quick reply.
URL: http://www.utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=64384
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Topic: White Cotton Ball on SPS coral
Posted By: justchillinuno
Subject: White Cotton Ball on SPS coral
Date Posted: May 15 2013 at 8:02am
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Hello again... my huge green coral has some weird white cotton ball lookin thing on it.. .Here are some pics... Should i take it out of my tank? Im worried its going to kill my livestock! Could it just be upset from the temp raise yesterday or is this something to actually be concerned about?
and
------------- 55g - RIP - Moved to 90g 36g Bow holding tank 90g Reef Tank Dreams of many more!
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Replies:
Posted By: ReefdUp
Date Posted: May 15 2013 at 8:20am
That looks like the coral is rotting. I'd dip it in a good coral dip and clean it off as much as possible. It shouldn't spread, but the ammonia spike from it as well as the initial cause may cause other corals to do the same.
It doesn't look like mesenterial filaments or a sponge....
------------- www.reefdup.com Diving since 2009, reefkeeping since 2007, & fishkeeping since 1987 200g, 75g, & 15g Systems PADI Advanced Open Water
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Posted By: justchillinuno
Date Posted: May 15 2013 at 8:28am
I'll do that as soon as I get home from work. Think it will be ok the next 8 hours?
------------- 55g - RIP - Moved to 90g 36g Bow holding tank 90g Reef Tank Dreams of many more!
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Posted By: ReefdUp
Date Posted: May 15 2013 at 10:05am
If it is rotting, it's not ok and will continue to rot. You may have to frag the coral (think amputation) to stop the infection. The sooner you can deal with it the better.
------------- www.reefdup.com Diving since 2009, reefkeeping since 2007, & fishkeeping since 1987 200g, 75g, & 15g Systems PADI Advanced Open Water
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Posted By: justchillinuno
Date Posted: May 15 2013 at 10:59am
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Headed home at lunch to throw it in a bucket with some tank water to keep until i can take care of it
------------- 55g - RIP - Moved to 90g 36g Bow holding tank 90g Reef Tank Dreams of many more!
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Posted By: justchillinuno
Date Posted: May 15 2013 at 11:00am
Or if anyone wants it near the west valley area you can come get it TONIGHT
------------- 55g - RIP - Moved to 90g 36g Bow holding tank 90g Reef Tank Dreams of many more!
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Posted By: DMower
Date Posted: May 15 2013 at 11:49am
I can get it tonight. 830-9 OK?
------------- 150 gal reef with 50 gal sump. Reef Octopus DCS-200 Skimmer. AI Sol Blues.
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Posted By: DMower
Date Posted: May 15 2013 at 12:17pm
Will return a frag if/after it survives.
------------- 150 gal reef with 50 gal sump. Reef Octopus DCS-200 Skimmer. AI Sol Blues.
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Posted By: justchillinuno
Date Posted: May 15 2013 at 12:26pm
Oh you are amazing totally come and get it tonight! I will PM you my phone number! Headed home in half an hour to get it out of the tank and into a 5 gallon bucket with some of my tank water... or should i just use fresh salt water? Either way i think i should get it out of my tank right!
------------- 55g - RIP - Moved to 90g 36g Bow holding tank 90g Reef Tank Dreams of many more!
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Posted By: DMower
Date Posted: May 15 2013 at 12:28pm
Yes. Use tank water. Not recent mixed.
------------- 150 gal reef with 50 gal sump. Reef Octopus DCS-200 Skimmer. AI Sol Blues.
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Posted By: justchillinuno
Date Posted: May 15 2013 at 12:31pm
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Sounds good, WIll put it in a bucket with water covering it... since its not fish do i need to have an air pump in there? or will it be ok just in water?
------------- 55g - RIP - Moved to 90g 36g Bow holding tank 90g Reef Tank Dreams of many more!
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Posted By: bstuver
Date Posted: May 15 2013 at 1:32pm
I would add a powerhead to the bucket
------------- Jackie Stuver
"wait these aren't the happy Hawaiians oompa doompa godly heaven on your face zoas? I dont want them then. lol!" Ksmart
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Posted By: justchillinuno
Date Posted: May 15 2013 at 1:37pm
Doing that now
------------- 55g - RIP - Moved to 90g 36g Bow holding tank 90g Reef Tank Dreams of many more!
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Posted By: Mark Peterson
Date Posted: May 16 2013 at 8:02am
justchillinuno wrote:
Sounds good, WIll put it in a bucket with water covering it... since its not fish do i need to have an air pump in there? or will it be ok just in water? | Coral is a living animal(s) that needs water circulation as much as, or more than, fish because it cannot move to breathe. LR and LS are the same. It's the water circulation that brings oxygen to the sessile(unmoving) animal(s) and carries off waste. Otherwise, they suffocate in their own feces. 
FYI, moving coral from tank to tank can be stressful, the same as a fish.
I know it's after the fact, but I would have said to leave it. It's probably not an infection. That looks like a fuzzy mushroom. The overheating caused it to expel it's zooxanthellae algae in a ring around it's mouth. That's why the loss of color. I probably would have left it alone to recover on it's own. If it started to look like it was decomposing/rotting, there is a chance I might have cut off the good and brushed/cut off the dieing flesh before attaching it to a piece of rubble with bridal veil netting and replacing it in the tank. Coral are more resilient then we give them credit and they can heal just fine when left alone, in good conditions of course.
That's my 2 cents. I'm not looking for an argument, just saying from the look of it in the pic, that's what I would do.
Mahalo, Mark 
------------- Reefkeeping Tips, & quick, easy setup tricks: www.utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=9244 Pay it forward - become a paid WMAS member
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Posted By: justchillinuno
Date Posted: May 16 2013 at 9:13am
thanks for the input! Its with DMower now and fingers are crossed... and your right it was a mushroom not a sps coral.... my bad im still learning all of this fun stuff!!!
------------- 55g - RIP - Moved to 90g 36g Bow holding tank 90g Reef Tank Dreams of many more!
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