Help with a Frogspawn/Hammer 'Bleaching' - The Southern Colorado Marine Aquarist Society

Nathaniel · 07-20-2010, 06:08 PM

So, I recently received a nice Frogspawn and a Hammer Colony from a friend. When I received them, they are pretty bleached. They were under PC's and the tank was a bit warm. All the brown is gone from the polyps but some of the tips are still green. From what I've read, that means that a good portion of the zooxanthellae are gone from them. They are currently under a 150w HQI sunpod over a 29BC. I've been target feeding mysis for about 5 days now and they seem to be eating, but I've not seen any improvement and it's hard to tell if they are actually recessing any more. Any tips or anything else I can do to help save these two colonies? Thanks!! - Nathan

notxes11 · 07-20-2010, 08:55 PM

It sounds to me like you're doing the right thing. Offering good water conditions and proper light will do them well. I think it is just a matter of time to see if they pull through or were to far gone to begin with.

Nathaniel · 07-20-2010, 09:17 PM

Yeah, it was so weird because I saw these corals about a week before I got them and they looked great. Then all of a sudden I get a call and they are bleached white. Don't know if they are going to make it though. I did actually get that piece of leather back from my buddy that I gave him when I tore down my tank as well. (The one that you gave me originally) It's pretty pissed right now, (it was torn off a rock) but has good growth on it.

**Reefkoi** · 07-20-2010, 11:05 PM

I wonder if they are getting a little too much UV from that bulb.........typically they only bleach from that, I've seen euphyllias fade but not really bleach unless you got UV comin out of that bulb somehow........150 HQI are unshielded so make sure the glass covers the bulb!

Nathaniel · 07-20-2010, 11:59 PM

Yeah, the glass is over the bulb. Its an HQI Sunpod I picked up from Roush. They were actually bleached when I got them. I've slowly been acclimating them to the MH as they came from some PC's that I'm sure had a pretty dramatic color shift. I'm just trying to do what I can to save them now. Any idea why they would have lost all that zooxanthellae from his tank? The only thing I can think of is heat. Like I was saying, they looked fine a week before I picked them back up, but then very quickly bleached in his tank. Thanks guys! - Nathan

07-20-2010, 06:08 PM	#1
Nathaniel Member Join Date: Jul 2009 Posts: 81	Help with a Frogspawn/Hammer 'Bleaching' So, I recently received a nice Frogspawn and a Hammer Colony from a friend. When I received them, they are pretty bleached. They were under PC's and the tank was a bit warm. All the brown is gone from the polyps but some of the tips are still green. From what I've read, that means that a good portion of the zooxanthellae are gone from them. They are currently under a 150w HQI sunpod over a 29BC. I've been target feeding mysis for about 5 days now and they seem to be eating, but I've not seen any improvement and it's hard to tell if they are actually recessing any more. Any tips or anything else I can do to help save these two colonies? Thanks!! - Nathan

07-20-2010, 11:05 PM	#4
Reefkoi The Koi Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: on the best online forum in Colorado Posts: 7,868 Images: 14	I wonder if they are getting a little too much UV from that bulb.........typically they only bleach from that, I've seen euphyllias fade but not really bleach unless you got UV comin out of that bulb somehow........150 HQI are unshielded so make sure the glass covers the bulb! __________________ The bulk of your life should be "Off the Record"

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07-20-2010, 08:55 PM	#2
notxes11 Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Colorado Springs Posts: 323	It sounds to me like you're doing the right thing. Offering good water conditions and proper light will do them well. I think it is just a matter of time to see if they pull through or were to far gone to begin with.

07-20-2010, 09:17 PM	#3
Nathaniel Member Join Date: Jul 2009 Posts: 81	Yeah, it was so weird because I saw these corals about a week before I got them and they looked great. Then all of a sudden I get a call and they are bleached white. Don't know if they are going to make it though. I did actually get that piece of leather back from my buddy that I gave him when I tore down my tank as well. (The one that you gave me originally) It's pretty pissed right now, (it was torn off a rock) but has good growth on it.

07-20-2010, 11:59 PM	#5
Nathaniel Member Join Date: Jul 2009 Posts: 81	Yeah, the glass is over the bulb. Its an HQI Sunpod I picked up from Roush. They were actually bleached when I got them. I've slowly been acclimating them to the MH as they came from some PC's that I'm sure had a pretty dramatic color shift. I'm just trying to do what I can to save them now. Any idea why they would have lost all that zooxanthellae from his tank? The only thing I can think of is heat. Like I was saying, they looked fine a week before I picked them back up, but then very quickly bleached in his tank. Thanks guys! - Nathan