Can dead sps still have color?

[ccurnick]

Long story short, I had an incidental alk swing right after adding a few frags. I’m not seeing any PE on two of them, but they still have some color and what appears to be tissue. Where the polyps should be, there’s what appear to be dark circles.

Tank parameters are all in check and have been stable since.

All my corals that I’ve had for a while we’re ticked but they all recovered normally.

 

[bobby.w.hodges]

Doesn't look dead to me, it's a little mad but not dead. In my experience white skeleton equals dead.

 

[Cleo]

I agree with the above, looks a little stressed but definatly not dead.

 

[ccurnick]

Definitely agree with you there. Reassurance is always nice. I know white and no polyps = dead, but didn’t know if the animal could be gone and algae left behind.

 

[jda]

That is not algae. It does not look great, but it is not dead.

 

[Charlie’s Frags]

How big was the alk swing? What are your no3 and po4? Are you carbon dosing or using gfo?

 

[ccurnick]

Swing was about 2dkh. No3 are about 2ppm and po4 is about .03ppm. Yes to gfo, no carbon dosing. Like I said tank parameters are solid, just had an all swing at the same time I added some frags. The rest of my 25ish acros are all fine.

 

[ccurnick]

Here's a better photo... Definitely still alive, just angry. Im so mad at myself... its a homewrecker frag

 

[Charlie’s Frags]

Here's a better photo... Definitely still alive, just angry. Im so mad at myself... its a homewrecker frag

View attachment 1004561

I’m not a fan of chasing po4 using gfo. I didn’t start having success with acros until I swore off gfo, carbon dosing and honestly stopped worrying about no3 and po4. My alk swings almost 1 dKH everyday. Hopefully it will recover. I’d turn the gfo reactor for a couple days. Good luck