GSP purple changing white and coming off

[407Hunter]

Hello fellow reefers,

I just purchased a variety of GSPs roughly 1 week ago. I’ve noticed my 2 new emerald crab always picking at them and wondering if he’s the scapegoat for the base loosing its mat (the purple mat encrusting the coral at the base) and then noticed my other GSP turning white at some tips though they still open fully.

Both open up under the right lights. Nothing crazy in the water. They’re under light to moderate water flow and 12” from my fluval marine 3.0 which according to fluval = 75 PAR.

So before I do water change or purchase additives to combat stn/rtn, I’m trying to decipher if this all related to my 2 new emerald crabs which are bugging every coral and even took my clowns hideout under a rock -___- even though they are well fed or is this something else.

20 G tank
3 months old.
Parameters
Salinity 1.025
pH 7.8
Temp 78 stable
No3/no4 both under .40 (crappy API test)
GH 180 ppm which should be ~10 dGH
KH 120 ppm which should be ~6.7 dKH
Mag 1380
Cal 480
20 lb live sand
4-5 lb live rock
12 lb dry rock

11 days ago nitrate 50 and phosphate 2. I did a 25% water change. Reduced feedings from 3x a day to 1-2x per day. Installed phosphate remover in my filter. Besides this part the corals were doing great until 2 days ago with these signs.

Sorry you will have to zoom in. Short coral has some purple flesh missing and the bigger one has white arms now on its left side (right side photo). Attached a blue light photo to show how well they still extend.

Any help is appreciated. Thank you in advance!

 

[407Hunter]

What a menace! And he’s like “come at me bro!”

 

[TokenReefer]

What a menace! And he’s like “come at me bro!”

I could be wrong but the crab looks to me like it's doing normal algae grazing. I don't see it picking flesh. Maybe it has a taste for the algae that came in on that plug

 

[407Hunter]

I could be wrong but the crab looks to me like it's doing normal algae grazing. I don't see it picking flesh. Maybe it has a taste for the algae that came in on that plug

Thanks for the swift response! So that purple encrusting is actually not tissue or part of the actual coral? What about the other coral turning white on one side?

 

[FUNGI]

Tank looks new.....

 

[TokenReefer]

Thanks for the swift response! So that purple encrusting is actually not tissue or part of the actual coral? What about the other coral turning white on one side?

The lighting is a bit off if I'm being honest which makes it hard to see clearly but to me it looks like it's pinching above the purple (close to the edge) and then deliberately moves below the purple to 'pinch' whatever it's scraping off the plug

 

[FUNGI]

drop some algae pallets/nori for the crabs.....they must be starving....you have very little algae in your tank (at least from the pix's).

 

[vetteguy53081]

Hello fellow reefers,

I just purchased a variety of GSPs roughly 1 week ago. I’ve noticed my 2 new emerald crab always picking at them and wondering if he’s the scapegoat for the base loosing its mat (the purple mat encrusting the coral at the base) and then noticed my other GSP turning white at some tips though they still open fully.

Both open up under the right lights. Nothing crazy in the water. They’re under light to moderate water flow and 12” from my fluval marine 3.0 which according to fluval = 75 PAR.

So before I do water change or purchase additives to combat stn/rtn, I’m trying to decipher if this all related to my 2 new emerald crabs which are bugging every coral and even took my clowns hideout under a rock -___- even though they are well fed or is this something else.

Parameters
Salinity 1.025
pH 7.8
Temp 78 stable
No3/no4 both under .40 (crappy API test)
GH 180 ppm which should be ~10 dGH
KH 120 ppm which should be ~6.7 dKH

11 days ago nitrate 50 and phosphate 2. I did a 25% water change. Reduced feedings from 3x a day to 1-2x per day. Installed phosphate remover in my filter. Besides this part the corals were doing great until 2 days ago with these signs.

Sorry you will have to zoom in. Short coral has some purple flesh missing and the bigger one has white arms now on its left side (right side photo). Attached a blue light photo to show how well they still extend.

Any help is appreciated. Thank you in advance!

purple seems to be flaking off or scraped and may be due coralline and if newer tank, insufficient calcium and light levels. As long as GSP polyps are emerging daily, it should be ok

 

[moretor1]

Hello fellow reefers,

I just purchased a variety of GSPs roughly 1 week ago. I’ve noticed my 2 new emerald crab always picking at them and wondering if he’s the scapegoat for the base loosing its mat (the purple mat encrusting the coral at the base) and then noticed my other GSP turning white at some tips though they still open fully.

Both open up under the right lights. Nothing crazy in the water. They’re under light to moderate water flow and 12” from my fluval marine 3.0 which according to fluval = 75 PAR.

So before I do water change or purchase additives to combat stn/rtn, I’m trying to decipher if this all related to my 2 new emerald crabs which are bugging every coral and even took my clowns hideout under a rock -___- even though they are well fed or is this something else.

Parameters
Salinity 1.025
pH 7.8
Temp 78 stable
No3/no4 both under .40 (crappy API test)
GH 180 ppm which should be ~10 dGH
KH 120 ppm which should be ~6.7 dKH

11 days ago nitrate 50 and phosphate 2. I did a 25% water change. Reduced feedings from 3x a day to 1-2x per day. Installed phosphate remover in my filter. Besides this part the corals were doing great until 2 days ago with these signs.

Sorry you will have to zoom in. Short coral has some purple flesh missing and the bigger one has white arms now on its left side (right side photo). Attached a blue light photo to show how well they still extend.

Any help is appreciated. Thank you in advance!

Are you using any kind of macroalgae? How much live rock did you start with?
Did you use live sand?

Most people recommend at least 1lb of cured live rock per gallon of water when going the skip cycle route. Idk how much you are running but that is something to consider

I'd get some chaeto and throw that in your overflow or something and let that help deal with the phosphates

Try to move it somewhere with less intense light, i can't ID the corals next to it but chemical warfare is also a possibility. Spread them out a bit

 

[407Hunter]

Tank looks new.....

3 months.

 

[407Hunter]

The lighting is a bit off if I'm being honest which makes it hard to see clearly but to me it looks like it's pinching above the purple (close to the edge) and then deliberately moves below the purple to 'pinch' whatever it's scraping off the plug

I opened the photos into a new tab and they load HD.
Can’t really see what’s being scraped besides flesh.

 

[407Hunter]

drop some algae pallets/nori for the crabs.....they must be starving....you have very little algae in your tank (at least from the pix's).

I’ll try that. Do algae leaves suffice and for nori just the stuff from the supermarket?
Meanwhile, @moretor1 Is this good algae?

 

[407Hunter]

purple seems to be flaking off or scraped and may be due coralline and if newer tank, insufficient calcium and light levels. As long as GSP polyps are emerging daily, it should be ok

Calcium 480 and mag at 1380 10 days ago reading. Which the corals were doing fine at the time.
The white is oaky on the coral? The coral on the right it’s a change in coral not broken off purple.

 

[407Hunter]

Are you using any kind of macroalgae? How much live rock did you start with?
Did you use live sand?

Most people recommend at least 1lb of cured live rock per gallon of water when going the skip cycle route. Idk how much you are running but that is something to consider

I'd get some chaeto and throw that in your overflow or something and let that help deal with the phosphates

Try to move it somewhere with less intense light, i can't ID the corals next to it but chemical warfare is also a possibility. Spread them out a bit

No macroalgae. Having a hard time finding any locally.
20 lb live sand. Sorry it’s a 20 G tank.
4-5 lbs live rock. 12 lb dry rock.
I’ll try separating the corals. Do GSP species do okay next to one another? The anthelias are close by because they’re shading the acros behind it from an intense T5 in my room (part of living room).

 

[FUNGI]

I’ll try that. Do algae leaves suffice and for nori just the stuff from the supermarket?
Meanwhile, @moretor1 Is this good algae?

Make sure its raw (uncooked/no flavors) just raw nori

 

[Jekyl]

Kill it while you can. (LoL)

 

[vetteguy53081]

Calcium 480 and mag at 1380 10 days ago reading. Which the corals were doing fine at the time.
The white is oaky on the coral? The coral on the right it’s a change in coral not broken off purple.

Under mine below is pure white colored rock. Light and flow are more important to them

 

[FUNGI]

Kill it while you can. (LoL)

LOL. I assume you mean the GSP.....

 

[407Hunter]

Make sure its raw (uncooked/no flavors) just raw nori

Sorry that was funny lol. Hold on thawed?

 

[407Hunter]

Kill it while you can. (LoL)

Please no lol