GREEN BIRDSNEST damage

VicZA

VicZA

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Hi all, I bought a frag of some Green Birdsnest from a fellow reefer. This is my first sps and I know these guys are tricky to keep and maintain.

It seems as if I did not start very well with this guy. During the trip from JHB to Nelspruit the coral seems to have suffered a bit (quite a lot actually) of damage. The gree polyps and "skin" of the coral has peeled off quite a lot.

My question is thus ... will this coral be able to "rebound" and is there anything special that I should be doing for it.

(pic attached showing damage)

GREEN BIRDSNEST CORAL Seriatopora guttatus (21-03-2014) damage.jpg
 
Yeah, it looks pretty much finished, but don't throw it away, SPS can recover from the tiniest bit of tissue remaining, put it somewhere in the tank and just leave it, it may begin to recover, although it will be a very long process.
 
ok, cool thanks ... pretty much what I thought. I will leave it in the tank where it is now under strong light and medium/strong flow. Let's see what happens
 
howsit Vic that coral looks abit far off but what I have noticed with a few sps is if there are few polyps they can recover as long as the conditions it is in stabilize where did you put the frag piece in the tank maybe a fts and view of where it was placed.. and what did you use to take the picture of it
 
I would advise you not to put this coral under strong light/flow. if the tissue is damaged it will take longer to recover and it will be getting bleached from the strong light
 
also make sure that alkalinity is at the right levels and nutrients are as low as possible.
 
the coral is alive and the polyps that are visible on this photo are thriving. They have opened nicely and are visibly swaying in the current. However, the part that lost the polyps is still like that so I am hoping that they somehow regrow ?
 
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birdsnest corals are some of the hardiest SPS corals and can take quite a beating ... many experts will recommend them as good choice for those who are just starting with SPS. on the other hand many online stores will tag them as moderate difficulty or even for experts only because of their flow requirements. if you get a birdsnest as a small frag its OK and even an absolute beginner at marines will be able to keep it.. but if you buy a big coral colony it becomes tricky.. the coral grows his branches in such a way that is best suited for the flow of where its kept to allow maximum flow of water to go through .. with small frags that is not an issue but with a big colony that is not positioned the right way many people experience die off which starts from the center and spreads out..

I know non of the above applies to your case but I just thought of sharing some extra info on this nice coral.. hopefully yours will be fully recovered very soon
 
Here is the coral at the moment .... still alot of recovery required, but note on the before (left) and after (right) close-up how the polyps are starting to grow back slowly (highlighted with red circles)

GREEN BIRDSNEST CORAL Seriatopora guttatus (03-04-2014).jpg


GREEN BIRDSNEST CORAL Seriatopora guttatus (03-04-2014) before and after.jpg
 
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