While I do that, you can continue reading about STN and the real issues. I just hope you are not reading this without our part 1, as it will be confusing! Please catch up..

Slow Tissue Necrosis is something that all of SPS coral keepers do not want to encounter. Why? Because the cause is hard to decipher. It is only through your own analysis that you can catch the catalyst for this unfortunate event. And sometimes even that is not enough.

Case in point, the Ultra Low Nutrient Systems. They are designed to purify the water that your corals are grown in. But it is through additives, such as Amino Acids/ Proteins, Vitamins, Minerals that you get them to grow and display in pastel colors. Many hobbyists in Europe and now in USA employ this kind of method through the use of a Zeo or Ultralith product system. These systems require you to perform a daily routine in adding these supplements (which I mentioned before). In reality, this is a well executed marketing campaign that people bought into. You are fabricating an environment in which you are eliminating the necessary elements that your corals use to grow (such as Phosphates and Nitrates). Then you are required to purchase supplements to make them grow and color up. Finally, and this is the kicker (if you already didn’t know), you do have to maintain a regular water change schedule. How ironic?!

Your corals are basically walking the tightrope. Why? Consider this, and this is how this ties into STN, your corals are already deprived of everything that they need to grow on. If you miss adding your supplements, or if you overdose your supplements, you will be entering in the danger zone of possibly jump-starting a massive STN event. As well, the non-marketed ULNS, such as the Vodka/Sugar/Vitamin C  (Basic Carbon Sources) are also STN event creating sources. They allow your system to eliminate the Phosphates and Nitrates from your system, but through total elimination of these important elements that your corals will go into recession.

While doing some research on STN, I found this very intersting article that depicts what I have been talking about so far. It explains how food deprivation (such as in this case through PO4 and NO3), can cause coral death. Here is an excerpt:

There is good reason to suspect that the low lipid reserves and lowered immunity features precede the bleaching event rather than result from it, as one might suspect. Widespread outbreaks of infectious diseases and parasitic problems among (not bleached) corals have been another cause of serious concern to reef scientists, also starting only in recent years. And, as mentioned earlier, slowed growth of (not bleached) corals has actually been occurring in some “pristine” areas for decades. Therefore it is reasonable to suspect that some underlying factor has caused these changes and thereby weakened coral communities as a whole, and predisposed many corals now to “bleaching” under temperature stress. Food-deprivation is certainly consistent with the pattern of presenting symptoms (slowed growth, low lipid reserves, lowered immunity and reproduction, ultimate death).

 

In other words, no food for corals, no growth for corals and their untimely death.

Tomorrow, I will show you all what you can do to eliminate the possibilities of this event. So stay tuned!

So lets continue from our last post on this topic. If you are not caught up, read on here, then come back with a large brewed coffee.

Here is what I have been doing.

Currently I have 3 cleaner shrimps (one died or went missing the first night, survival of the fittest my friends) in the display, and two in the refuge. The refuge doesn’t have any moon lights, but the display does. I have been feeding the shrimps two times a week omega one flake food (which is rich in protein, aminos, etc). While doing all of this, I did not see any eggs yet, which means they are not in their adulthood. But as a surprise, albeit logical when researched, all three shrimps in the display molted on the same night. In the morning, I found three shrimp shells on the sand. Clearly it had to be an attributed to the real moon phases that the RKE is capable of simulating. Therefore, I can only assume that these moon cycles will be subjecting my shrimps to release eggs in a very consistent manner, which is exactly what I am trying to accomplish.

Lesson learned my newbie friends, so far, is buy a controller that is capable of true moon cycle simulation if you want your fish and inverts to spawn. Stay tuned, as I will be doing another update very soon.

Over on RC, there’s an interesting, if unsubstantiated claim that garlic does damage to a fish‘s internal organs. The original post is a bit confusing, but here’s the gist:

Apart from the fact garlic is not a natural part of a reef diet it is known to chronically damage the internal organs of reef fish.

This could be some big news. I, like a lot of people, feed my tank blender mush and most recipes call for garlic in some form. But, then again it could just be a load of skimmate. The original post is poorly written, unsubstantiated and the study seems flawed (4 tanks?). I’m divided on feeding terrestrial foods to my reef tank.

The Marine Depot blog says that exporting fish from Pulau is now illegal.

The Northern Reefs are considered critical breeding grounds for fish consumed by the people of Palau. As such, indiscriminate fishing of not only mature fish but also the smaller fish used as food, concerned marine environmentalists and local leaders.

At least this is for conservation efforts rather than bureaucracy.