What Causes White Tips on SPS Coral?
If you are a coral enthusiast, then you must be aware of the white tips appearing on the SPS coral. Your experience must have taught you the reason behind these sudden changes, too.
But, as a beginner, it may seem overwhelming to notice the white tips, especially on the coral frag you spent so much money to acquire.
Well, relax and dive into our article. We will navigate you through three causes of white tips on SPS coral and how to possibly treat them.
Growth tips
White tips on the SPS coral is not always the bad news. Sometimes they can mean growth, especially if you notice polyps growing around or on them.
White tips while growing is a sign of active accretion of the calcium skeleton that produces exposed areas on the coral fragments that lack the zooxanthellae. This is just the photosynthesis process of zooxanthellae that promotes the SPS coral’s calcifying rate in the polyp.
However, if you notice the white tips getting significant and travelling down the coral, it can be a sign of bleaching. Try turning the light down at around 200 to 450 PAR or as per the particular species’ requirement.
Alkalinity burn
Another reason for white tips is drop-in nutrient levels and increased alkalinity levels. This results in burnt or white tips, often making the surrounding flesh appear patchy due to the loss of tissue around the tips.
This is the reason why you must focus on the alkalinity because any shift can result in your SPS coral dying faster compared to any lighting issues.
In most cases, the alkalinity burns resolve on their own. If you notice the issue early enough and take the right measures, you can assist the corals in healing and even growing over the burnt tips. You can even frag any dead parts to prevent the burnt tips from progressing and safeguard the colony.
STN or slow tissue necrosis
Even though STN can take months to occur, it is something you need to be serious about. Both STN and RTN or rapid tissue necrosis are the results of microscopic protozoans that impact both the coral skeleton and tissues. They thrive in an out of balance environment, such as temperature change, etc.
To determine whether or not your coral is infected with STN, take a look at the base because it starts from the bottom and eventually reaches the branches.
Since STN infection can spread in the water, it is best to first introduce the newly purchased SPS in a quarantine tank for a few months.
Over to you
Well, there you have it. These are three major reasons why your SPS corals in Canada may be turning white on the tips.
Use our article as a guide to successfully overcome it.
Kevin Astle is the author of this article. To know more details about Online LPS Corals in Victoria please visit our website: fraggarage.ca