Wasabi, graciously provided me with some M. digitata and cap at the March meeting are either starting to STN or are infected with nudi's.
I bought a nice piece of
encrusting Montipora that was infected with nudis, but thought I got it out of the tank in time.
Either I guessed wrong or my Monti's are going downhill for some other reason. On the orange digi I noticed tissue sloughing off at the base. It was a small patch at first, but a couple days later tripled in sze. Since the frag is mounted, about all I can do is gently brush the area with a toothbrush.
Then this morning, the green cap, which has been growing like a weed, displayed a small 1cm diameter white area near the center. It's hard to see underneath, but I can almost make out a white area, either sloughing tissue or something.
Since these M. are hardy specimens, I wouldn't think it's tank related. ALl my parameters are good except phosphate, but that should only slow growth, not cause problems, correct? Even though the tank is only 3 months old, a couple A. yonghei (green slimers) are doing great. Not a lot of growth but good polyp extension, etc.
Anyway, are there any good references for the monti eating nudi's? If I do end up losing my mounted frags, what is the life cycle/span of these critters; how far from an infected specimem can they travel (I'm assuming the entire water colum); how long can the eggs last; etc. Basically I may have to go without Monitopara until these gone the full course.
After setting up a softie tank, I think my next project is going to be a
quarantine tank for corals that can spread disease.
Frustrated,
--- Gavin
