Reversing STN damage to SPS

[herman]

Recently my tank went skimmerless for some time and due to the lack of time my husbandry was not where it should have been. Things have improved since.

During theat time a couple of sps showed signs of STN and others started STNing from the base up.

I really hate to frag and refrag a coral that I have spent a lot of time caring for. I decided rather than amputate the STNing part to remove the tissue just above the dead tissue from the necrossis. I would then scar the sections where the coral STNed. Algae would build on it followed by the coral encrusting and then branching in the scarred area.

I did the same with a Miyagi tort that showed signs of STN in the middle sections and its encrusting around the area also.

I have also seen people just spread glue over the STNing sections of a coral to stop the damage from taking the colony.

Have any of you observed similar occurences?

 

[loismustdie]

Herman, I recently went through a little high PO4 and high calcium issue and had the same type STN occur. Everything I fragged above the STN ended up STNing from the base up anyway. I also tried the glue, but the same thing happened. STN would appear just above the glue line. I also dipped some in TMPC in fear of AEFW. All that were dipped turned up no AEFW, so I ruled that out. I decided to just leave the others alone.
For me it came down to husbandry. I did a couple of large water changes and added a phosban reactor. All that showed STN stopped, grew some algae over the dead portion, but tissue is now growing back. I was relieved since I almost lost my shades of fall milli. It's now back on the rebound although it has always been a painfully slow grower.
If I were to suggest anything to someone going through STN, it would be to test and go after water quality issues first, before you add more stress to an already weakened coral by fragging/glueing/dipping/etc. Attack the water, no thte coral. Also, I cannot prove this, but I've been told several times that when a coral starts to STN, it sends out a chemical signal which can trigger other corals which aren't as stressed to STN. Keep some carbon on hand to deal with this.

 

[barebucta]

guys not in the sps game yet, but what is STNing short for? ALways good to know these things.

 

[loismustdie]

slow tissue necrosis

 

[marrone]

I've seen the glue thing also and it has worked. Eventually the corals encrusts over the glue part.

 

[reefman]

i agree with chris on the water quality and carbon part on the stn. but also would increase flow until stn is gone.
however rtn may be a diff matter. i've heard iodine may play a role in it.