What the @#&%?? Birdsnest Bubble Growths

[AJ_77]

Just saw this tonight on my frag of pink w/purple birdsnest - anybody know what this could be?

http://members.shaw.ca/AJ_77/dec04_birdsnest_bubblegrowth.jpg

Here's a close-up of the action - can't quite tell if the "bubbles" are hard or soft:

http://members.shaw.ca/AJ_77/dec04_birdsnest_bubblegrowth_macro.jpg

Ca = 370 / Alk = 7.5 dkH / Salinity = 1.026 / Temp = 81. All other corals look normal. Any useful input is appreciated. :biggrin:

(Gonna go try to post this on RC as well.)

[wrassehole]

good god, i have no clue but it looks mutant

[Beverly]

Could it be sponge growth, if soft?

[AJ_77]

Crap, I think it's the skin of the coral itself.... d@#n it. A guy on another board suggested it may be low Alk, and I re-tested, and got a number lower than what I thought I had.

Dripping more kalk right now...

It looks like the coral is detaching from its skeleton, doesn't it? :evil:

:redface:

[SeaHorse_Fanatic]

Yeah, it sort of does look like a bubble forming below the skin. Good luck. At least you were vigilant enough to catch it early.

[titus]

Hello,

Wow that's one freaky looking piece. :eek:
Keep us posted on what you did and what happened.

Titus

[Rikko]

It's not a toomah!




Sorry, I had to...

[StirCrazy]

Dripping more kalk right now...

It looks like the coral is detaching from its skeleton, doesn't it? :evil:

:redface:

Kalk won't realy bring up your Alk in my experiance.. I would use baking soda to raise it up to where it should be.

Steve

[Beverly]

I would use baking soda to raise it up to where it should be.

Baking soda will lower pH, but will definitely raise alk.

Here's an article on alk and calcium:

http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/nov2002/chem.htm

[Gools]

I have the same thing, but just one big bubble. It's been there for over a year, and my coral has dubbled in size. Everyonce in a while they pop and then come back, and no other bubbles in my tank, so it isn't spreading.

[AJ_77]

Thanks Steve, will do a bit of that later today. Should be added when PH is highest, right?

Thanks Bev, am well-acquainted with that article. :wink:

[Canadian Man]

My Birds nest has had a few of the same type things in the past. It has been when my alk was the lowest. I did not worry about it and the coral never looked bad at all.

Not to worry.

[StirCrazy]

Baking soda only drops PH slightly and it is temporary. I was adding 5 tablesppons to my tank a day and the PH never dropped at all when I measured it a hour laiter but the alk did come up. I fould that 1 table spoon in 100 gal (aprox) would rais my alk by about 1.4 to 1.6 dkh. and when I was having problems maintaining my alk I was using about 2 to 3 table spoons at a time to reset the levels once or twice a week with no ill effects.

I was starting to concider building a baking soda reactor for a bit :mrgreen:

Steve

[Beverly]

Baking soda only drops PH slightly and it is temporary. I was adding 5 tablesppons to my tank a day and the PH never dropped at all when I measured it a hour laiter but the alk did come up.

Steve,

I've used baking soda to raise alk and have a pH probe to measure pH during the addition of the baking soda. Big freaking changes as it is being added which has to be somewhat stressful to the tank.

[Chin_Lee]

i just drip it into the tank like kalk. when i dumped 10 tsp of bs/water mix into a 70gallon area my sump and it changed the ph by .15
I now use an air hose with a variable air valve to drip it since i don't have to sit and watch it drip anyways.

[AJ_77]

Brings up another question - is it OK to add this (baking soda) to my kalkwasser and drip it all in together?

[StirCrazy]

I've used baking soda to raise alk and have a pH probe to measure pH during the addition of the baking soda. Big freaking changes as it is being added which has to be somewhat stressful to the tank.

how much are you adding to what volume of water and how long does the change last?

Steve

[Beverly]

Alan,

If you mix kalk and baking soda, it precipitates and you get a big mess. I did not add this mixture to my tank, but discarded it.

What I did end up doing was adding kalk from one container and baking soda from another container to the tank at the same time. pH remained relatively steady, though I'm thinking the change in alk might have been stressful to the tank, but I could see no evidence of stress in either the fish or corals.

Steve,

It was a long time ago that I used baking soda alone to change alk, so I don't remember. Sorry.

[EmilyB]

Alan, I have "real" buffer here if you want to get some to get your levels up. Then you can maintain with the kalk, or two part or whatever.

What salt are you using? The levels are low.

[StirCrazy]

Alan, I have "real" buffer here if you want to get some to get your levels up. Then you can maintain with the kalk, or two part or whatever.

What salt are you using? The levels are low.

there is a problem with the traditional buffers we buy. they also contain borax (not sure if this is the right chemical that I am trying to remember) but this also reads as a buffer but is not available to the corals for use. where the composition of baking soda is 100% available to the corals for use. having a proper balance between the two is good but if you get more of the borax than should be there then you have a larger portion of your Alk not available to the corals.

Beverly, do you remember what effect "cooking" the baking soda has on its properties? I can't remember off hand.

Steve

[AJ_77]

Alan, I have "real" buffer here if you want to get some to get your levels up. Then you can maintain with the kalk, or two part or whatever.

What salt are you using? The levels are low.
I'm using Kent. Almost done my bucket, then I have some IO waiting...

I'll get hold of you tomorrow about the buffer thing. And thanks. :mrgreen:

[Beverly]

Beverly, do you remember what effect "cooking" the baking soda has on its properties? I can't remember off hand.

Steve,

Don't have a clue other than baking it turns it to washing soda. The answer to your question could be in the article I posted.

[StirCrazy]

Beverly, do you remember what effect "cooking" the baking soda has on its properties? I can't remember off hand.

Steve,

Don't have a clue other than baking it turns it to washing soda. The answer to your question could be in the article I posted.

I found out.. it drives off the CO2 so it will not drop your ph but it will raise it. so if we tank 7 cups of baking soda, bake one of the cups then mix it all together supposedly we have a mix that will have little impact on the PH.

Steve

[AJ_77]

Things are looking better. Alk = 12 dKH; Calcium = 370; pH = 8.4. Birdsnest "bubbles" seem to be receding, definitely not growing. I think they might be hardening, but it's hard to judge by looking - apparently someone else with this problem saw their bubbles calcify and become part of the coral skeleton.

Maybe some new pics later...