Violet Tipped Tricolor Acropora bleaching?

[number1gsxxr]

I have what I think is a tricolor acropora which seems to be bleaching. Can anyone look at these pics and let me know what's going on? Could the green montipora cap (which seems to be touching) be causing this? All other corals including pink birdsnest look fine.

Salinity: 1.026
pH: 8.2
Cal: 400
Alk: 9 dKH
Mag: 1320
Nitrate: 0
Nitrite: 0
Ammonia: 0
PO4: 0

 

[number1gsxxr]

No one has any idea?

 

[cilyjr]

i doubt it is the monti as the acro has flesh where the monti is growing up towards it.
i had an issue similar with the same coral a year ago it died back to almost nothing i cut a bunch of the stuff that was good and now it seems fine. but i never did find out exactly why it died back

 

[daveb]

Parameters all check pretty good, however i would bump up the calcium.


SPS are very finicky and do strange things for no apparent reason. That being said, i too doubt its the cap. If it is rapidly receding, i would start fragging it and try to save what you can.

 

[kevinpratt823]

I would certainly trim back the monti, all evidence points to it. That is die off, not bleaching(which is just a loss of color). But then again, sometimes things will all of a sudden RTN(rapid tissue necrosis) and you will never know why. If it continues to progress you should prob cut it down and trim off as much dead spots as possible and start it in a new spot.

 

[number1gsxxr]

I moved it away from the monti and I'll continue to monitor it. If the bleaching continues should I frag the individual branches off or can I cut the "trunk" above the bleached part? Thanks.