zooanthids melting away

[ecvernon]

im not sure why but i dont have much luck with zoas. These I had since the swap and they were very healthy looking. 2 days ago is when i noticed the polyps were open and colorful but the base/stalk of the polyp was starting to shrink as though it was withering. I did not find any visible predators in the tank. only after the decay started then small asternid starfish and pods were on the dyeing polyps. All of my corals has had a long dip and blow with turkey baster in coral revive before entering the display tank...
tank parameters are as follows for today
kits are salifert and hanna meter
salinity 1.025
ph 8.17
kh 9.5 dkh
calcium 470-480 ppm
magnesium-1380-1410 ppm
nitrate 5 ppm
nitrite 0 ppm
ammonia 0 ppm
phosphate 0.01- hanna meter

let me know what you guys think

 

[ecvernon]

pics

pics

i have had this happen a few times untill nothing is left... And the zoanthids i do have now just do not grow as fast as they should ...

 

[dubs]

ecvernon i have some the same problem i have had people give zoas for me even just try i dont know y they just dont like my tank or me i just finnally got two different kind to start growing ..... they soppose to be easy to grow but they dont for me i have even giving up on them i refuse to pay for another zoes polys i make a deal or trade and its come with it then fine but i wont buy any more

 

[knugenx]

I think it's high salinity...I don't have an ato, but when my water is low due to evaportaion my zoas looks bad...once I top-off with fresh water...they look better....maybe it's just me, my tank fluctuates in salinity.

also, the gsp behind it might be bothering it.

 

[ecvernon]

zoa melt

i run an ATO my tank is pretty stable with salinity at 1.025.you think 1.025 is pretty high? i dont think its too high my sps and lps does very well in the tank but hey if that would fix the problem i would consider it.. The gsp is not doing anything to the zoas, i moved it there because its been blowing around my tank the zoas started melting before i put it there.

thanks for the ideas
Eric

I think it's high salinity...I don't have an ato, but when my water is low due to evaportaion my zoas looks bad...once I top-off with fresh water...they look better....maybe it's just me, my tank fluctuates in salinity.

also, the gsp behind it might be bothering it.

 

[KathyC]

Eric - those look as though they are being eaten.
Do you have a pic of the asterinas in your tank and have they been there all along when you have lost other zoa colonies?

The other possibility is zoa eating nudi's. I don't believe Revive would kill those - you'd need Lugols Solution to kill them.

I'd lean more toward the asterinas at this point, especially since you have noticed them on your zoas.
A Harlequin shrimp is your best bet, and keeping the zoas out of your tank until the population is mosty gone would also be a wise idea.

 

[Oliver]

in my exp some zoas are more sensitive then others and the smallest change and it will melt right away. for example the darth mauls or nightmare some people have tryed to keep them and were lucky and others werent and theymealted right away.

 

[KathyC]

More...the stars I had issues with are pictured in this thread:
http://www.manhattanreefs.com/forum/general-discussion/39498-stars-my-nemesis.html

 

[ecvernon]

zoas

they star fish are not many in quantity this display tank. i didnt wanna jump the gun and automatically assume zoa eating stars. especially since i always have seen them on already dying or stressed coral . not on any thing that was thriving. also i seeded this tank with live rock from my other tank ..NOW you are making it seem more and more like a possibility:smash::scratchch

Eric - those look as though they are being eaten.
Do you have a pic of the asterinas in your tank and have they been there all along when you have lost other zoa colonies?

The other possibility is zoa eating nudi's. I don't believe Revive would kill those - you'd need Lugols Solution to kill them.

I'd lean more toward the asterinas at this point, especially since you have noticed them on your zoas.
A Harlequin shrimp is your best bet, and keeping the zoas out of your tank until the population is mosty gone would also be a wise idea.

 

[ecvernon]

KathyC i would have to wait till tonight to check them out.. thats when they like to crawl on the glass.. hopefully they are not those small blue starfish you referenced

 

[KathyC]

Crossing my fingers for you!

IF you get lucky and they aren't the little blue/green stars in your tank, you'd want to be looking for the nudi's.
Are you familiar with them and what they look like and when best to find them?

 

[ecvernon]

zoa eating nudibanches.. never heard of them lol.. but dont worry google is my best friend.

 

[KathyC]

http://zoaid.com/index.php?module=Gallery2&g2_itemId=415

Some of the best pics of them that I know of. Keep in mind - they appear as the color of the zoas they are currently eating - so they can be VERY difficult to see. Also take a look at the pic that shows what their eggs look like.
Sometimes you will find them on the glass of your tank after lights out...but not always, best to look on the zoas themselves.
Nasty little buggers.
My $ is still on the stars though...

 

[gholtmeyer]

I have some those small blue stars in my tank. I am in the process of tearing the display down. I took out all of the live rock, soaked it in fresh water, then let them air dry for few days. I am also taking out all of the sand and washing it. I am pretty sure that that will kill any and everything. But what about my corals? What can I drip them in?

 

[KathyC]

Hey Eric - did you find anything in your tank that expains the vanishing zoas yet?

I have some those small blue stars in my tank. I am in the process of tearing the display down. I took out all of the live rock, soaked it in fresh water, then let them air dry for few days. I am also taking out all of the sand and washing it. I am pretty sure that that will kill any and everything. But what about my corals? What can I drip them in?

What is the issue with your tank that you broke it down to kill the rock?

Soaking your rock in FW and rinsing your sand in it is not the best way to 'cook' rock if you are looking to kill off something that is affecting it.

True FW unforunately contains a lot of impurities that you do not want your rock or sand absorbing.
Do you mean rodi water?

What types of corals and what in particluar are you looking to eliminate from them?

 

[gholtmeyer]

I was able to take all of the corals off of the rocks and set them in a stock tank connected to my system. The why is that I had flat worms -and have treated the tank multiple times and they just keep coming back. Also, because of the large populations of the blue stars. They by the way were never affected by the Flatworm Exit. Yes, the rocks were treated in RODI water, sorry for the confusion. I also dipped the corals in the RODI water to rid them of the flat worms. It works like a charm. A 20 second dip and they just fall off.

 

[KathyC]

Ahhh...good to know
For the asterinas - a Harley will make quick work of them. If you don't have many, better to just hand pick them off, after all once a Harley is done with your star population, you'd have to buy him starfish to eat :starfish:

 

[ecvernon]

in one of my tanks(original display tank) i did find one sundial snail i pulled him immediately. the original display tank i will have to leave zoo less for now because i have some fromia starfish in there

in my new tank i did not find anything other than the suspected asternid starfish. i have added a harlequin shrimp pair . so far they have been pretty shy but waiting to they do their thing with the asternid starfish. i also have a chocolate chip starfish on standby for them after they complete the mission..

 

[BIG L A]

Ill go with the nudi's... They do camouflage themselves in the color of the Zoa they're eating so try checking the tank in the middle of the night with a light of some sort... RO/DI will kill them but not the eggs... Good luck...

 

[NYreefNoob]

sundials are one of the main problems going around, always do a freshwater dip then iodine dip on zoa's. zoa pox are pretty common also a flux in temp can set that off, get some furan 2 and do a dip for a week with zoa's. also since ive been collecting zoa's on and off for last few yr's, one thing i have noticed is usually around spring and fall people have the zoa melt down, which one of my thoughts is flux in temp in house and eve running a chiller my temp stays down more or up more, never above or below 77-79 but staying at the 77 after fall starts and staying around 79 in spring and summer, pyrmids are easiest to look for once lights are out