hey guys, one of my zoa colonies started to shrink, they look like crap, I’ll post some pics of what I’m talking about tomorrow…they’re one of my favorites too I just dunno what’s up with them…there aren’t any predators in the tank, the params are good, I just changed bulbs thinking that might help…my old bulbs were due for a change anyway…but it doesn’t seem to be making any difference…you guys think an algae blenny sitting on them and pissing them off a lot might cause that type of a reaction? I got rid of him today, he was always messing with my zoas closing them up…
If a fish is laying on him that would be a problem. Even if you bush then they will close up. Other then being agitated they still look good
Well, the blenny is gone now…so we’ll see how they do in the next couple weeks, but if they don’t start looking better I’m gonna frag’em and give some away to see what someone else can do with’em…
Ok, lets start where 15 million other threads start… What is your water chemistry? List them and how you measured it, IE “Ammonia = 10ppm (API)”. If you report a mysterious question and give us very little info it is hard to diagnose the problem. Have you added any new animals or wet items(like LR) to the tank? Photos may help. Look them over carefully as there are several species of snails and worms that pray on zoanthids.
Did you change all of the bulbs at once? It is best to get into a rotation where you change one at time and they are evenly spread out. So if you have two bulbs that need to be replaced once a year replace one every 6 months.
Jon
all are api tests,
Ammonia: 0
Nitrates: 0
Nitrites: 0
Calc: 450
DKH: 9
Sg: 1.026
Ph: 8.3-4
Phos: 0
Someone told me if your water is too clean some zoas don’t like it as much? Which sounded crazy to me at the time…if there are any tests I left out I’ll do it in the morning…I’m tired…oh yeah, temp is 81°, I didn’t add anything really, just some zoas, but I took some fish out, a clown, an engineer goby, and a blenny…
I added those, but they were looking bad before I added these, and it’s just those, my others still look great, I just don’t get it…I’m gonna move them to the other tank and see what happens…
Perhaps changing the bulbs too quickly upset them.
Have you tried moving them around a bit once you saw them closing up? Perhaps you moved them around too much or had your hands in the tank too much. Some species of zoa often close up after shipping and take a while to open.
If you added zoas or anything really, you could have added pests that eat zoas or some sort of disease or bad bacteria. People debate and argue over quarantining all the time, which I think is retarded with all the destructive things you could possible add to your balanced tank.
With the mixture of zoas you have in that picture I wonder if they are getting over crowded and competing with each other. You often times get this sort of closing up between two colonies of zoas that have met each other. Perhaps this mix match of zoas only works for a little while until space gets limited.
BTW I wouldn’t spend money on little API test kits again. Often times have problems with them and never give real accurate readings. I also wouldn’t trust any pH test kit. Hold off on buying that next coral for a little while till you figure out what is going with your tank and spend that money on a digital pH meter.
Could be a million things going on. Do nothing and it might just go away on it’s own. Cut them up and spread them out and you might have luck or might lose the whole thing. Sorry, but there are no easy answers on this one. Just keep looking for pests and take a look again at what you have down in the week or so leading up to this event.
I got a shot last night of something odd…I’ll post it right now…it’s a snail of some sort, doesn’t look to be a bad snail…it’s not a sundial as I can tell…but I dunno…
I believe that snail is this:
Collonista Snails: HARMLESS
Often mistaken as sundial snails, these are harmless grazers. They multiply very quickly and while they are out in the daytime, you will usually see tons on the glass at night.
If it was a disease or pest wouldn’t it be affecting all my zoas? and not just picking on one colony? which is what doesn’t make sense to me…
That’s not exactly true. They could have come in an a zoa and have yet to spread. You mentioned you had a watchman goby that would perch on the zoas; I would give them some time to open. If the numbers are good and their are no signs of a pest give them time.
yeah I don’t think there are any pests…I watch my tank every night for signs of anything bad…that stupid algae blenny NEVER left my zoas alone…he would get on top of them and like…dart back and forth real fast…he finally got on my last nerve and go traded in at the pet store…I think he just aggrivated them to the point where they just don’t want to open…
If thats the case the should be fine, give them time
Any updates, Rob?
yeah ron…they don’t even open now…they’re gonna die man 
it really sucks dude, they’re my favorites too man…I’m gonna frag’em and put some in my other tank and see how it goes…
If you move them and they do happen to have a bug you will spread it to another tank. I have has a zoa that stayed closed for a year before it opened again. Unless they are decaying away I would leave them be.
+me on what Al said, My zooanthids just opened the other day, it had been so long I forgot I had them. Really, probably nine months.
they’ve been open since…may, now they’re closed…
Fragging puts them under lots of stress. Moving them puts them under some stress. May you could try to remove a couple and see how it works.
Really hope they come around for ya. I know what it’s like to lose some. I got some nice zoas at the last MACNA about a year ago. Second I got them home I fragged them up and lost every single polyp.
Good luck,
Jon
that sucks man, I hate that dude…hopefully they pull out of it…