Advice on zoa issues

[Mike33515]

Hi all I’m new to reef2reef but I’ve been in the hobby since January. And I’m running into some issues with my frag tank that has zoas and acans. Acans are great just having some different issues with some zoas. Went through the forms and got some information but wanted to see what ppl think. Posted pictures and Hope someone here can point me in the right direction.

 

[Mike33515]

Got a couple doing the umbrella affect and some won’t open/halfway open/not going back in all the way. At first I was only doing water changes once a month and dosing. Now I just started going back to weekly water changes to get away from dosing if that was the issue. Some look to be melting to me and I already lost my little shop of horrors with two heads on it. I’ve done a furan 2 dip to the affected ones 3 days in a row.

14 gallon Fluval m40

Ph 8.2
1.024
Po 0.12
No3 10ppm
Ca 400
Kh 08

 

[KellyCorals]

I’m having so trouble with my zoas well. Some of mine look just like yours. My water numbers look close to yours. Salt 1.026 , ph 8.3, my no 3 is 20. I’ve used coral revive dip on a couple of them and sometimes it works and sometimes not. I’ve decided to leave them alone because I’m worried that I mess with them too much lol. I’ll be watching to see what other people say. Some of yours look “stretched” so maybe crank the lights up a bit. That helped some of mine.

 

[Mike33515]

I’m having so trouble with my zoas well. Some of mine look just like yours. My water numbers look close to yours. Salt 1.026 , ph 8.3, my no 3 is 20. I’ve used coral revive dip on a couple of them and sometimes it works and sometimes not. I’ve decided to leave them alone because I’m worried that I mess with them too much lol. I’ll be watching to see what other people say. Some of yours look “stretched” so maybe crank the lights up a bit. That helped some of mine.

I also decided to not dip anymore for now and let them be unless I have to again. I had a Fluval wing light on the tank and it was working great but then the stretching started so I brought a new light it’s only the 2nd day with the new light on the tank and it’s a aqua knight from amazon a friend recommended it to me and it’s brighter then the Fluval.

 

[KellyCorals]

Looks like a nice light! I recently switched over to a pair of aqumai reef LEDs and one fluval nano in the middle of my canopy. The Aqamai’s have a nice spectrum and are more than bright...I had to tone them down.

 

[Mike33515]

it’s a good light better then the Fluval wing nano. I’m using a skimmer in my frag tank what about you?

 

[Oscar47f]

Once you expand your zoanthid collection and especially once you start collecting the high end stuff... it gets challenging... iodine Dips are a great tool because softies react super well, zoanthids love when you dose iodine... and I’m currently experimenting with vitamin C dosing... apart from iodine dipping a chemiclean dip can also be helpful .. other than that good lighting and flow is key some higher end zoas love lower light and some like higher light if they’re reaching move them up to a higher light area...

 

[Mike33515]

Once you expand your zoanthid collection and especially once you start collecting the high end stuff... it gets challenging... iodine Dips are a great tool because softies react super well, zoanthids love when you dose iodine... and I’m currently experimenting with vitamin C dosing... apart from iodine dipping a chemiclean dip can also be helpful .. other than that good lighting and flow is key some higher end zoas love lower light and some like higher light if they’re reaching move them up to a higher light area...

I do dose iodide three times a week what does a Chemiclean dip do?

 

[Oscar47f]

I do dose iodide three times a week what does a Chemiclean dip do?

It’s a strong anti bacterial similar to Furan 2

 

[PicassoClown04]

For zoas, if they are stretching towards the light (very long stalks) they need more light, browning colors could also mean more light. Bleaching/not opening could be a result of too much light, not opening could also be a flow issue. If all those things above are correct, I recommend feeding heavier for a few days and see if they get better. Looking for these signs, I have never lost a Zoa, even after one was closed for 3 months straight. I raised my nutrients and bam, wide open and popping babies like crazy

 

[ReeferWarrant]

Yeah, like @Oscar47f mentioned some of those look like they are reaching for the light. Bring them closer or increase your output for those. Adjust others as necessary, thats the biggest indicator I've noticed with Zoas is when they pancake they are getting good light. When they stretch theyre wanting more.

 

[Mike33515]

It’s a strong anti bacterial similar to Furan 2

Do you know the ratio for chemiclean dip?

 

[Mike33515]

Yeah, like @Oscar47f mentioned some of those look like they are reaching for the light. Bring them closer or increase your output for those. Adjust others as necessary, thats the biggest indicator I've noticed with Zoas is when they pancake they are getting good light. When they stretch theyre wanting more.

How long does it take after adjusting to see change?

 

[ReeferWarrant]

I havent really timed it but once they open I'd say no more than an hour, more likely 10-20 min.

 

[ReeferWarrant]

It was never an urgent thing for me to monitor so If I noticed them stretching I'd adjust as needed.

 

[Mike33515]

I havent really timed it but once they open I'd say no more than an hour, more likely 10-20 min.

Sounds good what do you know about the umbrella part or if anything with ur experience?

 

[Oscar47f]

How long does it take after adjusting to see change?

Chemi clean comes with a little spoon it’s one spoon per 10 gallons I do a scoop in roughly half a gal and leave them in there for a day and that’s it lol with a heater and power head

 

[ReeferWarrant]

The only negative affect I have had with Zoas has been my own doing. I'd frag them in singular polyps, some can handle it and some cant. The umbrella affect I may have seen once, and it ended up figuring itself out. It's one of my slower growing Zoas so I would think they may be more temperamental. It may have to do with swings in paramaters, I would assume salinity changes would cause swelling vs shrinking.

 

[Mike33515]

Chemi clean comes with a little spoon it’s one spoon per 10 gallons I do a scoop in roughly half a gal and leave them in there for a day and that’s it lol with a heater and power head

Would it be better to do the whole tank instead of taking them out? I only have zoas/polys and acans and one candy cane.

 

[ReeferWarrant]

I forgot, it was also shedding its outer membrane. I had a decent amount of algae growth in the tank, so in order to shed it closes and shrinks then balloons up. I ran my turkey baster over it to remove some of the old membrane.