Beginner corals

[Davos2911]

Hi,

I have had 2 corals in my tank for about 3 weeks now and I am looking for some advice. I have a set of polyps which have not really opened since I got them and I have some mushrooms which seem to be thriving. Im not sure what might be the problem as I had suspected my bi colur angel had been nipping the polyps. All other parameters seem to be within an acceptable range and i have been dosing with reef complete and reef buffer to maintain calcium and ph levels. Thanks in advance

David

 

[drewwCh]

try to see if there are any pests that are bothering the zoas. i don't know if angels are know to nip at zoas but if you suspect your angel is picking on them, either rehome him or rehome the zoas. or you could wait it out to see if they open up

 

[Davos2911]

What sort of pests? Im not sure wjat to look for

 

[drewwCh]

What sort of pests? Im not sure wjat to look for

there are lots of creatures that may bother zoas like nudibranchs, amphipods, crabs, and others that i do not know of yet so maybe try searching around the forum

 

[Davos2911]

Okay thanks ill have a look

 

[drewwCh]

Okay thanks ill have a look

https://www.nano-reef.com/forums/to...-thread-before-you-post-whats-this-look-here/ here's list that might be helpful in identifying pests and managing/eradicating them

 

[Bribo12]

Are you testing your calcium, alkalinity, pH, magnesium numbers since you’re dosing things? With only 2 soft corals alk and calcium really wont change much as they use minimal amounts. I know the pH buffer you’re using will raise alk for sure. Zoas usually react strongly to alk swings from my experience.

 

[Rhoads238]

+1 to above. Your corals should be using very little calcium and alk. At this point probably you can maintain params with just water changes. Your angel nipping the zoas may also be the cause and as other have mentioned, there are possible pests that could be bothering them. Try giving them a dip in a light colored bowl, this will make it easy to see whats coming off of them. If theres a bunch of life coming off of them it may be the cause.

 

[TankYou]

At this point if you have a newly established aquarium i don’t know if you should be dosing anything. Regular water changes And keeping a consistent salinity level should keep things stable enough with the corals listed. You can do far more harm than the good that will come from chasing numbers.

 

[Davos2911]

Thanks guys my calcium kept dropping to about 300 for some reason and my ph kept dropping too. I think the ph is to do with the fact I have a hood as the local fish shop thoughtbthis may be the cause. What should i dip it in? The angel seems to be leaving it alone now so wondering if there are some critters hiding out of sight

 

[Bribo12]

What test kits are you using? And it is normal for pH to drop during the night time. Adding more surface agitation will help with pH as well. Odd that your calcium is dropping id double check it with a good second kit like Salifert or Red Sea.

 

[Uncle99]

Angels can pick at corals.

 

[Mike from TN]

How is the flow in your tank and what type of lighting are you running?
These items may have something to do with the fact that your Zoa’s are not opening.

 

[RVA REEF]

my guess is your problem is the fish in the first picture you posted, could also be coral parasites, but you wont know till you dip the colony.

 

[Davos2911]

So i put the torch on tonight to see if I can see anything unusual and have came across a small whiteish crab thag is well camoflauged. His is in the attached photos but not easily spotted. I wonder if he is the culprit

 

[drewwCh]

So i put the torch on tonight to see if I can see anything unusual and have came across a small whiteish crab thag is well camoflauged. His is in the attached photos but not easily spotted. I wonder if he is the culprit

he might be the culprit or he might just be cleaning algae off the rock, continue to watch the zoas and the crab. Once you see the crab eating any polyps, then you can try to catch it.

If you want you can try to catch the crab right away and see if the zoas are still closed up, if it's like that then it's probs the angel

 

[Davos2911]

Thats the best i could do he has scurried away after i put the lights on

 

[Lizbeli]

Take a look at photos of “zoa spiders” just to be sure. They are white and kind of have crab like legs. Just to rule it out. (They are terrifying if you have a phobia of spiders like me)

 

[Davos2911]

Take a look at photos of “zoa spiders” just to be sure. They are white and kind of have crab like legs. Just to rule it out. (They are terrifying if you have a phobia of spiders like me)

They are terrible looking defo not one of them though

 

[Davos2911]

this is a slightly better pic of him. Does anyone have any ideas if he is a friendly?