Coral

[twiggy]

Hi all this is my first marine tank I've cycled it and added a few cuc and few fish got few couple of corals added to tank a few weeks ago now the one on left is doing fine one on the right doesn't seem to alway fully open only some times do u think it's to high or not enough flow or just taking a while to settle in the tanks not sure as first time any help be welcome thanks

 

[ReefRusty]

Few simple questions to help.
What is the coral?
What lights are you running?
Did you dip coral before placement?
What was it like in the LFS when purchased?

 

[twiggy]

hi its a zoa ive attached a better photo of it . i have a fluval flex 123 with the marine 3.0 light. yes and acclimatised it before adding it. it was ope in the lfs ive checked the parameters there all fine and the other coral is doing fine only closes when light is off or something disturbs it this one just seems more temperamental so not sure what was.

thanks

 

[ReefRusty]

what are your parameters? Some Zoa's can be funny, I had a zoa island going with 6 different types and 1 wouldnt open, very sensitive to high phosphates I found.

 

[GHOSTLY]

I actually recently got 6 zoas. All Of them opened in 1 or 2 days but one is being finicky and Seems to be dying. Not sure why but give it time. This one has A bit of algae on it but I've seen half polyp extension. Just be patient. Good Zoa parameters are phos 0.02 to 0.04 and nitrate around 5 to 10 is whats good for me.

 

[MaxTremors]

hi its a zoa ive attached a better photo of it . i have a fluval flex 123 with the marine 3.0 light. yes and acclimatised it before adding it. it was ope in the lfs ive checked the parameters there all fine and the other coral is doing fine only closes when light is off or something disturbs it this one just seems more temperamental so not sure what was.

thanks

‘Parameters are all fine’ doesn’t tell us anything. What are your actual parameters? Some zoanthids can take a month or two to open fully after being moved even when the parameters, flow, and lighting are ideal. They can just be finicky sometimes.

Also, there is no need to acclimate corals, so long as the parameters of the water they’re in and the water they’re going in are within acceptable ranges, you don’t need to acclimate them. Just dip them and put them in the tank (you don’t acclimate them to the dip, so why acclimate them to the tank). Corals don’t have blood or hemoglobin, they absorb nutrients, trace elements, and water through diffusion, which means the water in their tissues will slowly reach equilibrium with the water they are in. They are essentially self-acclimating. That said, fish, clams, and inverts do need to be acclimated.

 

[MaxTremors]

hi its a zoa ive attached a better photo of it . i have a fluval flex 123 with the marine 3.0 light. yes and acclimatised it before adding it. it was ope in the lfs ive checked the parameters there all fine and the other coral is doing fine only closes when light is off or something disturbs it this one just seems more temperamental so not sure what was.

thanks

‘Parameters are all fine’ doesn’t tell us anything. What are your actual parameters? Some zoanthids can take a month or two to open fully after being moved even when the parameters, flow, and lighting are ideal. They can just be finicky sometimes.

Also, there is no need to acclimate corals, so long as the parameters of the water they’re in and the water they’re going in are within acceptable ranges, you don’t need to acclimate them. Just dip them and put them in the tank (you don’t acclimate them to the dip, so why acclimate them to the tank). Corals don’t have blood or hemoglobin, they absorb nutrients, trace elements, and water through diffusion, which means the water in their tissues will slowly reach equilibrium with the water they are in. They are essentially self-acclimating. That said, fish, clams, and inverts do need to be acclimated.

 

[twiggy]

hi sorry here are the parameters are 0 amm 0 nitrite nitrate at 10ppm alk 8.8 ph 8.2 calcium 430 mag 1300 phos 0 was just going off things say they should be and they seem in range should of posted these to start encase im missing something . temp is 77f they have been in 2 weeks now so could just be need more time just as first ones wasnt to sure if they were to high in the tank or if to much flow as the other one is doing fine and my first corals.

thanks

 

[ReefRusty]

Have 2 options, leave it and see how it goes or place lower and slowly move it up over a several weeks. Parameters are in check.

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

For the first 3-4 months of a reef tanks life, the water is very chaotic, there are many different types of bacteria all fighting for dominance in the tank. The test kits dont measure this or explain this, which is why everyone always says their "parameters are fine", but its a very unstable environment. Some of your corals will make, some will die. The only thing to do now is be patient and wait for the tank to stabilise.

 

[twiggy]

ok thanls il leave it for a while and see how it gets on thanks

 

[SchrutesReefs]

Zero phosphates may be an issue too. The whle “zoas like dirty water” thing can be related to nitrate and phosphates.