Help! My zoas aren’t doing good!

[Melia]

I recently bought zoanthids from the pet store, and they were doing just fine before, but now only a few of them are opening, like 3 out of 21, and not only that but there’s algae growing on them. I have a 60 watt light for a 20 gallon, and I just turned on the current this morning. I don’t leave the current on too much, and my nitrite levels are slightly high. I’m not sure what I can do to help this right now, but please help!

 

[Dom]

There is a lot of ambiguity in your post. So I have the following questions:

1. What light are you running and how long is the lighting cycle?

2. Nitrates that are "a little high" is vague. What was the last nitrate test results and how long ago?

3. How long has the tank been up and running?

4. Do you test for Calcium and Magnesium? If so, what are the results?

5. How long ago did you put the frags in the tank (did I understand you correctly... you have 21 pieces?).

 

[Melia]

Hmmm.... how are your other corals doing? Can you tell me what lighting you run and for how long. Also you're latest test results on Calcium, Magnesium and Nitrates.

I don’t test the calcium, and magnesium, but I add the directed amounts of calcium for marine invertebrates. My nitrite levels I don’t remember the exact ppm, and I run my 60 watt light for my 20 gallon about 12-14 hours a day. I have other polyps, and they’re doing just fine, although I collected them from the wild, not the pet store. It’s only my zoanthids that won’t do good.

 

[Dom]

I don’t test the calcium, and magnesium, but I add the directed amounts of calcium for marine invertebrates. My nitrite levels I don’t remember the exact ppm, and I run my 60 watt light for my 20 gallon about 12-14 hours a day. I have other polyps, and they’re doing just fine, although I collected them from the wild, not the pet store. It’s only my zoanthids that won’t do good.

Which light? 60 Watts isn't much at all. I have a T5 running 4 10k lamps of assorted colors.

 

[Melia]

There is a lot of ambiguity in your post. So I have the following questions:

1. What light are you running and how long is the lighting cycle?

2. Nitrates that are "a little high" is vague. What was the last nitrate test results and how long ago?

3. How long has the tank been up and running?

4. Do you test for Calcium and Magnesium? If so, what are the results?

5. How long ago did you put the frags in the tank (did I understand you correctly... you have 21 pieces?).

I have 21 polyps on one frag, and only 3 open. I have 6 other frags and they’re all doing just fine. I just use a 60 watt bulb and one of those light+clamps because I can’t afford a good aquarium light.

 

[Dom]

I have 21 polyps on one frag, and only 3 open. I have 6 other frags and they’re all doing just fine. I just use a 60 watt bulb and one of those light+clamps because I can’t afford a good aquarium light.

Insufficient lighting. You ABSOLUTELY need to upgrade that light.

Are you new to the hobby? That's okay!! There is an abundance of good help here!

Try getting everything closer to the light. I use pieces of PVC embedded in the sand and place the peg to which the frag is mounted inside the pvc to get it closer to the light. I think of it as a utility pole on a street corner.

Another thing to remember is that stability is essential to success. Even if your lighting is insufficient (which I think it is), it should come on and off at the same time daily.

Can you post a picture of your setup? It would be great to have a look and see what changes you need to make.

 

[Dom]

This is what I was trying to describe earlier. Its just a piece of PVC cut to a height where the frag gets ample light.

 

[Palyzoa]

1.) I would invest in a quality test kit like Redsea, Salifert, or Hannah checkers. You need to know where your parameters are at and adjust until within "normal" reef tank parameters. Once you get within those levels, maintain stability by dosing accordingly.

2.) I would upgrade the lighting over your tank. They have cheap LED fixtures on ebay that grow coral. If you want to spend a little bit more you can get the AI Prime HD. They are reasonably priced and should work well with a 20g tank. You can also custom set the ramp times (Sunrise/Sunset) and color blend to your preference from your computer or phone.

 

[Melia]

1.) I would invest in a quality test kit like Redsea, Salifert, or Hannah checkers. You need to know where your parameters are at and adjust until within "normal" reef tank parameters. Once you get within those levels, maintain stability by dosing accordingly.

2.) I would upgrade the lighting over your tank. They have cheap LED fixtures on ebay that grow coral. If you want to spend a little bit more you can get the AI Prime HD. They are reasonably priced and should work well with a 20g tank. You can also custom set the ramp times (Sunrise/Sunset) and color blend to your preference from your computer or phone.

What wattage should I be using for my 20 gallon tank?

 

[Palyzoa]

What wattage should I be using for my 20 gallon tank?

4-8 watts/gallon is average I'd say. With the AI Prime you can adjust intensity/wattage to suit your tank and corals.

 

[Shaddow_wolf169]

60 watts is not bad for a 20g tank I would suggest dipping the coral in revive. And see if that helps. I ran a 90 watt over a 125g for half a year still had color and polyp extension.

 

[Shaddow_wolf169]

Lights I ran for 8 months. 90 watt Chinese led

 

[Dom]

60 watts is not bad for a 20g tank I would suggest dipping the coral in revive. And see if that helps. I ran a 90 watt over a 125g for half a year still had color and polyp extension.

IMO, the wattage is low. Also, the kind of light. Are the corals getting the correct light spectrum and intensity from a 60 Watt incandescent bulb?

I've come to understand that you need 6000-8000 LUX minimum at the BOTTOM of the tank for coral growth. How much can you expect from a 60 Watt incandescent bulb?

 

[Dom]

60 watts is not bad for a 20g tank I would suggest dipping the coral in revive. And see if that helps. I ran a 90 watt over a 125g for half a year still had color and polyp extension.

But that's only about 3 watts/gallon...

 

[Shaddow_wolf169]

60 watt incandescent no won't happen. Check eBay for a full spectrum led dimmable light their cheap.

 

[Shaddow_wolf169]

I run my lights at almost 3 watts per gallon. I don't believe in the whole (You need 4 to 5 watts per gallon) you really don't. Unless your growing hard core sps.

 

[Shaddow_wolf169]

Even this would be better for your corals and it's cheap You could always upgrade later.

 

[Joel Jordan]

check craiglist, i got an A80 with a goose stand for $100 bucks