Help With Rastas

ReeferRob · Dec 7, 2009

So I bought a 3 head frag about two months ago. Within the first three weeks it tripled to 9 heads. Then it just chilled and flurished.
Then last week they started to not open as much, some would other wouldn't.
Then three days ago nothing at all. I moved them over to a slightly shaded area to see if they were getting to much light. With in one day I could observe that this was no good. They shrunk and started to get smaller and turn kinda blackish. So yesterday I moved them up and out to a sunnier spot and a bit higher.
Short background, frag tank 25x25x12 light is 4x24 IceCap 660 suspended maybe 6 inches off water line. Rastas were dead center on sand bed in the middle of probably 12 other high end morphs. Now on frag rack half way up.

Any help and or suggestions would be very much appreciated.

fsu1dolfan · Dec 7, 2009

ReeferRob said:
So I bought a 3 head frag about two months ago. Within the first three weeks it tripled to 9 heads. Then it just chilled and flurished.
Then last week they started to not open as much, some would other wouldn't.
Then three days ago nothing at all. I moved them over to a slightly shaded area to see if they were getting to much light. With in one day I could observe that this was no good. They shrunk and started to get smaller and turn kinda blackish. So yesterday I moved them up and out to a sunnier spot and a bit higher.
Short background, frag tank 25x25x12 light is 4x24 IceCap 660 suspended maybe 6 inches off water line. Rastas were dead center on sand bed in the middle of probably 12 other high end morphs. Now on frag rack half way up.

Any help and or suggestions would be very much appreciated.

Sounds like you need to do a dip pronto!! I use Lungols iodine.
From my expirences zoas/palys sometimes do this and usually nothing is wrong (parameters, light, temp etc.) sometimes they just get sick. I had a frag of PPE morphs that did the same thing and after the dip 4 died and the other 4 survived and now i have babies growing again.

Sikryd · Dec 7, 2009

Rastas suck! I won't get a frag of them again. They're too touchy.

650-IS350 · Dec 7, 2009

They're too touchy, +1

they're really cooling looking polyp, sux as they are very finicky polyp and can just up and melt on you for no reason just like armaggedons. But if you get to keep this long term and get them to propagate then big up's to you. best of luck.

ReeferRob · Dec 7, 2009

Ya, I am a bit frustrated as I searched out someone who claimed to have a bullet proof morph that also grows like crazy. This is what I experience until just a few days ago.
Im gonna move them right back where they were when they were doing well as moving them around is probably just stressing them more.

650-IS350 · Dec 7, 2009

Have you done anything different prior to them acting up? added anything new, Water change, new bulbs??? what's your pH, Salinity, Alk and temp... very important to polyp IMHO.

ReeferRob · Dec 7, 2009

650-IS350 said:
Have you done anything different prior to them acting up? added anything new, Water change, new bulbs??? what's your pH, Salinity, Alk and temp... very important to polyp IMHO.

No changes or additions. Params are rock solid, I test usually 3-4 times a week.

Where do people typically keep these beauts that have had success with them?

I just went and check on them and the closed polyps are looking really small and black, but good news there are two more polyps open than yesterday! So I don't know the H is up.

As far as an iodine dip I have to be to work in 30 minutes, my TMPCC is 3 years old, I have Revive, and Seachem Coral Dip, and a bottle of BW MediaCoral Dip, which should I use and how??

Wy Renegade · Dec 7, 2009

Maybe its the season? Not being funny - had a nice 5 polyp frag myself for almost 9 months, no issues. Then bam, it started melting, now I'm down to a single polyp - almost overnight.

650-IS350 · Dec 7, 2009

I've noticed polyps close at times when they are budding new ones. SOmetimes I worry that a polyp closes for no reason at all then a week or 2 later after it closes, a new polyp or 2 pop out.

Supreme Reefs · Dec 7, 2009

650-IS350 said:
They're too touchy, +1

they're really cooling looking polyp, sux as they are very finicky polyp and can just up and melt on you for no reason just like armaggedons. But if you get to keep this long term and get them to propagate then big up's to you. best of luck.

+2 had 2 differnt frags in the past that did the same thing and didnt make it...

fsu1dolfan · Dec 7, 2009

Yeah but honestly what he is describing is not budding....when the polyps are getting smaller (while closed) and starting to turn brown you are dealing with a serious problem. Left alone in most cases they will melt away. I have had this happen once before and lost an entire frag. Then the next time i dipped and granted you will still probably lose a couple of polyps but, you will save the heathly ones. I have resurrected 3 multiple polyp frags this way. Now that i know the signs and dip ASAP.

THE BEAUT · Dec 7, 2009

Bob leave them where they were doing well. Rastas are finicky zoas. They were obviously in there happy zone if they tripled. Mine will close sometimes for a day and then be fine. I would not dip them and move them around. Keep them where they were happy. PM me if you like for more help with these.

650-IS350 · Dec 7, 2009

Actually there are certain zoa's and paly I DON'T dip.. I've lost some in hours after dipping as they didn't like the iodine/revive/TMPCC dips

mikedelgado · Dec 7, 2009

I got a single microscopic rhasta polyp almost a year ago. I have watched this guy threaten to croak several times and I havent touched it.So small and finnicky I just started wishing it would hurry up and croak allready. Well , within the last few weeks I noticed that it is now 5 polyps and they are big enough now that they look pretty nice! Talk about slow growing. The slowest grower I have is this pprpe polyp that I got from the same person at the same time. It is still just 1 polyp! dang! And worse yet it doesnt even look like a pprpe. It looks like a plain ole ppe?

650-IS350 · Dec 7, 2009

PPRPE's for me were SLOWWW growers just like PPE's. Lost mine in a tank crash

BayCorals · Dec 11, 2009

Got my rastas from holdyourlight. They are doing great for me. When I have closed polyps, I put them in high flow. Sometimes it works. When it browns, I use a exacto knife and scrap off the film. That has work for me in multiple occasions as well. One time I cut the base and that stimulated the polyp and it worked, but I don't think that works for all zoas. Some hate to be fraged.

650-IS350 · Dec 11, 2009

Some hate to be fraged. +1:tongue:

amore169 · Dec 11, 2009

I got a frag a few months ago, I have them on the sand bed and i haven't had any problems with them, they are reproducing i started with a few polyps now I have around 15 polyps.

ronone10 · Dec 29, 2009

This is great info on the Rasta. I bought one about a month ago. It's looking good but still just one polyp. I have it on a corner frag rack, about 4" from the top, under MH 250 watts. It is off to the side so isn't getting direct downward light with medium flow.

Question, what do you feed the little polyp?