Help Zoanthids not opening

[Fr4nkthet4nk]

My Zoanthids are not opening. They are not happy.

My parameters are:

Salt: 1025-1026
Amonia 0
Nitarte 0
Nitrite 0
Calcium 446
Alk 8.57
Magnesium 1380
Phosphate: 0.02

Any Idea how can I solve this problem? I love them and I would like to collect them too

 

[want2bsleepy]

how long have you had them, have they ever been open, and what lighting do you use?

 

[Fr4nkthet4nk]

how long have you had them, have they ever been open, and what lighting do you use?

I have had them for a month. they open pretty good for a week or 2. Chinese black box

 

[Tokash23]

following along mine have recently started not opening quite as much about the same scenario. Mine is a pretty new tank though so i kind of chalked it up to growing pains.

 

[Fr4nkthet4nk]

Some pictures. No fish in my tank due to Ich. They are in my QT tank.

 

[JohnnyReef]

Your water may be too clean. From my understanding they like water with more nutrients i.e. more nitrates

 

[Jimbo662]

Your water may be too clean. From my understanding they like water with more nutrients i.e. more nitrates

+1

 

[Tokash23]

will they possibly retract like that if there is too much flow? Just a thought although mine do not appear to be as closed up as the ones in the ops pic

 

[Fr4nkthet4nk]

will they possibly retract like that if there is too much flow? Just a thought although mine do not appear to be as closed up as the ones in the ops pic

I will lower my flow and see. Thank you for that suggestion

 

[Fr4nkthet4nk]

They are not opening. Help!

 

[SashimiTurtle]

0 nitrates is a problem, not a good thing. Everything else looks good. What % are your lights at for how many hours?

 

[Dennco2000]

Ditto: Mine do not like a lot of light. I moved under a ledge and they are much happier.

 

[Fr4nkthet4nk]

Ditto: Mine do not like a lot of light. I moved under a ledge and they are much happier.

I will try that today. Thank you!

 

[SashimiTurtle]

Nitrates and phosphates, Alk and lights all must be in balance or corals are not happy. Low nitrates you want to have low alk and back your lights off. There's nothing for the coral to eat so blasting it with light will just burn them up. High Alk with low nitrates can chemically burn them also.

 

[Gil03]

First thing to check is if you have any critters like zoa eating nudi's or sundial snails on them, you'll have to be very detailed when you look for them cause they're very hard to spot sometimes especially considering the nudi's will often times take on the color of the zoas their eating. I've found the snails will lodge themselves in between the stalks of the zoas also making them hard to see but both will cause your zoas to not open and eventually die. You may wanna dip the colonies just to be safe and as you're doing that you can inspect them more easily. I keep a very clean tank as well 0 nitrates and .01 PO4, you may want to start using something like Red seas reef energy A and B daily.

 

[Bdog4u2]

Zoanthids don't mind nitrates that much but shouldn't be closed because of low nitrates if anything it would keep them open to catch food. it could be a pest or nothing at all since zoas can melt without warning also did you try any supposedly reefsafe treatment for ich? how do you test salinity? if you use a refractometer has it been properly calibrated with calibration fluid and not ro water? try dipping in 3 parts tank water 1 part peroxide. I've had zoas open in hrs after a dip after being closed for weeks. hope this helps.

 

[Fr4nkthet4nk]

First thing to check is if you have any critters like zoa eating nudi's or sundial snails on them, you'll have to be very detailed when you look for them cause they're very hard to spot sometimes especially considering the nudi's will often times take on the color of the zoas their eating. I've found the snails will lodge themselves in between the stalks of the zoas also making them hard to see but both will cause your zoas to not open and eventually die. You may wanna dip the colonies just to be safe and as you're doing that you can inspect them more easily. I keep a very clean tank as well 0 nitrates and .01 PO4, you may want to start using something like Red seas reef energy A and B daily.

Thank you! I will do a dip and inspect them today.

 

[Cary]

I agree that they don't like "clean water". Have you tried to use a turkey baster and blow on the polyps. I have coaxed some open that way.

 

[Joshua Deretich]

First thing to check is if you have any critters like zoa eating nudi's or sundial snails on them, you'll have to be very detailed when you look for them cause they're very hard to spot sometimes especially considering the nudi's will often times take on the color of the zoas their eating. I've found the snails will lodge themselves in between the stalks of the zoas also making them hard to see but both will cause your zoas to not open and eventually die. You may wanna dip the colonies just to be safe and as you're doing that you can inspect them more easily. I keep a very clean tank as well 0 nitrates and .01 PO4, you may want to start using something like Red seas reef energy A and B daily.

agree. I may be new but I've seen starfish dudes attached to the polyp and they close up and they eat em from the inside out. Usually they are algae eaters but they are known for doin this

 

[Joshua Deretich]

Thank you! I will do a dip and inspect them today.

These dudes are common in tanks. They often eat algae but are known to eat polyps too. They attach to the polyp and it closes up and they eat from the inside out.