Random, Large-scale Zoa Polyp Death

[twilliard]

I have (had?) 25 berghias in there. I still see one every now and then which has kept me from getting a wrasse and peppermint shrimp.

I've tried dipping before. I caught one plug that had a zoa eating nudi on it, but it never got into my tank. Nothing has come off of them in subsequent dips of colonies that look like this. Which makes it even more frustrating! :mad:

It's in the water, it has to be!, just haven't found yet.
I have 1 colony left happy as can be. Frustrating is an understatement!

 

[TheEngineer]

I have found that where colony die off is present, nudibranchs are to blame. Even if you can't see them, they are there. A Bayer dip worked wonders for me but since Bayer complete disappeared off the shelves, I have no choice but to resort to the usual 1 min 0 TDS RO dip and shake vigorously. HTH...

I still have most of a container of Bayer in the cabinet. Gonna have to start using it more sparingly Dipping isn't an option for most of colonies in my tank, they are encrusted and unmovable. Which makes me happy they are growing )) but sad I can't dip them ()... so I'm sorta

 

[tankstudy]

I'm leaning more towards pests. The heads are severely damaged. You have heads with partially missing skirts sitting next to healthy looking specimens.

There are some zoa/paly pests I know that can survive many of the dips.

 

[twilliard]

I have found that where colony die off is present, nudibranchs are to blame. Even if you can't see them, they are there. A Bayer dip worked wonders for me but since Bayer complete disappeared off the shelves, I have no choice but to resort to the usual 1 min 0 TDS RO dip and shake vigorously. HTH...

I would throw a party if I found a pest

 

[TheEngineer]

It's in the water, it has to be!, just haven't found yet.
I have 1 colony left happy as can be. Frustrating is an understatement!

Seriously! Most are happy as can be. They tend to come back after losing a bunch of polyps it eventually just stops. Does that seem like an animals behavior? Wouldn't a nudi just mow down the whole colony before moving on?

 

[Aiden Parker]

Yeah it is very frustrating. I don't have any experience with zoa eating spiders but it is a possibility. But the fact it moves from colony makes me think it's definitely a predator of some sort. I prefer the peppermint shrimp over the berghias but that's just my personal opinion. If it were me I would dip just to be safe.

 

[TheEngineer]

I'm leaning more towards pests. The heads are severely damaged. You have heads with partially missing skirts sitting next to healthy looking specimens.

There are some zoa/paly pests I know that can survive many of the dips.

I almost want it to be a pest so I can start taking some active steps. I just can't find any...

 

[twilliard]

I almost want it to be a pest so I can start taking some active steps. I just can't find any...

Uhh Hu I know the feeling

 

[zoanutty]

I almost want it to be a pest so I can start taking some active steps. I just can't find any...

Dip anyway. It doesn't hurt the zoa, only the pest. But you NEED to either shake vigorously or put a small power head in the dipping container.

 

[Aiden Parker]

Dip anyway. It doesn't hurt the zoa, only the pest. But you NEED to either shake vigorously or put a small power head in the dipping container.

I second this.

 

[TheEngineer]

I'm leaning more towards pests. The heads are severely damaged. You have heads with partially missing skirts sitting next to healthy looking specimens.

There are some zoa/paly pests I know that can survive many of the dips.

I think the skirts are retracted. The last colony this happened to, my Sunny D's, looked the same way. A couple days later the polyps were small, but they had full skirts.

 

[TheEngineer]

Dip anyway. It doesn't hurt the zoa, only the pest. But you NEED to either shake vigorously or put a small power head in the dipping container.

I second this.

I shall comply! lol Although I don't have a powerhead small enough to fit in the container I use for dips. I usually just shake them a few times. Let me see what I can come up with...

I'll pull a colony nearby that I think I can get off the rock. It's not looking so hot today either. I'll filter the dip water through a coffee filter after and post a hi-res pic.

 

[Aiden Parker]

Also rotate the colony to let the powerhead/small pump blast every nook and cranny.

 

[Chanjad385]

I had some aiptasia bothering mine a while ago. Used joe's juice to treat and the Zoa/poly didn't like it at all

I introduced a peppermint shrimp
Best option for aiptasia in my opinion as long as you have a good sized tank otherwise it will get hungry quick
So if you have treated for aiptasia it could be that
Just my two cents

 

[TheEngineer]

Dip in progress... I usually use this MiniJet 404 for water changes... I'll buy another

15 minute dip. 12 mL of Bayer Complete with 8oz of tank water. I will rotate the plug a few times.


This was a nice colony from JF. It goes through a cycle of looking like this and looking great. Our little aiptasia-shaped dudes are there too. THEY'RE EVERYWHERE!!! AHHH!!!!

The frag is on the left side. You can kind of see the shadow of it.

 

[twilliard]

Oh my lord!
That is a serious aiptasia problem

 

[TheEngineer]

Oh my lord!
That is a serious aiptasia problem

Uh. Yes. Yes it is. If they're aiptasia.

 

[twilliard]

Uh. Yes. Yes it is. If they're aiptasia.

Don't tell me this is like that on all the rock is it?
I have never seen so many juveniles but by the looks of the zoanthids I suspect it to be aiptasia.

 

[scoopsthedog]

Also rotate the colony to let the powerhead/small pump blast every nook and cranny.

Would you dip in Coral RX or Iodine to get rid of Nudis - Pests?

 

[TheEngineer]

Don't tell me this is like that on all the rock is it?
I have never seen so many juveniles but by the looks of the zoanthids I suspect it to be aiptasia.

Evvvvvvvvverywhere in my tank looks like that.