What Biologically Causes Zoas To Do This?

[Dree]

This seems just crazy to me why this happens. I’ve got a mixed reef that’s been thriving for years. Mostly zoa colonies and LPS but also a fair share of SPS. No fish. 2 Cleaner shrimp. Normal CUC of nassarius, hermits, an emerald crab, turbos.
My corals thrive in my tank, but out of absolut random, there will be some zoas that just, die. I don’t know why, I just wakeup one day and then there’s about 5-6 heads on a colony that are ready to be gone in a day or two. I’ve got about 40 zoa colonies and this has happened to maybe 4 now. My SPS and LPS do great, but my zoas are having this issue and I don’t know how to explain it other than they get skinny, the heads of them kind of pucker up, the color on them gets distorted, and they end up just withering away. But not the whole colony, about 4-5 of them.
Salinity- 1.024
Temp- 78
Phosphate- 0.25
Nitrate- 1.0-3.0
Alk- 8.5
Calcium- 440
Don’t have test for Mg.

 

[trido]

It could be a bacterial infection in the water column that effects a few week ones, or also could be a critter taking a few bites.

 

[Dree]

Any idea what bacterial infection would target zoanthids rather than any other coral? I am positive I don’t have any pests on them, I examine them very closely in and outside of the tank, daylight and night time, dip them, and there’s never a pest.

 

[trido]

Im thinking pest as in crabs or shrimps that may not be getting enough to eat. Some sort of flatworm that only comes out at night. There are plenty of predators of corals that outsmart people.

As far as bacterial infection in the column that only effects certain corals.... Who knows. I have had outbreaks of brown jelly that occasionally shows itself on LPS, but most commonly on SPS in a different form. I pretty certain its the same bacterial strain, but it only pops up once a year or so and attacks different species of corals each time. I'm sure it the corals that are most stressed for various reasons.

 

[Flexin]

Sometimes it's simply trying to get more light. If you move them to a brighter spot they go down. But they are fine like that at least mine have been. I have Sunny Ds that are under a candy cane, they reach around it. I have a few others in a shadow that do the same.

 

[Gino Rodriguez]

This seems just crazy to me why this happens. I’ve got a mixed reef that’s been thriving for years. Mostly zoa colonies and LPS but also a fair share of SPS. No fish. 2 Cleaner shrimp. Normal CUC of nassarius, hermits, an emerald crab, turbos.
My corals thrive in my tank, but out of absolut random, there will be some zoas that just, die. I don’t know why, I just wakeup one day and then there’s about 5-6 heads on a colony that are ready to be gone in a day or two. I’ve got about 40 zoa colonies and this has happened to maybe 4 now. My SPS and LPS do great, but my zoas are having this issue and I don’t know how to explain it other than they get skinny, the heads of them kind of pucker up, the color on them gets distorted, and they end up just withering away. But not the whole colony, about 4-5 of them.
Salinity- 1.024
Temp- 78
Phosphate- 0.25
Nitrate- 1.0-3.0
Alk- 8.5
Calcium- 440
Don’t have test for Mg.

What ever came of this? I’m having the same also with Hawaiian Palys. I read that for some reason Hawaiian varieties are prone to bacterial infections so that’s all I come up with I dipped in 3oz tank water/5 drops lugols and 3oz tank water/7 drops coral rx and some nasty clear mucus stuff came off and also still on colony. Very weird because it feels dry and hard to the touch. I’ve done this dip routine 2 times 48 hours apart. It’s improved but still not great.