onetootreefor
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Oct 5, 2014
- Messages
- 505
- Reaction score
- 230
- Location
- Atlanta
- What state or country do you live in
- Georgia
Hey Guys,
I have had some terrible luck with zoa's in the last 3-4 months. To give a little background I started my tank in feburary of 2014.
Equipment:
JBJ Rimless 30Gal with everything in the back
2 return powerhead pumps with some extenders in front of the tank to help navigate flow
An additional Hydor powerhead
Kessil A360WE 8.5 inches off the water max 85% intensity and 40% color
Hydor nano Slim Skim skimmer
Hydor ATO (using fresh water to top off, no lid so I do get a bit of evaporation)
I started noticing some of my oldest zoa's closing up and not opening fully about 4 months ago.
Eventually it spread and all my zoas started reacting the same, skirts becoming very short and the heads are not opening fully just barely enough to see the center of the zoas
The zoa's are spread across the tank from left to right and from top to bottom and they are all acting the same.
Roughly about the same time I noticed my coraline that has been there from day one started turning white and dying.
I immediately get to my LFS and start asking questions. I test regularly about twice a month an my tests usually come back normal and average (more on that later). When I went to LFS about 2 months ago they tested my water and determined my ALK and PH were both low. They got me on a slow path to increase it with some Alk Buffer. Within a few weeks alk and PH both balanced out.
In the last month I started testing heavy every 2 days and doing 20% water changes every week like clock work. I will post my last week's of test results below. All my other coral seems to be doing fine. I have a butt load of acans and chalices that are growing and showing nice color. My frog spawn and torches seem to be getting big and keeping their wonderful green color the entire time I have had them. I have 2 anemones a bubble tip and a rock flower. The rock flower was almost dead and incredibly bleached when it was given to me, and it has stayed in the same spot for close to 6 months and regained most of its color. The bubble tip started getting stringy and not so bubbly about the same time the zoas started acting up. Within the last month it moved to any spot in the tank it could navigate to and finally found a new spot about 10 inches lower than where it is normally placed.
I am really freaking out as I have lost a ton of money in some really nice high end zoas from their deaths. I have been through what I feel like is EVERYTHING and can't get them to start opening up. I am looking for some personal 1x1 help to really help isolate whats happening and get what zoa's i do have left back in healthy condition. I am willing to do whatever it takes to get them back and healthy. This is my first saltwater tank and I have exhausted all my local resources. I have had 5 Freshwater tanks that have been up and running healthy for 5 years+. From everything my LFS and I can determine there is not much wrong with my water quality anymore. I will post all my test results below.
I use a RedSea test kit for Alk, Mag, and Calc, and I use an API test kit for Ammonia, Nitrate, Nitrite, and PH
Here is the last week's worth of results:
11/12: Ammonia: 0 -- Nitrite: 0 -- Nitrate: 0 -- PH: 8.0 -- Alk: 9.2 dKH -- Calc: 460 -- Mag: 1500 -- Salinity: 1.024
11/15: Ammonia: 0 -- Nitrite: 0 -- Nitrate: 0 -- PH: 8.0 -- Alk: 9.8 dKH -- Calc: 470 -- Mag: 1700 -- Salinity: 1.024
11/17: Ammonia: 0 -- Nitrite: 0 -- Nitrate: 0 -- PH: 8.0 -- Alk: 9.8 dKH -- Calc: 460 -- Mag: 1380 -- Salinity: 1.024
11/18: Water Change (I use RedSea salt water made/mixed at my LFS set for 1.024 salinity)
11/19: Ammonia: .25 -- Nitrite: 0 -- Nitrate: 0 -- PH: 8.0 -- Alk: 9.2 dKH -- Calc: 430 -- Mag: 1500 -- Salinity: 1.025
Everything seems pretty stable, and when I am testing twice per month this is about where I see my levels. If anyone is willing to spend/donate their time to helping me I would greatly appreciate it. Currently I don't dose anything except the alk buffer if I notice it getting too low. My LFS sold me some "Prime" to help with any ammonia bumps I might notice. I completely cut out extraneous food such as reef chilli and Fuel since the zoa's started having major problems. I used to do reef chilli and fuel twice per week.
Also, as a side note in the last 3 weeks my skimmer seems to not be skimming anything, no foam and nothing in the cup. I took it apart last night to clean everything and make sure my water level is correct, and still today no foam nothing in collection cup.
Please I really don't want to lose any more fabulous zoas.
I have had some terrible luck with zoa's in the last 3-4 months. To give a little background I started my tank in feburary of 2014.
Equipment:
JBJ Rimless 30Gal with everything in the back
2 return powerhead pumps with some extenders in front of the tank to help navigate flow
An additional Hydor powerhead
Kessil A360WE 8.5 inches off the water max 85% intensity and 40% color
Hydor nano Slim Skim skimmer
Hydor ATO (using fresh water to top off, no lid so I do get a bit of evaporation)
I started noticing some of my oldest zoa's closing up and not opening fully about 4 months ago.
Eventually it spread and all my zoas started reacting the same, skirts becoming very short and the heads are not opening fully just barely enough to see the center of the zoas
The zoa's are spread across the tank from left to right and from top to bottom and they are all acting the same.
Roughly about the same time I noticed my coraline that has been there from day one started turning white and dying.
I immediately get to my LFS and start asking questions. I test regularly about twice a month an my tests usually come back normal and average (more on that later). When I went to LFS about 2 months ago they tested my water and determined my ALK and PH were both low. They got me on a slow path to increase it with some Alk Buffer. Within a few weeks alk and PH both balanced out.
In the last month I started testing heavy every 2 days and doing 20% water changes every week like clock work. I will post my last week's of test results below. All my other coral seems to be doing fine. I have a butt load of acans and chalices that are growing and showing nice color. My frog spawn and torches seem to be getting big and keeping their wonderful green color the entire time I have had them. I have 2 anemones a bubble tip and a rock flower. The rock flower was almost dead and incredibly bleached when it was given to me, and it has stayed in the same spot for close to 6 months and regained most of its color. The bubble tip started getting stringy and not so bubbly about the same time the zoas started acting up. Within the last month it moved to any spot in the tank it could navigate to and finally found a new spot about 10 inches lower than where it is normally placed.
I am really freaking out as I have lost a ton of money in some really nice high end zoas from their deaths. I have been through what I feel like is EVERYTHING and can't get them to start opening up. I am looking for some personal 1x1 help to really help isolate whats happening and get what zoa's i do have left back in healthy condition. I am willing to do whatever it takes to get them back and healthy. This is my first saltwater tank and I have exhausted all my local resources. I have had 5 Freshwater tanks that have been up and running healthy for 5 years+. From everything my LFS and I can determine there is not much wrong with my water quality anymore. I will post all my test results below.
I use a RedSea test kit for Alk, Mag, and Calc, and I use an API test kit for Ammonia, Nitrate, Nitrite, and PH
Here is the last week's worth of results:
11/12: Ammonia: 0 -- Nitrite: 0 -- Nitrate: 0 -- PH: 8.0 -- Alk: 9.2 dKH -- Calc: 460 -- Mag: 1500 -- Salinity: 1.024
11/15: Ammonia: 0 -- Nitrite: 0 -- Nitrate: 0 -- PH: 8.0 -- Alk: 9.8 dKH -- Calc: 470 -- Mag: 1700 -- Salinity: 1.024
11/17: Ammonia: 0 -- Nitrite: 0 -- Nitrate: 0 -- PH: 8.0 -- Alk: 9.8 dKH -- Calc: 460 -- Mag: 1380 -- Salinity: 1.024
11/18: Water Change (I use RedSea salt water made/mixed at my LFS set for 1.024 salinity)
11/19: Ammonia: .25 -- Nitrite: 0 -- Nitrate: 0 -- PH: 8.0 -- Alk: 9.2 dKH -- Calc: 430 -- Mag: 1500 -- Salinity: 1.025
Everything seems pretty stable, and when I am testing twice per month this is about where I see my levels. If anyone is willing to spend/donate their time to helping me I would greatly appreciate it. Currently I don't dose anything except the alk buffer if I notice it getting too low. My LFS sold me some "Prime" to help with any ammonia bumps I might notice. I completely cut out extraneous food such as reef chilli and Fuel since the zoa's started having major problems. I used to do reef chilli and fuel twice per week.
Also, as a side note in the last 3 weeks my skimmer seems to not be skimming anything, no foam and nothing in the cup. I took it apart last night to clean everything and make sure my water level is correct, and still today no foam nothing in collection cup.
Please I really don't want to lose any more fabulous zoas.
The reason my nutrients are so low is because when I took my water to be tested at LFS when they noticed alk and ph swing...my nitrates were at 20+ ppm. They suggested I lower it down a bit. They did mention zoa's like "dirtier" water, but I guess I went over board and reduced it down below where it should be.
