Zoa turning red

[AbbyT]

Hi everyone,
New here and new to the coral/marine keeping world, I have a few questions for all you more experienced lot, my zoa (newly acquired) has been retracted for most of the day and has started to develop red fur, looks quite unhappy (see photo) it has since spread further after this photo was taken. anyone know the name or cause and how to treat?
my tanks water levels have risen due to new additions and currently working on that with good bacteria and water changes.

I know this also might be difficult as has retracted but can anyone identify the type of zoa this might be? Beautiful green colour normally.

also I’m sure this has been talked about many times, but toxins in zoas? How worried should I be, I have a toddler who loves to help feed the fish and has touched the water when doing water changes. I obvs encourage look not touch.

Thank you for reading hope someone can help

 

[Zoa_Fanatic]

It’s a fuzzy red algea. You’ll want to dip in hydrogen peroxide to kill it

 

[zoaprince]

Yikes, that thing looks brutal. Definitely straight from the ocean. I see a couple of aptasia, a large sponge, what what appears to be bacterial infection.

You'll want to address the aptasia, remove the sponge, and dip the entire colony in iodine and/or furan 2 (if you can find it). Maybe @littlebigreef can give you some more pointers.

 

[littlebigreef]

Yikes, that thing looks brutal. Definitely straight from the ocean. I see a couple of aptasia, a large sponge, what what appears to be bacterial infection.

You'll want to address the aptasia, remove the sponge, and dip the entire colony in iodine and/or furan 2 (if you can find it). Maybe @littlebigreef can give you some more pointers.

@zoaprince is spot on.

How old is the aquarium? Is it still cycling? Any parameters are helpful. In short it’s not unusual for zoas to close up/perform poorly in newer aquarium.

Furan-2 is no longer available. I’ve been using chemi-clean with equal (in some cases better) results.

@AbbyT i understand your concerns about zoas and paly toxins. What you have there presents no danger to you or your child. It is Important to note some people are generally sensitive to some corals. Never touch your mouth, eyes, face while working on the aquarium and always wash your hands after.

If you need further details on how to dip coral please let us know.

 

[Just John]

Furan-2 is no longer available. I’ve been using chemi-clean with equal (in some cases better) results.

Do you know if it will work with zoa pocks?

 

[Zoa_Fanatic]

Hi everyone,
New here and new to the coral/marine keeping world, I have a few questions for all you more experienced lot, my zoa (newly acquired) has been retracted for most of the day and has started to develop red fur, looks quite unhappy (see photo) it has since spread further after this photo was taken. anyone know the name or cause and how to treat?
my tanks water levels have risen due to new additions and currently working on that with good bacteria and water changes.

I know this also might be difficult as has retracted but can anyone identify the type of zoa this might be? Beautiful green colour normally.

also I’m sure this has been talked about many times, but toxins in zoas? How worried should I be, I have a toddler who loves to help feed the fish and has touched the water when doing water changes. I obvs encourage look not touch.

Thank you for reading hope someone can help

I didn’t see the part about toxins above. Generally brightly colored zoas you see are “relatively” safe. The ones with high toxin content are the paly-grandis, and the ugly wild looking green or brown zoa/palys. You’ll know what I’m talking about when you see them. Most of the bright ones you find in this hobby have little to no toxin. Just don’t eat them or try to boil them off rocks and you’ll be fine.

 

[littlebigreef]

Do you know if it will work with zoa pocks?

Fortunately/unfortunately I haven’t had to treat for pox with Chemi clean so I don’t know. If no other manufacturer starts making furan-2 we’ll collectively find out one way or another and probably sooner than later.

 

[elysics]

I also see at least one (of what o think is a) asterina munching on a polyp.

This should be a textbook image or something

Definitely go through various dips

Yikes, that thing looks brutal. Definitely straight from the ocean. I see a couple of aptasia, a large sponge, what what appears to be bacterial infection.

You'll want to address the aptasia, remove the sponge, and dip the entire colony in iodine and/or furan 2 (if you can find it). Maybe @littlebigreef can give you some more pointers.

 

[Ulee]

Hey Abby, I would agree that the zoa colony needs a proper dip. I see sponges, cyanobacteria (the red stuff) Folks have mentioned products like furan-2 and chemi-clean, and Lugol's iodine. I would start with iodine, or a coral dip solution from ur local fish store. Your are just more likely to use these products long term in the hobby.

For dipping coral wear proper eye protection and use gloves. Remove zoanthids from rock and use a large enough container like Tupperware and fill with tank water just enough to cover coral, add dipping solution or Iodine(til water turns light yellow) I recommend a turkey baster to blow off all the junk, u can let coral sit for 15-20min and place back in tank.

I believe these to be "Green Dragon Eyes" zoanthids , amongst the most common zoas to get, and fairly priced.

*I recommend no introducing new zoas until problem fixed, problem spreads easy. Don't keep the colony if it does not fully recover.