Zoas not completely opening

mekesterson93 · Oct 30, 2016

I ordered these zoas off of the Internet a about a week ago and they haven't opened up more the half way, if tht much. They are supposed to be fire and ice but they just look drab in color and definitely not like the pic shows. Not sure if there's something wrong with them or they're just taking their time to acclimate and get color back. Here is what the mother colony looks like...

And this is what my couple little frags look like...

Reeferdood · Oct 30, 2016

How long has your tank been set up?
Looks like a very new system.

mekesterson93 · Oct 30, 2016

6 months or so. Thts just new rock tht I added to put all my zoas on. My other zoas are doing great, my single head hammer has split and is now 2 head, frogspawn is doing great, and so is my yellow tipped hammer, acans, and candy cane. Got more in there too, don't really want to name em all lol.

Reeferdood · Oct 30, 2016

Give it time.. did you dip the corals before introducing them?

mekesterson93 · Oct 30, 2016

No, honestly, I didn't. It was my first time ordering corals online and wanted to get them in the tank asap. (After acclimation of course)

Reeferdood · Oct 30, 2016

Well,
Sometimes corals stress from shipping. I hope the packaged them properly..
Good luck, they should bounce back

mekesterson93 · Oct 30, 2016

Reeferdood said:
Well,
Sometimes corals stress from shipping. I hope the packaged them properly..
Good luck, they should bounce back

Thank you. They seemed to have boxed them up alright, but the frag I glued to the rock actually fell off of the plug and that's why I glued it straight to the rock. What dip does most people recommend to use?

Triggreef · Oct 30, 2016

Maybe your lighting it looks pretty white.

Also could just have been a heavily photo shopped pic. I've had several morphs of die and I've and none of them were anything like that original pic. In fact, zoas looking like that original pic would probably go for high $$.

jasonb87 · Oct 30, 2016

In my tank new zoas take a few weeks to adjust and get their original color back, then they seem to explode with growth

Reeferdood · Oct 30, 2016

mekesterson93 said:
Thank you. They seemed to have boxed them up alright, but the frag I glued to the rock actually fell off of the plug and that's why I glued it straight to the rock. What dip does most people recommend to use?

I use coral RX...

mekesterson93 · Oct 30, 2016

Thanks everyone. My other zoas I've gotten from LFS have all opened up within a day, if not a few hours. These ones got me a little nervous. And I'm sure the original pic is photo shopped, but I'm not seeing any of those colors with how much they have opened up

mekesterson93 · Oct 30, 2016

Triggreef said:
Maybe your lighting it looks pretty white.

Also could just have been a heavily photo shopped pic. I've had several morphs of die and I've and none of them were anything like that original pic. In fact, zoas looking like that original pic would probably go for high $$.

What lighting looks pretty white? Mine or the first pic?

Triggreef · Oct 30, 2016

Reeferdood said:
I use coral RX...

Just fyi I've seen a lot of pests come through. You may as well dip them in tank water. On flat worms, and zoa eating nudi, coral rx does absolutely nothing.

Flatworm exit double dose, or Bayer ftw. Lugols also is very good but can stress the coral a bit.

Triggreef · Oct 30, 2016

mekesterson93 said:
What lighting looks pretty white? Mine or the first pic?

Just a guess, i mean most people put up cell pics and everything is all blue. But you could just be better schooled with your phone. Judging by your rocks. Impossible to really know though.

The first pic doesn't look extreme on either end because looking at the back ground behind those zoas isn't very heavy blue but you can see a little blue.

mekesterson93 · Oct 30, 2016

Triggreef said:
Just fyi I've seen a lot of pests come through. You may as well dip them in tank water. On flat worms, and zoa eating nudi, coral rx does absolutely nothing.

Flatworm exit double dose, or Bayer ftw. Lugols also is very good but can stress the coral a bit.

Thanks for the info! I didn't know coral rx did not treat those. Which one works the best and causes less stress in your opinion?

A. grandis · Oct 30, 2016

I think you should just let it rest for now and keep an eye on that plug. Wait and see what happens.
If you have LEDs and everything else is doing OK I wouldn't change the light just yet for the sake of the other zoas/corals.
Relax and take it easy for now.
You made a mistake not dipping it before putting in the tank, but now you just let it rest.
Too early to go crazy about it.
Good luck!!

Grandis.

mekesterson93 · Oct 30, 2016

A. grandis said:
I think you should just let it rest for now and keep an eye on that plug. Wait and see what happens.
If you have LEDs and everything else is doing OK I wouldn't change the light just yet for the sake of the other zoas/corals.
Relax and take it easy for now.
You made a mistake not dipping it before putting in the tank, but now you just let it rest.
Too early to go crazy about it.
Good luck!!

Grandis.

Thanks for the advice. Im probably going to wait it out for another few days to a week and see what happens. I'm using a 4x54w t5 ho light fixture

A. grandis · Oct 30, 2016

mekesterson93 said:
Thanks for the advice. Im probably going to wait it out for another few days to a week and see what happens. I'm using a 4x54w t5 ho light fixture

That is going to be an easy adaptation, I hope, unless they had that frag under some weak blue LEDs and your bulbs are brand new.
If your bulbs are new you should watch out because your bulbs COULD have higher PAR than where they came from.
What bulbs are you using in that fixture and what are they positioned from front to back? How old? Is that a dimmable fixture? Hybrid, or T5s only?
Grandis.

mekesterson93 · Oct 31, 2016

A. grandis said:
That is going to be an easy adaptation, I hope, unless they had that frag under some weak blue LEDs and your bulbs are brand new.
If your bulbs are new you should watch out because your bulbs COULD have higher PAR than where they came from.
What bulbs are you using in that fixture and what are they positioned from front to back? How old? Is that a dimmable fixture? Hybrid, or T5s only?
Grandis.

It is not dimmable, or a hybrid. T5 only. Bulbs are about 2-4 weeks old.
Front to back:
ATI blue+
Coral+
Purple+
Blue+

A. grandis · Oct 31, 2016

mekesterson93 said:
It is not dimmable, or a hybrid. T5 only. Bulbs are about 2-4 weeks old.
Front to back:
ATI blue+
Coral+
Purple+
Blue+

Great colors!
Your bulbs are fairly new. That should be why the polyps are closed. They will open slowly...
What brand fixture?

Watch for those shrimps. They can also make the polyps to close when they are touching them, irritation!
Grandis.