Blue Zooanthus not opening

inktomi

inktomi

Aviator
Hello -

I recently bought these Blue Zooanthids from the Live Aquaria Diver's Den (going on two weeks ago) and they have never opened in my tank. I'm really trying everything - shade, full light, flow etc..

IMG_20130415_185306.jpg


IMG_20130415_185302.jpg


I'd love any ideas, as they're very beautiful zooanthids and I'd hate to loose them. Here's all the data about my tank:

150g, 24x24x60
2 MP40s at each end
2 MP10s on the back side

2 Kessil A350Ws, with the white channel about 75% and blue 100%
Ran for about 10 hours a day

These are placed on the sand at the bottom of the tank.

My tank's parameters are as follows:
Temperature 75.8F
PH 8.21
Ammonia 0 ppm
Nitrite 0 ppm
Nitrate 3.5 - 4 ppm
Mg 1350
dKH 9.6
Alk 3.43 meq/L
Ca 385
Phosphate 0
Iodide 0
Iodate 0

I'm quite at a loss. I have encrusting Montipora which seems fine, however Green Star Polyps(!) have been closed for two days now as well.

I added the GSP and Zooanthids at the same time, and the GSP has been fine up until a couple days ago.
 
A couple polyps early on did open up a bit.. But all in all I'd say they've never opened.

I had a tank crash about a year ago due to dinos and a sugar overdose, and have been getting things going again since then. Its discouraging that Zooanthus won't open despite good water quality (from what I can tell).

Thank you for the reply.

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 2
 
triggreef said:
Vitamin c. I'm a believer in it. I use brightwell aquatics.
Click to expand...

I'll look into that. Can I dose drug-store Vitamin C? I'll certainly be researching this today. Can you give me any recommended reading?

worm5406 said:
Raise them up some, let them see the light. How is the flesh looking?
Click to expand...

The flesh looks reasonable, shiny grey, very slightly translucent. So far they have not been receeding.

I'll move them half way up in the tank right now. I've certainly tried everything from full-bright on the sand to full shade on the sand..
 
Status update, they're now about 6" higher in the tank, right under a Kessil A350W. The lights are about to turn off, so we won't know if that does it till sometime tomorrow. I'll also be looking into Vitamin C.
 
Ummmm. before thinking about any dosing regiment IE" vita C, if the whole tank aint broke don't try to change anything for 1 coral. Did you in the beginning as your received the coral, properly acclimate it to the light??

meaning place it on the area where it doesn't receive too much light and as time goes slowly keep moving it to more light
 
That's kind of what I'm thinking too. I did drip acclimate it from LA then put it on the sand in partial shade. I've since tried full light on the sand as well as full shade over several days.

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 2
 
Right now when I add new Z's and P's I place them on the outer areas of my tank sand bed. NOT directly under the lights. Then I tuned down my kessils to lowest settings of all blue no white, then every couple days ramp it up a bit till strongest blue then slowly add white till im back to normal operating settings. Gives Z's and P's a chance to acclimate properly to lighting. Then I start moving the frags around to desired locations as time goes.
 
So halfway up the rocks today and very slight changes to report. Now several of them seem to be ever so slightly opened - you could fit a pinhead into the opening. Progress, I hope?

Other than that, nothing has changed. Salinity is at 1.025
 
I will run the Mg test again, and I do agree the temperature is low. I had my tank low for an incoming Tinkeri butterflyfish, but that never materialized and I forgot it was low. Over the course of the day I will be raising the temperature to be 78F.

I use DD H2Ocean Pro which is Mg boosted and according to the label should mix to 1340 ppm which is very close to what my test kit reported my tank at, so I don't think my Mg test is off.
 
Play by play!

Also.. I really do appreciate all the ideas and suggestions you all have provided!!

My tank is currently at 75F on it's way up, and it actually seems like the Zoos have opened up more than they have in the past... Could be wishful thinking, but I'm very interested to see what they're like in a few more hours when the tank will be higher up.

Some of the polyps have a bit of brown stuff coming out of their "holes" where they're closed up. A couple also appear to have some brown dust on them, but they've been that way for a couple days now and I don't want to bother them trying to remove it. Other than that, nothing new.
 
Haha, that's pretty much what I thought it'd be. Strange though, since they're not open I haven't been able to feed them anything.
 
What sorts of things set off the more temperamental colony?

Warmer water didn't change my colony's behavior, btw.. still closed up tight as can be.
 
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