Do zoas melted away for no reason at all?
- Thread starter thewire
- Start date
Jeremy Blaze
Former Reef Addict
There has to be a reason.
Hard to guess why as there can be many causes, but there has to be a reason, they don't just meat away for no reason.
Perhaps you can share more info, and we can make some guesses.
Hard to guess why as there can be many causes, but there has to be a reason, they don't just meat away for no reason.
Perhaps you can share more info, and we can make some guesses.
A. Grandis
Active member
Yes, it looks like they melt away for no reason, but in reality, the truth is that we often don't know the reason why.
Many times it could happen because of many reasons too, but it is hard to tell.
I believe most of the time they melt away it is related to water chemistry, primarily.
Probably a combination of factors in some cases, that is hard to diagnostic for sure!
My $.02 for the tread!
Grandis.
Many times it could happen because of many reasons too, but it is hard to tell.
I believe most of the time they melt away it is related to water chemistry, primarily.
Probably a combination of factors in some cases, that is hard to diagnostic for sure!
My $.02 for the tread!
Grandis.
endlessblue
New member
Like he said yes they melt, but there is always a reason. Zoa pox, water chem, many predators
I'll tell you vitamin C has always helped my Zoa stay happy
TropTrea
New member
This takes me back a few years. I had two colonoes from fras on opisote sides of the same tank with roughly the same lighting. both colonies were the size of a silver dollar with good sized polyps.
One day one colony never opened and stayed closed for about two weeks. It would then ocassionaly open up only for a a few minutes then close down again. In about 2 months I though they had completly died. The other colony seemed to take off growing like it never did before and doubles in size if not more in thos two months.
Abiout a year later when I did some major relandscaping I pulled the rock that had the "dead" colony on it. To my surprise the colony was still there just that polyps shrunk to magnifing glass size. I tried nursing it along but nothing I tred seem to help.
The only difference between the colonies were there colors. The ones that "died" ere yellow centers with Redish brown skirts. The onces the thrived were yellow centers with Green Skirts.
About a year laterr I had a major crash and lost all my SPS, and Zoo's while I was on a 3 week vacation. LPS corals were not effected other than the zoos. But to tis day I still the rock with the "dead" zoos on them and it just looks like the polyps are closed under a magnifing glass.
Makes me realy think that different varieties realy like different conditions.
One day one colony never opened and stayed closed for about two weeks. It would then ocassionaly open up only for a a few minutes then close down again. In about 2 months I though they had completly died. The other colony seemed to take off growing like it never did before and doubles in size if not more in thos two months.
Abiout a year later when I did some major relandscaping I pulled the rock that had the "dead" colony on it. To my surprise the colony was still there just that polyps shrunk to magnifing glass size. I tried nursing it along but nothing I tred seem to help.
The only difference between the colonies were there colors. The ones that "died" ere yellow centers with Redish brown skirts. The onces the thrived were yellow centers with Green Skirts.
About a year laterr I had a major crash and lost all my SPS, and Zoo's while I was on a 3 week vacation. LPS corals were not effected other than the zoos. But to tis day I still the rock with the "dead" zoos on them and it just looks like the polyps are closed under a magnifing glass.
Makes me realy think that different varieties realy like different conditions.
endlessblue
New member
Wow thats a crazy story!! I once mistakenly fraged a bunch on Zoa and tossed one head on disk in the garbage. I found in the next day! It went back into the tank, and sure enough it re-opened 3days later!
richardhao
New member
Is there any solution where we can dip them to make them feel better if in case they are irritated and doesn't want to open up?
This does bring up an interesting question:
How long can an individual polyp live? I mean everything has a finite lifespan why not zoas? Sure deepwater zoas live much longer since they are coming from well deep water and the life spans of those animals are greater.
I realize that a colony could go on "forever" but if a polyp has reached the AARP years why wouldn't the rest of the polyps around it begin to suffer as well. If there is a decline in health the polyp would probably spend more of its energy in survival vs. reproduction.
There would still be a cause/stressor but what that is who knows?
Please note the sacrasm font was used with the deepwater comment.
Carryon.
How long can an individual polyp live? I mean everything has a finite lifespan why not zoas? Sure deepwater zoas live much longer since they are coming from well deep water and the life spans of those animals are greater.
I realize that a colony could go on "forever" but if a polyp has reached the AARP years why wouldn't the rest of the polyps around it begin to suffer as well. If there is a decline in health the polyp would probably spend more of its energy in survival vs. reproduction.
There would still be a cause/stressor but what that is who knows?
Please note the sacrasm font was used with the deepwater comment.
Carryon.
Your tank being species only, could be a good study as to how long a certain polyp lives. You already do month counts, you could pick a chunk of polyps and see if you notice die off and where from. I would assume somewhere in the middle since that would be the oldest.
That is a good idea and I will make note of any die offs.
So far I don't think I have had any or if I have it may be a single polyp etc. that has been replaced by another.
The frag went 3 to 60 from Dec. 2010 to June 2011, then fragged to the 10 frags and have continued since then so at least 14 months for those (unless they died since I have no clue to where those are within the tank). I got those sometime in November I think and Lisa had them for a while from someone else as well so who knows their "true" age.
This might be a pretty cool thread.
So far I don't think I have had any or if I have it may be a single polyp etc. that has been replaced by another.
The frag went 3 to 60 from Dec. 2010 to June 2011, then fragged to the 10 frags and have continued since then so at least 14 months for those (unless they died since I have no clue to where those are within the tank). I got those sometime in November I think and Lisa had them for a while from someone else as well so who knows their "true" age.
This might be a pretty cool thread.
A. Grandis
Active member
I would say zoanthids could live for decades.
Factors will play with dies off here and there, but if conditions are ok they will survive for long time.
I don't think any studies were done to determinate a precise time range for the life span.
Perhaps such study would have to persist for more then 10 years per species.
Grandis.
Factors will play with dies off here and there, but if conditions are ok they will survive for long time.
I don't think any studies were done to determinate a precise time range for the life span.
Perhaps such study would have to persist for more then 10 years per species.
Grandis.
Hi there..thanks for some info. I do not have any test on the water chemistry with me yet but that's the only frag that is not doing good. It started with 2 polpys but now only has 1. Everything else is blooming including a few other zoas frag around it are growing.
Can it be related to how the frag was cut from previous owner? or whatever?
Can it be related to how the frag was cut from previous owner? or whatever?
Honestly yes it could be related to how and when it was cut. If it was a fresh cut, glued on a plug when shipped out then the stress could have caused issue.
Others I am sure have a different opinion and more experience with singles since if you go into the for sales section you will see many "one polyp colonies" for sale and I have never bought a single.
Others I am sure have a different opinion and more experience with singles since if you go into the for sales section you will see many "one polyp colonies" for sale and I have never bought a single.
TropTrea
New member
Personaly I think buying a single polyp is an invitation for failure. Regardles of the beauty and price of the colony I will not consider picking up anything less than 5 polyps. I view it as each additional polyp you have doubles your possibility of success. I personly think people selling single polyps are more interested in the financial part of it than the hobby itself.
On a side note the frag I purchased at the biginning of this month which had 9 polyps on it now has 11 polyps. However the ployps are still extremly small. Basicly on the plug 5/8" across the plug is not half filled. I wish the polyps got considerably larger. But this will probably be a product of time as well.
On a side note the frag I purchased at the biginning of this month which had 9 polyps on it now has 11 polyps. However the ployps are still extremly small. Basicly on the plug 5/8" across the plug is not half filled. I wish the polyps got considerably larger. But this will probably be a product of time as well.
come to think of it, all my zoas that melted or melting...normally has 1-3 polyps ..the one that has 10+ colony survived and growing
TropTrea
New member
As I see it. The zoos are connected together in a web. When you have one or two polyps alone the web was cut around most of all the polyps. But when you go with 5 or more polyps the center ones are still naturaly attached to the others with the web. Therefore they are under less strain and more likely to survive the ordeal of being fraged.
Simularly people with large colonies report faster growth compared to those with smaller colonies. This I believe is because there are multiple polups feeding the colony as a whole.
The only time this has happened to my zoas in the past was when there was a drastic change in temperature, usually when the temperature went from "room temperature" to moderately/really cold.
Then there are some deep water zoas, usually from Africa, that will wither away like that for no apparent reason.
Then there are some deep water zoas, usually from Africa, that will wither away like that for no apparent reason.
kalgra
New member
Its voodoo I tell ya! I have had one colony (rastas) completely melt away in the matter of days when all others surrounding them were perfectly fine only to have one show up a month or so later and start growing back like new. Now back up to 7 or 8.
Of course its always the favorites. My plain purple zoas that came from god knows where cause I didnt put em in there, could be skipped down the asphalt, run over, and peed on and wouldn't die.
Of course its always the favorites. My plain purple zoas that came from god knows where cause I didnt put em in there, could be skipped down the asphalt, run over, and peed on and wouldn't die.
I concur with what others have stated. Zoanthids do not simply melt away for no reason, there is always a reason. I've heard of and read threads regarding, "the most difficult polyps to keep" and "why do my polyps die over and over again". There is a laundry list of reasons (several threads in this forum to read on that) and often though a series of Q & A, as we use to do here, one can narrow down the cause easily.
Mucho Reef
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