Help! Identify zoa problem

[Fizzman]

All my zoa have brown spots on the base or mat. It doesn't look like it's part of the zoa. It looks like tiny brown sand. Also looks like mold but brown. I attached some pictures, I took them out and scraped most of it off so the picture doesn't show a lot very well. Please help ID it and possible remedy recommendation. Please help!

 

[650-IS350]

have you done dips before placing these in your tank?

 

[ClownMan727]

You may want to give them a dip. I use a freshwater and Peroxide dip. 10 to 1 RO/DI to Peroxide for 5 mins.

 

[Fizzman]

So I took them out and did Bayer dip. No changes. They didn't come off or fall off. Rinsed them off well and put them back into the tank. Or so I thought, now all the pods are dead/dying. I quit. My tank is only 1.5 gal. I just did 40% water change. Pods are floating around, they are still moving but I'm sure they are done for. Hermits stopped moving. Alive it looks like when I touch the legs but they stopped moving around. This sucks!!!

 

[Fizzman]

I'm still wondering what it is. Eggs maybe? Also, are the dead pods gonna foul up the tank?

 

[Fizzman]

And I didn't do a dip before putting them in. They are frags from this guys tank which looked healthy. His tank didn't have any wild corals, just a bunch of big colonies on frag plugs. So he got frags and let it grow and refrag to sell.

 

[650-IS350]

regardless if someone's tank looks nice, you always dip incoming corals as its your first wall of defence against having unwanted items getting in your tank.

I've dipped corals from reputable big named coral companies and have received nudibranchs within the frags.