HELP...My new zoas are just not openinging

[Erics210]

OK, Have the two A360WE Kessils and Fluval 2.0 Reef in between, and ordered a package from Aquarium Depot. Chalices are looking good, but many/most of the zoas are not opening up all the way.
I have them on the bottom of the 29inch deep 210 gallon tank.
I have the Kessil settings on Active 1.

Shipment from AquariumDepot. Shipped & Arrived 2/17/2017
I purchased about 10 frags of 10+ polyps and a larger colony of radioactivedragons eye with 200+ polyps.

Recently added new lighting for me, but prior to purchasing the zoas.
Have one Kessil A360WE at each end and a 3 foot Fuval Reef 2.0 LED in the center of my 6 foot tank.

I have a Tunze 6205 on the right side and dual overflow and returns with PanAm HD40s. I also have two smaller powerheads near the surface on each end.

I have the polyps at the bottom of my tank.
Tank is a 210 gallon, with a 29inch depth.
I have been using ACTIVE 1 automatic mode for the Kessils that has a varying intensity but color stays toward Blue, so not as intense. Think the Color maxes out at 30-40%. Intensity has been going up to 80 & 100%

Should I change the light settings? Should I increase the intensity/color?
Should I move the Zoas to a higher location?

I dont know what the Aquarium Depot uses as a light source or depth in their tanks. Sure it would help to know...


Out of the 8 frags/colonies I receives, only about 10-15 polyps total are opening at all, and not all the way.

OK - Zoas are still withering away or not opening fully as of today...
Here are updated TEST RESULTS 2/28/2017

Temperature: 79 Degrees
Salinity: 1.025
pH: 7.8
Ammonia: 0 (maybe 0.25ppm)
Nitrite: 0PPM
Nitrate: 40-80ppm
About to do my bi-weekly 40 gallon water change and filter sand bottom so this will hopefully drop a bit.

Magnesium - 1410
kH: 9cKH, 179ppm
Calcium "“ 600 (using Instant Ocean basic salt this time instead of Reef Salt, may lower the calcium a bit as nothing was drawing the calcium when I was using the Reef version previously.

So frustrated...
Gave it a week or so without moving them or altering lighting...no change!
Thoughts? Ideas? Suggestions????

 

[Erics210]

 

[sde1500]

How were they shipped? Everything I've read on that site screams stay away, they are shady operators. Might have something to do with it if they shipped you newly fragged stuff or didn't provide enough water or heat packs. Some just don't acclimate well it seems. Though it helps to have good parameters. Nitrates 40-80 is high, and a large range to have what are you testing with? And calcium is very high as well.

 

[Erics210]

Thanks for the reply. I added some Vitamin C as the Zoa page was big on that which created a Skimmer surge and all the waste collected in a week+ was returned into my tank. So may have some part to do with it as well as me skipping the sand filtration last water change.

So that will account for the higher nitrates. WIll have to do my water changes tomorrow morning...Took longer than expected to get my RO/DI water.

As far as shipping, they did have multiple heat packs. Things looked OK coming out of packaging but as you stated, not a whole lot of water in each frag.
The Aqua Acro had no chance, Was filmy and in a cloudy white liquid when received.
The snails were OK. The Snails were 4 out of 5, but think one died a few days later.
My two chalices looked great and still do. Zoas BLAH!
Within a few hours a few of the HUGE colony of Dragon Eyes opened and have partially opened since.

The Red People Eaters Opened!
And one or two others.
About 6 did NOT open.

Hoping to get the Dragons eye to settle down after teh watert change and wont feel totally cheated.
no more Aquarium Depot for me!

 

[Jone]

more flow,,more flow,,zoas need more flow than brighter light in most cases...

 

[Erics210]

Have done alot.
A huge water change about a week ago, 80 gallons for my 210+40 sump system.
Lower nitrates from 80 to 5ish ppm.

Added a air stone in stage 2 of my refugium to try and raise the pH from 7.4/7.6 to about 8.2 now.

THEN dipped my zoas that were basically beyond help into 50/50 hydrogen peroxide for 2 minutes.......and used q-tips to smooth off a layer of bacteria/algae? fromt he heads of many of the polyps.

The Red people eaters are all opening ALL 10 heads.
The large colony of Radioactive Dragons Eye is doing better.
Out of the 150 remaining heads maybe 100+ are opening partially.
One of the two 10 head colonies of Yellow Faces have opened.
3 of the 30 polyps of Eye of Rah turned around and are doing well.
Fire and Ice seem better but are not opening., not withering, but not opening yet.
Lastly Fruit Drops same as above. Not opening but maybe they will turn it around.

So happier with progress, but not sure if I need MORE flow?
Trying a few things
...

 

[Jone]

more flow,,I was amazed at how much flow they really need/want...for most varieties..

 

[WWIII]

I really don't know how a 80 gallon water change could take nitrates down from 80 to 5ish on a 250 gallon system, but regardless they are probably better and that should help. I'm kinda surprised the chalices didn't mind the nitrates that high? I would imagine a combination of high nitrates, shipping stress, and too intense of light, were bothering them enough to stay closed. Sounds like you are on the right track! Hopefully they continue to improve!

 

[MonsterRehab]

Similar experience

Similar experience

I just received a bunch of zoas yesterday from the same site and had a similar experience. The water was freezing. One small hand warmer pack in there.

Anyhow, 4 out of 5 zoas did open up at least partially overnight.

My concern is one of them was supposed to be "cherry bomb" and looked bright red in the pictures partially opened up and is gray and brown. I'm very surprised is made it at all, it looked DOA yesterday. Could that be the stress made it that way? Or was it photoshop.

One of them (the cheapest one I ordered of course) opened up within hours and is a bright green. I have other zoanthids from before that are thriving. I should mention that I also ordered a ricordea that seems to be doing well.

To the OP, there is a 14 day guarantee right, are you still within that time frame? Maybe you should reach out to them and see what they say.