<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12411397#post12411397 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by demonsp
2 months.Wow i see alot of stock in there. Your not giving the bacteria time to recover. Top ten mistake is overstocking. Then your teting for mag. iodine , why. Your rushing and need to learn the basics. I would like to know your ammonia reading.
Heres a great read.
http://saltaquarium.about.com/cs/bionitrogencycle/a/aa073199.htm
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12411554#post12411554 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by impur
He said his bulbs are 2 months old. The zoa colonies are 1-2 years old, so i'm assuming his tank is farely mature.
Zoanthids are photosynthetic and do not need additional food.
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12411418#post12411418 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by capn_hylinur
I would like to know the fish that are in there--IMO corals aren't strain on the biomass of the tank---but in a new tank they certainly could be throwing off the water chemistry--alkalinity,calcium and pH--which in turn will affect each others health.
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12411358#post12411358 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by capn_hylinur
its above--2 months old, Lance
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12411418#post12411418 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by capn_hylinur
I would like to know the fish that are in there--IMO corals aren't strain on the biomass of the tank---but in a new tank they certainly could be throwing off the water chemistry--alkalinity,calcium and pH--which in turn will affect each others health.
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12419437#post12419437 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by impur
You sure the blue tang isn't nipping them?
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12419795#post12419795 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by cbrownfish
IME with zoanthids, there are 4 primary things that cause a colony to melt down.
1. Low nutrients. A sterile or low nutrient system can cause a colony to shut down. Be sure you are feeding the system enough and keeping some level of dissolved nutrients in the system. Most zoanthids do not show a feeding response, so target feeding is fruitless.
2. Predators. Critters like Nudi's, Spiders, Sundial Snails (these suckers are sneaky and can hide in crevices), coral eating fish, etc, can terrorize zoa colonies.
3. Allelopathy. Chemical warfare is a definite issue for zoanthid colonies.......Inter-species wars and from other corals. Look to see what is "upstream" from the colony. If there is a robust and happy colony nearby or directly upstream, that is a likely culprit (perhaps your new goniopora).
4. Lighting. I have come to find that zoanthids can be very finicky when it comes to lighting. Some love the brightest light you can provide. Others love the lower lighting of PC's or a partially shaded spot. It is hard to know if the species you have came from a deepwater area or otherwise. If they are aquacultured, as the seller what lighting they were raised in.
I have had the unfortunate experience of a colony shutting down on several occasions. I have been able to save about 75-80% of them. Sometimes pulling the colony and dipping in freshwater or iodine is the cure. Other times, it is necessary to relocate the colony to a new spot in the tank or to a completely different tank. On a couple of occasions, I have fragged/cut of the decaying section and a few good ones for the sake of the colony.
Be objective and diagnose the issue. Act now and quickly IMO/E. Here is an essay that I wrote a while back.....I hope all this info helps:
http://www.rasoc.org/forums/showthread.php?t=7460