Major zoa problems

[Killabee07]

i started a 29 biocube after being out of the game for 8 years and couldnt be happier being a reefer again. However i cant seem to keep zoas alive like before. Tank has completed 3 month cycle and water perams are as follows.

Nitrate/nitrite/amonia 0/0/0
Ph 8.4
Phos 0
Alk. 3.2
Bi-weekly 10G water changes using reef crystals

My Acan Lord and Cyphatrea are happy as clams ( pun intended) zoas will not open nor will palys however my very large protopaly is open and happy being fed.

Any help very greatly appreciated

 

[cloak]

Have you checked them for pests yet?

http://www.coralpedia.com/index.php?module=Gallery2&g2_itemId=384

 

[Killabee07]

Yes sorry forgot to add ive done pest dips, freshwater rinse,and peroxide dips. Inspected for nudis and spiders or anything abnormal. No sign of fungus.

 

[cloak]

What exactly is the problem? Are they just not opening, but look healthy otherwise? Do they appear to be melting etc? Do you know what kind they are? Some varieties are known to just wither up and die for no apparent reason at all.

 

[Jone]

No3 is 0.0,,it should be 4.0ppm,,dose it to that level and maintain it there too...I hade the same issues and started dosing Potassium nitrate or Sodium nitrate and things got better over time..
Tried feeding more to get nitrates but made a ton of algae and dirt..so I still feed the fish and corals as with normal daily portions without all the mess of overfeeding contributes to,,I simply dose Potassium Nitrate to 4.0ppm and do my normal water changes with my params in check..
It takes a little time for the dosing of nitrate to show the positive effects..Buy a good nitrate test and dose 2 times a week til you find that your dosing right.. increase flow too..let the zoas tell you how much they can take..

 

[Killabee07]

@cloak the problem is zoas wont open period. The first frag melted completely and after a 50% WC and a week or so, 2 new frags of just pain run of the mill zoas just wont open. I have done proper drip acclimation and light cycle is 4 hours actinic, 4 hours 10k actinic mix, and 4 hours 10k only. In my old tank these things grew like roaches and that was in a super clean sps tank with 150w halides and t5 actinic supliment. It suck because i loooove zoas.

@jone i will trybthis weekend to slowly start dosing like you sugested.

 

[Jone]

what are ALL your water params????,,do you run a skimmer?? do you feed fish/corals frequently??

 

[cloak]

Are you getting all of these zoanthids from the same store? What kind of fish/invertebrates do you have in the tank? FWIW my zoanthids never looked better once I removed my emerald crab.

 

[thepotoo]

Nitrates of 0 aren't going to make them never open at all...I grow zoas fine (albeit slowly) with no detectable nitrates.

 

[Killabee07]

Zoas are from several different sources, one of which is a private collector who cultivate zoas. Ive got them to open up to the point you can see color but nothing more. I know lights arent too bright being a 100% stock biocube. All filtration is biological, no skimmer or gfo. Im goong to try another 50% WC and update if things change.

 

[Relojdepeso]

What are your alk and calcium parameters. If you mean your alk is 3.2 bring that up to 7 slowly. Also are your parameter stable. Also is anything irritating them?

 

[SIR PATRICK]

No3 is 0.0,,it should be 4.0ppm

.4 or anywhere less than 1.0 is even better. 4.0 can/will cause algea issues....

 

[SIR PATRICK]

Alk. 3.2
Bi-weekly 10G water changes using reef crystals



Any help very greatly appreciated

Is your alk stable at this level or fluctuating? Test a few days, all at different times of day/light cycle.

 

[NEWB2004]

I would also suggest bring your all from 3.2 to at least seven. No faster then 2.0dkh/day though

 

[Sully72]

Tank position and flow play a big role. Also, once you find there sweet spot dont move them around. Spot feeding

 

[choss]

@cloak the problem is zoas wont open period. The first frag melted completely and after a 50% WC and a week or so, 2 new frags of just pain run of the mill zoas just wont open. I have done proper drip acclimation and light cycle is 4 hours actinic, 4 hours 10k actinic mix, and 4 hours 10k only. In my old tank these things grew like roaches and that was in a super clean sps tank with 150w halides and t5 actinic supliment. It suck because i loooove zoas.

@jone i will trybthis weekend to slowly start dosing like you sugested.

what kind of lighting are you using on this new tank?

 

[SpSChief85]

You never posted your salinity, double check it with a properly calibrated Refractometer, salinity being off can and will do these to all types of corals, make sure it's between 1.024 and 1.026 and keep it rock solid, it may be difficult in a small system like yours without any automated top off device.

 

[SpSChief85]

Also on another note how do you prepare your new salt mix? Do you aerate it for 24 hours prior to use? Have a mixing pump keeping it stirred up? Fresh mixed saltwater can be quite caustic and dangerous to our tank mates.