New zoas aren't opening up

[lcs]

I've had them for ten days now and they opened up right after I put them in the tank, but now only a few will partly open while most of them stay closed. They've been this way for several days now and I'm worried they won't make it. They were fully open and obviously happy when I bought them from MO.

My other two zoa frags and my rics are doing fine.

Is there anything I can do for them or are they doomed?

Parameters:
SG 1.026
pH 8.2
NH3 0
NO3 0
temp 76

 

[toddmh]

are they under the same type of lighting as they were from the seller??sometimes zoas need to adjust to different lighting..

 

[tmz]

I'd :
try a dip in Revive,a dip in Lugols or a freshwater dip;
inspect them for predators such as sundial snails and infection such as zoa pox;
check to see if a fish or shrimp is irritating them;
put them in relatively high light and flow.

 

[cardiffgiant]

My zoas were partially opening for several weeks, and I didn't lose any.

Is the lighting or flow more intense than what they were getting in their previous tank? Is your alkalinity or calcium high?

You might want to try getting a bit more food into the tank and letting that NO3 reach a measurable reading. IME, zoas like the water to be a bit less pure than SPS.

I never did figure out the problem in my system. I tried bringing the Alk from 10dkh down to 9dkh, and I tried to get more food into the tank. I still have one batch that won't fully open, but everything else seems to be happy.

 

[smogl00]

mine can be touchy like that too. Like Ben said, they do like a bit of nitrate it seems, and alot of times they can take a while to adjust to new life in your tank. My orange bambam zoos didn't really start staying open all the time for a month or two. It seemed like a few would be open, a few would be closed. Now they stay open all the time and are really starting to grow. A dip of some kind definitely wouldn't hurt either

 

[lcs]

Thanks so much guys. I’ve never dipped before. Should I try the freshwater first or go right to the Lugol’s or Revive? Honestly, I’d like to go with one of the latter if only to save myself the aggravation of adjusting the pH.

are they under the same type of lighting as they were from the seller??

I’m sure the lighting is very different. I have a four bulb, T5 fixture and I don’t know what MO has over the tank the colony was in. It’s that first, lower tank that’s on the right as you walk in the door.

I have seen one crab on them and once in a while one of the seahorses will hang out near them for a bit, but that’s it. It’s not like they’re being bothered constantly though.

I'll also give Sue a call and ask about the lights.

 

[jdoenumber2]

I have purchased zoos and palys from many fellow reefers. The only time i have had trouble is when they were in a tank dosed by vodka, dosed with vitamin c, and other various supplements. I referred to them as polyps on steroids. They could not get used to the environment in my tank. I take a much more casual approach. I had about a 80% die off.

 

[tmz]

I have been dosing vodka an vinegar for 14 months. Zoanthidae including: palythoa and zoanthus have never done better.Perhaps they absorb the organic carbon Nitrate and organic phosphate are low as well ( .04ppm PO4, < 2.5ppm NO3) Most zoanthus come from high reef environs where nutrients are naturally very low with high flow and light. Some palythoa originate in more turbid waters and benefit from some feeding. Zoanthus do not demonstrate a feeding response.