what is up with these spots?

[kingfisher62]

I have been noticing these spots on some of my watermelon and radioactive dragon eyes . Ithink they were there when i got them but I cannot be sure. Do you have them on yours?
Is it normal? They seem healthy and does not seem to get better or worse.

 

[dc_909]

I think it has to do with the amount of light they are receiving.

 

[MUCHO REEF]

I actually like the spots, it seems to add a bit of character IMO. The spots could be a trait that is an environmental response to your tank parameters. Maybe along the lines of what dc-909 has stated. I have some which have done this as well.

Mucho Reef

 

[barjam]

I would like to know too, mine do that.

 

[aquarius77]

Some om my RPE spotted up like that right before the zoopox hit. They are still like that months later, even the babies come out spotted.

Too Much light you think?

 

[barjam]

That guy doesn't have too much light though does he? Look at those purple mushrooms next to the zoas.... If my purple mushrooms were next to my green dragons they would catch on fire and die and I don't even have that much light.

Of all the corals I have ever tried, SPS, LPS etc I have the most problems with zoanthids, no idea why they are supposed to be easy.

 

[kingfisher62]

Maybe it is not enough light. I have had the tank for almost ten months. Might be time to change the bulbs !

 

[barjam]

I saw this on WetWebMedia:

One other "environmental disease" should be mentioned. For folks using metal halide lighting in shallow water, a white bumpy condition on zoanthid oral disks has been linked with excessive light. Affected specimens need to be relocated to less bright, deeper conditions.

I don't think I have too much light, 4x54 T5 on a 75 gallon tank Zoas at the bottom.

kingfisher62, what lights do you have?

 

[650-IS350]

Its too much light sometimes...

 

[kingfisher62]

Barjam, I have the stock lighting that came with the biocube. 24w actinic and 24w daylight for agrand total of 48w.

 

[reefer1024]

To me it looks like a pigment change in response to different lighting. I have had it happen on my zoas before. It does not look like zoa pox. Your zoas look very healthy.

 

[kingfisher62]

What is zoa pox anyway?

 

[Muggle]

I heard that they get spots sometimes from T5 lights. I got this from someone's tank that had T5's. The new baby then came out a little after and now under MH they don't have those spots anymore.

http://i200.photobucket.com/albums/aa162/MuggleOmen/AspenMedium.jpg

 

[barjam]

I have the worst luck with zoas, never had a problem with any other coral *shrug*. I have never found any of the normal predators. Like my "watermelons", for example always have their skirts turned up, no idea why.

Oh well.

 

[kingfisher62]

Thats odd! Zoas were the second coral I ever got after some GSP and to this day seem to be the most stable thing in the tank.
Barjam, what do you use for your source water?I wonder if it is some chemical warfare going on between corals.

 

[kingfisher62]

here is a macro shot,

 

[lfduty]

I cant get zoas to do eney think too and all is good with my tank good light food and NO normal predators that i know of

 

[barjam]

RODI water, plenty of water changes, carbon etc. SPSs/Leathers/GSP/Xenia/Pipe Organ etc have been easy, zoas not so much.