Zoa polyps shrinking?

[RogueGrown]

As you can see in the photos I've lost the size of the polyps. The first pic was taken about 2 months ago. The front piece went from 5 to at least 25 since then. The only thing I'm confused about is that the coral is growing but the polyps are smaller and the tentacles are longer. Am I starving them? Too much light? Too much flow?

I have them at the top of my aquascape on a flat rock where they are in a high flow area thus also being high light. They are in a 20long with 2 AI prime, I have the lights set to all blues 85% red and green 15% and whites 30%. The blues start at 10am and off at 1030pm with a 4hr ramp. The Red green and white are noon to 830pm with 2hr ramp. I have 2 AC70 one with a small skimmer, a bag of chemi pure elite, and a small amount of carbon the other is holding rubble. Ther are 2 koralia, a 240 and a 425. I'm also growing chaeto in a small HOB fuge that creates next to no flow.

Salinity 1.025 (stable with ATO and checked nightly)

Am 0
N02 0
N03 under 5 per API
P04 96ppb per ULR checker
Mg 1240 salifert
Ca 410 salifert
Kh 10.2 salifert

I'm stumped.

All my other corals are happy that I know of. I have a couple SPS (encrusting and plating monti and birdsnest also a mystery coral) that show daily growth and everything has full PE.

There are 2 fish, a small six line and a single clown.... I doubt that makes a difference just throwing it out there.

I just want to see my polyps come back to their size. Thank you in advance.

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[jda]

Polyps will swell when they need more light. You cannot give them too much high quality light - they can melt under low quality light, but that is not what appears to be happening here.

If they are growing, then don't sweat this. Seriously, they are fine. They might get bigger again if you move them down lower, but this is not necessary.

You also have to keep up on the water changes since they can recede without the trace minerals that can get used up.

 

[RogueGrown]

I do a 4 gallon WC every week, there is about 14g in the system total. I use IO salt, should I be micro dosing trace elements? I hate to dose something I cannot test for.

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[reret10]

Especially with Zoas and if you're doing regular water changes, you're totally fine. If they're open and they don't look like they're dying, just smaller, they're probably just adjusting slowly. I've had Zoas that never closed from the LFS and I've had Zoas that I thought were toast but somehow weeks later they started peeking up. Very rarely have I lost them due to anything other than our competition.

 

[iced98lx]

I do a 4 gallon WC every week, there is about 14g in the system total.

That is an excellent WC schedule, and IMO one of the easiest ways in a tank that size to maintain a good system.

I use IO salt, should I be micro dosing trace elements? I hate to dose something I cannot test for.

I wouldn't dose anything with your water change schedule. If the big 3 are where they should be hang tight and give it time. As noted by others Zoas being added to my tank (strong lighting) often reduce the size of the discs unless I put them on the sand bed. If they are growing in number you are having success.

 

[RogueGrown]

Awesome! I guess I need to not worry and just let them do their thing. I just find it strange that all of my zoanthids on the one rock are doing the same thing. I have 6 different zoanthids there, they're all doing the same thing. That's why I was thinking flow or light issue. I'm happy with the amount of growth I've seen from them tho.

I picked up a several heads of Tiffanys Zoanthids Saturday and placed them lower in the tank. We'll see how that goes.

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[RogueGrown]

I really like these

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[iced98lx]

Very nice!

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