Zoanthid Losing Polyps

[balloonpilot]

I've got a small zoo colonie, its about 2" x 3" and used to show full polyp extension, now only about 1/2 get extended and today I've found some polyps floating around in the water (sucked up against my Koralia)...

Whater is somewhat stable

Ca: 500
Mg: 1350
pH: 8.25
Sg: 1.024
Temp: 78.5
Alk: 10.2 dkh

Tank is a 28gal Nano and Zoo is placed on a rock thats about 2" off the floor, so not too high/not to close to MH

Whats causing this?

 

[650-IS350]

what kind of polyps.

 

[kkdoughboy]

How long have they been in your system? If it's been more than 3 weeks and nothing changed other than them not opening move them up in the water column. Monitor closely for a couple days. If no change or an adverse change move them all the way to the bottom sandbed. Different Zoas prefer differnet lighting conditions. This happens to me a lot and it's how I determine "Where they like it"

 

[balloonpilot]

Well the LFS told me "its a Zoanthid", but if I look at my coral books it looks like a Protopalythoa Vestitus (Green Zoanthid).

Because it has stalks and at the top of the stalks are round discs with small tentcles. They are not hollow tubes like that found in Palythoa's. WHen polyps are closed, they retract into tubes and close with like a rounded 'cap'.

 

[balloonpilot]

Update - I just found out that the Palythoa's can have either convex or hemispherical and their polyps look like what Ive got... Im so confused

 

[Reef Bass]

A pic would help us help you. Could be simply a poor mounting job allowed the polyps to fall off. Or there could be a more serious issue.

 

[650-IS350]

Polyps can also slime up and come lose off the glue and frag. Which is why when I frag, I place a separate cup of tank water and leave them their for a while to let the glue settle and harden enough that if the frag is placed in the tank, the polyps won't get blown off the frag plug when they slime up.

 

[balloonpilot]

The frag was obtained from LFS and somewhat established, although Im not sure about their glueing process.

I hope this link works

 

[650-IS350]

Not a clear pic, but just like africans, they can loosen up on the rock the come in.

 

[balloonpilot]

Yes sorry about that.

Newbie question - So is each polyp glued to a piece of rock? If so, when the coral grows does each new piece need to be glued down or does it automatically attach itself to the rock?

Also last night while taking the pic, I noticed several of those small 'baby star fish' in between polyps and on the rock. I read that sometimes they eat these corals, sometimes they just irratate them - Could it be those star fish killing it? LFS recommended a certain type of shrimp that eats those starfish, but once gone you have to feed the shrimp pieces of dead starfish - what if eventlually I want to actually keep starfish in my tank...?

 

[650-IS350]

when a new polyp grows or clones it self, it grows from the mat that the polyps hold on the rocks from.

I don't trust any stars around my polyps, I see them, I get rid of them asap.

If any of these following things are in your tank, take immediate action.

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

 

[balloonpilot]

Yep - What I got matches the top left pic of that link, Asterina Starfish!!

 

[650-IS350]

manual removal and inspection weekly till you don't see anymore. Make sure it's the harmfull types not algae eating ones.

 

[balloonpilot]

I removed about 6 from the Zoa, have another 6 or so on back wall, and several large rocks have a bunch.

i'm told the Harlequin shrimp eat these, but the down side is they only eat start fish - so you end up having to buy starfish to feed this shrimp once all the bad stuff is gone...

 

[650-IS350]

You can try the bumblebee shirmp that's sold on LiveAquaria. will go after those stars but after that you can feed them fish food as well.