Zoanthid's "melting"

[fishmonger2]

So a few weeks ago my Zoa's just started dying off. What happens is the polyps close up, and then seem to just "melt" into a white flesh and there's no polyp left only a white tissue/flesh. I dipped my pink armor of god paly colony and I have one polyp left (I don't know if it'll make it) and my purple deaths, and they seem fine. But now my other colonies are experiencing it, and I can't take them out to dip them. I've looked for any white lesions that would be zoo-pox but I don't see any. Any ideas of what it could be? Or what to do? I've added some pics so you can see.

This entire rock was covered with palys and now you can see only one is left.

Those two pictures show what I'm talking about. You can see where a polyp was and that's what they're deteriorating into.

 

[NANOYED]

All your params are ok? including calc., alk, ph, & sg? Any nudi's?

Some polyps just melt for no reason, I had a colony of 30+ melt down to 4. I always cut the dead stuff off right away.

 

[fishmonger2]

All your params are ok? including calc., alk, ph, & sg? Any nudi's?

Some polyps just melt for no reason, I had a colony of 30+ melt down to 4. I always cut the dead stuff off right away.

Calc is a little low at 350 but alk is typically between 3.5-4 meg/l ph is usually 7.9 and sg is 1.024/1.024. The thing is while I know some people keep their params a little different, especially alk and ph, these are the params (minus the low calcium) that the zoa's have been living at and thriving under for 4 months now. I don't see anything on the zoa's at all. I tried dipping them but no long. It just sucks because now another colony that was fine is now having the same problem.

 

[fishmonger2]

Bump, anybody have any ideas? My Zoa's are just dying in front of my eyes and I can't take them out. Here is another pic that might help.

The black circle shows how the polyps start closing up. The red circle shows what happen next. A few polyps that close up then look melt into an indistinguishable white goo. Lastly the white circle looks like they are pulling apart.

 

[MTB]

Have you added any new livestock lately? I've seen this happen once when I had zoanthid spiders. I've also seen this happen for no reason at all...

 

[geoxman]

First- pinks are the WORST for melting! 2nd the fungus can and will spread to other polyps so I would QT. 3rd it looks like you have zoa pox as well! It is tough to tell from the pics but it looks like it. I would also bump the Alk up a little..IMHO and good luck

 

[fishmonger2]

Have you added any new livestock lately? I've seen this happen once when I had zoanthid spiders. I've also seen this happen for no reason at all...

Aside from some hermit crabs and emerald crabs, the only two corals I've added recently were a mystic sunset monti and a red planet acro, but I dipped the acro before it went in and the monti was only put in a week ago.

 

[Baltimore Bryan]

I've had the exact same thing happen with 3 of my colonies. They slowly shrink, then stop opening, then melt into a flat mush with lumps where there were once polyps. These were all kept on the bottom of my tank. My nitrates were extremely high- around 80 ppm, and now that they are around 18-20 ppm, a couple are finally opening up again. I've noticed that all of the ones that melted were green or green/blue, while my ring of fire (orange, red, yellow) and sunflower (yellow) zoas haven't shrunk.Good luck, and I'm tagging along to see if anyone knows the solution to this problem...

 

[geoxman]

These were all kept on the bottom of my tank

Why did you assume that is where they should be kept?

My nitrates were extremely high- around 80 ppm,

That is not the best conditions but I would not fret..I would be more concerned about phosphates. IMHO

I've noticed that all of the ones that melted were green or green/blue, while my ring of fire (orange, red, yellow) and sunflower (yellow) zoas haven't shrunk.


All the more reason for knowing their origin and not some given pseudo name..flow, light, predators, ocean plucked, sewage..etc...good luck with your polyps