Zoas not opening

[bmxnick7]

I am having an issue with my zoas not opening. I have approx 7 frags. 1 of which is doing well. One is mediocure. The other 5 not so much. They are closed and with just a hint of color.
Water temp 77deg
Amomi 0ppm
Nitrite oppm
Nitrate 0ppm
PH 8.4
Sal 1.023
Cal 390
Alk 10.2
Mag 1400

All my LPS an sps corals are doing fine. Just the zoas will not open.

I will post pictures in few. Thanks in advance.

 

[650-IS350]

are they newly introduced frags? what lighting system do you have and where did you situate the frags when they were introduced in the tank? Placement

 

[ajespo85]

what he said ^ also, zoas like "dirtier" water. are you running a skimmer? I don't run one on mine, I only have a few fish and I'm buying up zoas every week now. and, try to drip Iodine in there. you should be able to buy it at any LFS, but i recommend to dose slightly under the recommended dose. They do not like direct water flow either. I keep my sal at 1.024 but you should be good.

 

[bmxnick7]

Bio cube with rapid led conversion. 2 are new 3 are not. Within the last 3 months.

Not running a skimmer.

They were all over the place in the tank. Not really in direct water flow.

 

[fasteddie222]

So non of the Zoas are opening? I have had some Zoas close for a while and they eventually open back up

 

[bmxnick7]

I have a set that opens 100 percent and 1 that opens like 75 percent the rest won't open at all

 

[650-IS350]

do you have a controller on the LED as some LEDs are REALLY bright especially if your using it in the bio cube.

Note zoathids / palys are not collected in the same place. So just cause one type is ok with the bright lights, some may not

 

[bmxnick7]

I have them set at around 45 percent

 

[bmxnick7]

The ones closed have been closed for about 2 months. The one open has about 5 new heads. I dipped them in about a month ago to for parasites.

 

[R_Mc]

I'd be careful withh the "dirtier" water idea. It could also be that most zoas prefer low-ish flow and most ULNS tanks are high flow SPS. Also depends on how you clean the dirty water - Zoas like food like almost any other coral, and many beautiful zoa gardens exist in ULNS systems.

That said...zoanthids are fickle...and I've been on a zoa-health rollercoaster myself so maybe I shouldn't be talking.

I wish you luck man - at the moment I'm a bit frustrated with zoas myself.

 

[ajespo85]

I have great luck with zoas. All my params are how they should be. I don't run a skimmer and I drip iodine every other week. I have a canister filter that I run Chemipure Blue in. I spot feed zoas every few days buy misting them with the water I thaw my Mysis shrimp in. They are doing great, everything opens everyday, great colors from everything and new babies popping up every week. I have had absolutely 0 problems so far, almost a year (knock on wood).

 

[jeffdenney]

My zoas dont open all the way either.. im thinking im prolly too high of flow and too high light also.. im gonna move then down and back in the tank.. ill report back..

 

[ajespo85]

I run both my white and blue leds at about 35% and the my light hangs about 10-12 inches from my tank. Most of my zoas are on a frag rack that sits about 4-5 inches from the top of my tank. Everyone's zoas are different and don't always act the same, but this is what's working for me, hoping maybe it can help you. I wouldn't over dip them though, that would be bad for them.

 

[R_Mc]

I will say that I've noticed zoas / coral respond differently (physical / immediate response ) to blue light vs white / red light. In the morning with the actinics they open up a little bit - then when the whites come on they open up the rest of the way. Could be total light intensity... could be just the time of day ... could be spectrum. I'll have to get a time-lapse together because I have a hunch that it's a phototropic response to something other than blue light.

 

[ajespo85]

the blues are a different spectrum. by turning them on 30 mins before the white, or off 30 mins after the whites, we are trying to simulate the dawn and dusk. So by doing this, we "wake up" or "put to sleep" the corals and fish. That's why timed lighting is important.

 

[bmxnick7]

I.am.just still at a loss. Because if I put them in a buddy's tank they open back up

 

[650-IS350]

I'd recheck our parameters.

You cal a little low, alk isn't that bad. Sal should be around 1.025-1.026. check your pH too.