is paly/zoa dying?

[mzurla]

Hey guys. I think I have a paly or a zoa that's dying but not sure why. It had seemed like it was doing great but then recently started closing up and all them seemed to shrink and collapse in on themselves while a couple stayed out and open. Attached isna bad picture cropped from a couple weeks ago and how it is now (I see some.bubble algae on it but not sure if that would cause this sort of issue). This one has been in the tank for about 5 months and tank has been up for apst 7 months.

 

[Wasabiroot]

It doesn't look dead, but it looks pretty unhappy. Usually when we see zoas stretch that way it's due to lack of light. What size tank/fixture are you using?

The bubble algae may be irritating it. You could try gently removing with a toothbrush or other implement. And don't let that crap float somewhere else in your tank, haha.

 

[mzurla]

It doesn't look dead, but it looks pretty unhappy. Usually when we see zoas stretch that way it's due to lack of light. What size tank/fixture are you using?

The bubble algae may be irritating it. You could try gently removing with a toothbrush or other implement. And don't let that crap float somewhere else in your tank, haha.

It's a 75 gallon tank with a fluval marine 3.0 light

 

[Wasabiroot]

Try moving it up in the rockwork

 

[vetteguy53081]

Raise to mid -tank level. Assure moderate light and water flow. Not melting which is good.
There are a number of factors why zoas close up. Some are water movement/flow as zoas do not require the consistent high flow conditions that SPS corals do. I would consider a moderate flow environment ideal but Zoanthids, like most corals, can adapt to low or high flow. In high flow, you will typically see polyps grow closer to the rock with shorter stalks. Another is lack of feeding and food as infrequent feeding and ultra low nutrient conditions can lead to entire colony meltdowns. Target feeding is not a requirement as Zoanthids are photosynthetic. I have found that target feeding Zoanthids always provides mixed results, when a food particle falls onto the polyps.

Back to parameters, good water quality is a must.
dKH: 8.0 - 11.0
Calcium: 400 - 440
Magnesium: 1300 - 1350
Iodide: Maintained via regular water changes or manually at small dosages
Temperature: 78-79 degrees
pH: 8.1-8.3
Phosphates: .04 - .06
Nitrates < 10

Asterina stars, little tiny tiny spiders and nudibranchs also will make them miserable to point of death as will aptasia, worms like spinoids or vermetid snails. A few things to look for.

 

[mzurla]

Raise to mid -tank level. Assure moderate light and water flow. Not melting which is good.
There are a number of factors why zoas close up. Some are water movement/flow as zoas do not require the consistent high flow conditions that SPS corals do. I would consider a moderate flow environment ideal but Zoanthids, like most corals, can adapt to low or high flow. In high flow, you will typically see polyps grow closer to the rock with shorter stalks. Another is lack of feeding and food as infrequent feeding and ultra low nutrient conditions can lead to entire colony meltdowns. Target feeding is not a requirement as Zoanthids are photosynthetic. I have found that target feeding Zoanthids always provides mixed results, when a food particle falls onto the polyps.

Back to parameters, good water quality is a must.
dKH: 8.0 - 11.0
Calcium: 400 - 440
Magnesium: 1300 - 1350
Iodide: Maintained via regular water changes or manually at small dosages
Temperature: 78-79 degrees
pH: 8.1-8.3
Phosphates: .04 - .06
Nitrates < 10

Asterina stars, little tiny tiny spiders and nudibranchs also will make them miserable to point of death as will aptasia, worms like spinoids or vermetid snails. A few things to look for.

Would these be the tiny spider things you speak of? Noticed them a couple months ago and tried to pull them off. Thought I got all the ones I could see.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Would these be the tiny spider things you speak of? Noticed them a couple months ago and tried to pull them off. Thought I got all the ones I could see.

Are you able to pull with tweezers ? Looks like it but Once you have them , they generally climb in and out of core of each zoa. These may be clove or other polyp
Once you elevate the zoa, blow on them gently with a turkey baster