need help with fruit loop zoas

Miller535 · May 23, 2020

So I bought fruit loop zoas and got them from tidal gardens last Saturday. I dipped them in coralRx and then bayer. Later on in the night they opened a little. And for the first 2 or 3 days they only opened a little. But a few of the heads never opened full and looked irritated by some hair algae that came on the plug. So I dipped it in 3% peroxide for 5 mins. And it has not opened since. I am attaching the before and after peroxide pics.

Miller535 · May 23, 2020

Can someone please advice. Nitrates are about 4, phosphates .04. Sg 1.025. Calcium 400. Alk 8.0

Stoney · May 23, 2020

Did you dilute the peroxide at all? 5 minutes in undiluted H2O2 is pretty intense. IMO the best thing you can do now is make sure it's in moderate flow/light and make sure nothing bothers it. I've found fruit loops to be somewhat sensitive. They grow fast when they're healthy but they're always the first to close up when my parameters swing. The picture isn't very clear, but they don't look too bad. Just give it some time.

Miller535 · May 23, 2020

Stoney said:
Did you dilute the peroxide at all? 5 minutes in undiluted H2O2 is pretty intense. IMO the best thing you can do now is make sure it's in moderate flow/light and make sure nothing bothers it. I've found fruit loops to be somewhat sensitive. They grow fast when they're healthy but they're always the first to close up when my parameters swing. The picture isn't very clear, but they don't look too bad. Just give it some time.

It was not diluted. On I believe the Billy pipes video he did it and said not to dilute it. He said do not dilute it just use 3%. Is that not right?

Stoney · May 23, 2020

Do you mean this video?

He also says to dip it for 2 minutes max. It's fine to use higher concentrations, but you have to reduce dip time too.

Miller535 · May 23, 2020

Stoney said:
Do you mean this video?

He also says to dip it for 2 minutes max. It's fine to use higher concentrations, but you have to reduce dip time too.

Crap. Hopefully I didn't kill him.

Thespammailaccount · May 23, 2020

Hopefully it will all work out I bought a few with GHA last year and did the same thing took them a few weeks to open and lost some color however they look great today

Jvalle · May 23, 2020

Yes I think they will recover thx

Miller535 · May 23, 2020

I sure hope so

Copton · May 23, 2020

Killing a zoa is hard. I'm sure yours will be fine! I think the best thing, as said, is leave them alone for a few and stress them as little as posible.

Miller535 · May 23, 2020

So it could stay closed possibly for weeks?

Thespammailaccount · May 23, 2020

Miller535 said:
So it could stay closed possibly for weeks?

Mine did. I thought they were going to die then one day they opened back up. I think I dipped mine in pure solution for 5 mins. Whoops

SifuMemphis · May 23, 2020

Sometimes, a zoa can remain closed for weeks on end. I had some closed for almost 3-4 weeks before opening. Just keep things stable, and you'll be fine.

tnw50cal · May 23, 2020

I always use 3% peroxide on my frags to kill any algae that might be on them. I just pour it on the frag while holding it in my hand out of water. Then I set it down on a paper towel for about a minute and after that back into the water it came in. So I'm thinking you didn't hurt your zoas by doing what you did with peroxide.
I recently bought 2 frags off of ebay-1 with 2 polyps of WWC red twizzlers and 1 with 6 polyps of king midas. It took 4 days for the twizzlers to open and 2 weeks(yes 2 weeks) for 3 of the king midas to open, the others melted away. All that lived are doing well. So, just give it time and leave them alone, let them do what they're going to do.

Slcwinder · May 23, 2020

Be patient. I had a gobstopper zoa ( 3 polyps) fall off the rock and dissappear somewhere in my tank never to be seen again. Fast forward 1 year later and low and behold my urchin picked up the frag plug they were on and it has about 20 polyps. The thing literally survived and grew in the deepest darkest recess of my tank for over a year

NeptuneRjo · May 23, 2020

Never give up on zoas! I've had a antivenom frag melt down to a small piece of flesh out of no where and within 2 weeks it had more polyps than what it started with. As long as your tank environment is good (which it seems to be) it hopefully will bounce back.

danieyella · May 23, 2020

I had wwc space queens get buried for a few months, finally dug them up and there's 50+ polyps and they spread onto another rock that was also buried. I'm sure they'll bounce back for you