Palyathoa not doing well

JohnRougeux · Jul 8, 2020

So I got a Palyathoa frag from my local fish guy to test things out before going further with coral. The first day it opened up and looked great! It is a nice green. the 2nd day it wasn't so wide open, but I could see the green and it was just curled up a little around the edges. It kept curling inward day after day until about 4 days it was closed up. Perhaps flow was an issue, so I moved it to another rock and it was lower in the tank some. Nothing. I have now moved it down to the sand level to see, but it just looks limp and dead.

I have the A1 Prime 16HD light (or whatever it's called), clowns are doing great, crabs are doing great. Ammonia, Nitrate, Nitrite, and pH all are looking good. Salinity is 1.025. I have the A1 16HD prime light.

Any idea? Should I be testing for something else?

andrewey · Jul 8, 2020

When you say your parameters look good, could you list them for us?

How old is the tank?

What are you using for flow and what is the setting of your light and the height above the tank?

JohnRougeux · Jul 8, 2020

These were taken 6/22, but I did it again last Monday and they were they same. I can do the test tonight again if you want.

Tank was filled June 6th. I have used Turbo Start.

Flow is the return and a PP-4 propeller set to pulse. The flow is aimed downwards (I can't seem to take it apart to aim it towards the front) and the propeller is on the side aimed towards the return.

The light is 8 inches above the top of the tank.
Light settings:

More pics of my tank here: https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/my-first-salt-tank-waterbox-20.725843/

Bosreef · Jul 9, 2020

Was it just one head paly? Or multiple heads? Sometimes corals don't travel when only one head or freshly fragged. Your parmermeters, lights, flow should be able to sustain palys.

Can you take a pic of the paly in question?

Side note: educate yourself on "paly toxin"

Bosreef · Jul 9, 2020

Also how did you introduce the frag to your system. When purchase a new coral/frag fish whatever make sure to acclimate properly (some drip) i only float for temp acclimation unless very sensitive live stock like shrimp or an acro (don't like big change in anything)

Also dont move it for a while any coral will survive with sub lar lighting and sub par flow for a while it just won't thrive... so better to get it use to your system and then place in idle growing location

Bosreef · Jul 9, 2020

also don't get discouraged!!!! Sometimes corals just are not happy and die... mind you if this is a common thing you have a problem but sometimes it's just a freak thing you will never be able to explain...

MightyMO · Jul 9, 2020

I would leave it alone somewhere in the tank. It may just not be acclimating well, palys and zoas are pretty hardy corals, give it some time...

JohnRougeux · Jul 9, 2020

it was 2 heads..one big, one small.

here is was on the 2nd day...didn't open all the way up

Here it is today. I don't know how to get a good pic with my phone and these lights. That's the same one on the right side

MightyMO · Jul 9, 2020

Also, your nitrates look to be at 0... Zoas tend to like a more nutrient rich environment...

Bosreef · Jul 9, 2020

I have zoas i bought month ago that look like this... sometimes they don't do well but those are far.from.dead. give them more time dont touch them.

I think its fair to say you could try another small cheap.frag of something soft see how it does

and I have 30+ colonies of zoas in my tank that are all growing adding heads everyday... zoas/palys are weird...

MightyMO · Jul 9, 2020

Every other parameter looks good. Tank startup was June 6th this year??? Possibly need beneficial bacteria in your tank... Water could be "to clean"...

Bosreef · Jul 9, 2020

MightyMO said:
Also, your nitrates look to be at 0... Zoas tend to like a more nutrient rich environment...

Yeah I questioned this as well there is no way it is at zero tho... this is a newly cycled system trates should be through the the
Roof

Bosreef · Jul 9, 2020

JohnRougeux said:
These were taken 6/22, but I did it again last Monday and they were they same. I can do the test tonight again if you want.

Tank was filled June 6th. I have used Turbo Start.

Flow is the return and a PP-4 propeller set to pulse. The flow is aimed downwards (I can't seem to take it apart to aim it towards the front) and the propeller is on the side aimed towards the return.

The light is 8 inches above the top of the tank.
Light settings:

More pics of my tank here: https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/my-first-salt-tank-waterbox-20.725843/

Bring your red channel, green channel and moon light to near zero... bring your cool white to 40 and bump your u.v and violet up a little

Bosreef · Jul 9, 2020

My schedule little wild I know... its tweaked from saxby schedule.

Feel like it mimics the sun...

JohnRougeux · Jul 9, 2020

MightyMO said:
Also, your nitrates look to be at 0... Zoas tend to like a more nutrient rich environment...

How do I increase Nitrates?

JohnRougeux · Jul 9, 2020

MightyMO said:
Every other parameter looks good. Tank startup was June 6th this year??? Possibly need beneficial bacteria in your tank... Water could be "to clean"...

Yes, June 2020. How do I add bacteria?

JohnRougeux · Jul 9, 2020

Bosreef said:
Bring your red channel, green channel and moon light to near zero... bring your cool white to 40 and bump your u.v and violet up a little

ok thanks. I'll adjust the settings

JohnRougeux · Jul 9, 2020

Bosreef said:
Yeah I questioned this as well there is no way it is at zero tho... this is a newly cycled system trates should be through the the
Roof

I will do a test again and let you know the results

MightyMO · Jul 9, 2020

Your nitrite is showing at 0 as well. Not sure what your phosphate levels are at, but it doesn't look right. Do you have any bacteria in a bottle you could add to your sump or filtration? Microbacter7 from brightwell is good stuff... Need to get the cycling going cause your parameters seem off...