What's irritating my Zoas?

[Doob]

As long as the dino/cyno (brown slime) isn't on them, they look like they will bounce back. Once looking happy again, slowely acclimate to more light again, so they don't stretch and dwindle.

I always see it take polyps time to open up completely after a peroxide dip. What methods did you use and at what dilution? How long were they dipped for? Ect.

In a bowl of tank water, I added peroxide with a syringe until they began to bubble. Then let them sit for ~5 minutes. Then finally, and this is very important, dropped them face down into the sand bed. -face palm-

 

[mallorieGgator]

Any better today?

 

[Doob]

I think they're getting better! I don't want to speak too soon though...

 

[mallorieGgator]

At least they're opened now! Give them a few more days. :)

 

[Fragzilla]

You get that cyano between the polyps when nitrates are zero.

If it were dinos they would be everywhere.

I had Dinos recently, the only way to beat them is carbon and/or raising PH.

 

[Fragzilla]

Regardless of all that, I think your problem is the RBTA. I believe they're known to have chemical warfare against zoas. I never experienced that myself as when I researched getting an RBTA I read articles stating that they're incompatible with zoanthids.

 

[Doob]

You get that cyano between the polyps when nitrates are zero.

If it were dinos they would be everywhere.

I had Dinos recently, the only way to beat them is carbon and/or raising PH.

When nitrates are zero or are not zero? Cyno breakout with zero nitrates doesn't make sense to me. I'm always open to learn though?

I've also never read about rBTAs being incompatible. They seemed fine for months, and I though the anemone would have to touch them to affect them. I'll have to look into this.

They look much better now, though there are a couple polyps that still haven't opened. I'm confident that the problem was cyno/Dino between polyps. Hopefully cyno. I'll give the colony another powerhead blast this weekend during the water change.

 

[Marius Swart]

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/id-on-algae.256037/

Also had some that looked like this

 

[Fragzilla]

Yes mate Cyano forms when Nitrates are zero.

Wet web media have a lot of articles about compatibility with nems, I'm sure that was my source of info when I looked into getting one.

 

[Doob]

These guys still haven't recovered.

I placed them in the QT Monday evening. They stayed without lights for 4 days, and I brought them back to the display, after blasting them with a baster, last night.

Within an hour or lights on, brown strings were back...

 

[Doob]

 

[ahiggins]

unfortunately, I had the same issue back when my 40 was "new". i had zero nitrates and it seemed like my coral would form that stringy and it would strangulate them (if that makes sense).
I lost 3 frags to it because I couldnt get it to stop. Once I raised the nitrates, it stopped

 

[Doob]

unfortunately, I had the same issue back when my 40 was "new". i had zero nitrates and it seemed like my coral would form that stringy and it would strangulate them (if that makes sense).
I lost 3 frags to it because I couldnt get it to stop. Once I raised the nitrates, it stopped

I've stopped water changes and doubled feedings. It's weird, my nitrate test has never read zero. It is an API though.

 

[ahiggins]

I've stopped water changes and doubled feedings. It's weird, my nitrate test has never read zero. It is an API though.

yea....im not a fan of api lol getcha a salifert one :) youll be right as rain in no time.

 

[Doob]

yea....im not a fan of api lol getcha a salifert one :) youll be right as rain in no time.

Just keep feeding and it'll clear itself up eh? That's an easy fix.

 

[ahiggins]

not what I said....I *did* lose a few before it got better. Took about a month for me to work into good conditions. It that time I lost 3 frags of the temperamental small zoas.

 

[Doob]

Notice the brown rock in the middle? It's only that one.

 

[Doob]

not what I said....

It would have been much cooler if you did. [emoji41][emoji23]

 

[ahiggins]

hahahaha yea true!

 

[Doob]

unfortunately, I had the same issue back when my 40 was "new". i had zero nitrates and it seemed like my coral would form that stringy and it would strangulate them (if that makes sense).
I lost 3 frags to it because I couldnt get it to stop. Once I raised the nitrates, it stopped

Did you ever determine what the stringy material is?

It doesn't seem like cyano. It's brown, more dusty than slimey and isn't growing on the sand. It also doesn't come up in mats. It seems more like diatoms, but that seems unlikely since the tank is a year old.