Zoa emergency !!!

[scubasteve020]

I have a been having an issue with new zoanthids.
Parameters 1.025 salinity , 430 calcium, ph around 7.8, magnesium 1350, alkalinity 8.5, nitrates 2ppm, phosphates between 0 and .03 been trying to get a stable .03 temp fluctuates between 77.5 to 78.2.
I have a mixed reef have mixture of lps sps and softies. All corals are doing great. Except two weeks ago I bought some sunny d Zoas. Within hours they melted. I thought it might have been because I had forget to turn back on my ato after finishing some maintenance and my salinity went to a 1.027 so then a few days later I bought a purple monster paly and it’s doing great so gave it a week and bought more sunny d zoanthids and then they melted within a day. What could be causing that ? If it was pox wouldn’t it take longer than that to kill it. A few months ago I had a huge phosphate spike that killed a lot of zoas which has been fixed with adding a sump and better filtration. Any ideas would be appreciated

 

[scubasteve020]

 

[scubasteve020]

Has been in tank only 7 hours already looks like it’s melting it shrunk smaller than when it was closed and put in tank

 

[Dingo1690]

following

 

[ScottR]

If your other corals are healthy, perhaps something is eating them? What critters do you have in the tank? I’ve seen cyano take zoas out but wouldn’t be that fast.

 

[A. grandis]

What kind of light is that? ;Wideyed
What was the "huge phosphate spike"?

 

[BayouReefer]

Are you dipping them before putting into your tank?

 

[scubasteve020]

If your other corals are healthy, perhaps something is eating them? What critters do you have in the tank? I’ve seen cyano take zoas out but wouldn’t be that fast.

Never had cyano before, I have very little inverts because I have a blue spotted Toby puffer. He is well fed and I have never seen him ever pick on a coral even watch him at night he actually litterally lays on a little shelf of rock all night. I did notice a couple Astria stars but they usually go to the lps. I had some apstasia but were very small and Have been taken care of before the new zoas. I just thought it was weird how good they looked at the lfs. I should have tested the water in the bag it came from to see if there were much difference in parameters. I dipped them with revive and rinsed them off with more sea water and let them sit 15 more minutes in fresh saltwater to make sure the revive did not get in my tank. It wouldn’t be my lighting either because I have two radions gen 4 xr15s and the par of were I put them Are in the 200 to 225 range.

 

[scubasteve020]

What kind of light is that? ;Wideyed
What was the "huge phosphate spike"?

I have echotech radions. About three months ago I made the mistake of taking the old gfo our because it was in for a few months and I didn’t have any on me till next day when I got some and it jumped from .03 to .25 and I lost all my acros and zoas (30%) of my corals but everything else survived and made huge comebacks.i decided to add a sump on with an external overflow with a huge upgrade on my protein skimmer by getting a octopus skimmer. Ever since I added a sump I had a drastic improvement on everything. Just this darn Zoa issue is driving me nuts. I don’t get what difference is allowing the paly to be fine and rest of coral but just the zoa issue. The only thing could either be something picked it or some bacteria but still I didn’t know they could melt within hours

 

[scubasteve020]

Are you dipping them before putting into your tank?

yes I dip all my coral. Use reef revive. However if there are better alternatives please share. It does kind of worry me that it smells like pinesol lol

 

[ZipAdeeZoa]

200-225 par seems a little high to me for zoas without some sort of acclimation. Maybe there is to much light? Have you tried starting them lower in the tank? Any idea what lights they are under at the lfs?

Just a theory, take it with a grain of salt.

 

[scubasteve020]

200-225 par seems a little high to me for zoas without some sort of acclimation. Maybe there is to much light? Have you tried starting them lower in the tank? Any idea what lights they are under at the lfs?

Just a theory, take it with a grain of salt.

I don’t think it would be the light because I had them in the exact same spot where my zoas used to be before the phosphate issues month ago and the lighting hasn’t changed. Plus the paly was in 250 par range and that one is doing great now. But I actually did move it to a lower spot on the other side of the tank fingers crossed lol

 

[ZipAdeeZoa]

I don’t think it would be the light because I had them in the exact same spot where my zoas used to be before the phosphate issues month ago and the lighting hasn’t changed. Plus the paly was in 250 par range and that one is doing great now. But I actually did move it to a lower spot on the other side of the tank fingers crossed lol

Again its just a theory but to much light is the only thing I can think off that would't affect the other corals and cause them to crash so quick

 

[ScottR]

Again its just a theory but to much light is the only thing I can think off that would't affect the other corals and cause them to crash so quick

Too much light won’t melt zoas. Also, zoas can thrive in almost any type of lighting. If anything, they’d just close up.

@scubasteve020 ~ aside from perhaps your dipping of them, I see nothing that stands out that would make them melt but not affect the other corals.

 

[Maddlesrain]

I don’t think it’s the light either. Almost all of my zoas/palys are either growing out of the water or within 8” of the surface (my tank is 80% zoas). Last time I tested my lighting they were in an area well past the 300 par level.

Did you get both frags from the same place? How are you acclimating? You might want to try not dipping them. I know that opens you up to possibly bad hitch hikers, but I don’t dip any of my frags and never have a problem with any of them.

 

[A. grandis]

I have echotech radions. About three months ago I made the mistake of taking the old gfo our because it was in for a few months and I didn’t have any on me till next day when I got some and it jumped from .03 to .25 and I lost all my acros and zoas (30%) of my corals but everything else survived and made huge comebacks.i decided to add a sump on with an external overflow with a huge upgrade on my protein skimmer by getting a octopus skimmer. Ever since I added a sump I had a drastic improvement on everything. Just this darn Zoa issue is driving me nuts. I don’t get what difference is allowing the paly to be fine and rest of coral but just the zoa issue. The only thing could either be something picked it or some bacteria but still I didn’t know they could melt within hours

Stability is a must for reefing.
I just don't think your light looks natural in that video. Does it look like that in person? Maybe the camera?
I don't know if the light did it. Maye not. I think it's bacterial infection after a shock of some sort.
Could be that the place the frag came from had a total different light, salinity, temperature, alk, etc... and the zoas got totally shocked and vulnerable to bacterial infection. Could be that the amount of Revive was too strong or for too long, stressing the frag, then bacteria took place...
Put the frag in the shade for now and forget about t for like 2 days. Forget dipping it for now. You will have more chances saving it leaving it alone.
I would personally consider changing the spectrum for a more natural looking one. Go very slow if you want to do that!! LEDs can kill your tank in a second bleaching everything.

 

[sde1500]

Sometimes zoas just melt. I’m sure there is some underlying explanation but when you add a few frags and most do fine and one just melts I just chalk it up as bad luck.

 

[scubasteve020]

Stability is a must for reefing.
I just don't think your light looks natural in that video. Does it look like that in person? Maybe the camera?
I don't know if the light did it. Maye not. I think it's bacterial infection after a shock of some sort.
Could be that the place the frag came from had a total different light, salinity, temperature, alk, etc... and the zoas got totally shocked and vulnerable to bacterial infection. Could be that the amount of Revive was too strong or for too long, stressing the frag, then bacteria took place...
Put the frag in the shade for now and forget about t for like 2 days. Forget dipping it for now. You will have more chances saving it leaving it alone.
I would personally consider changing the spectrum for a more natural looking one. Go very slow if you want to do that!! LEDs can kill your tank in a second bleaching everything.

Forgot to mention my lights aren’t like that during its normal day lol I just used a preset for 5 min and have an orange film cover on the camera that’s why it doesn’t look natural. I use the recommend coral labs an+ template which replicates more of a natural reef setting. But I do agree the only thing that could make any sense was the dip. I’m just very worried about getting zoa pox introduced into the tank because once it’s in the tank you can’t get it out unless you pretty much take everything out and recycle the tank from scratch. One thing I’ll do is look into alternative dips and dipping methods !!!

 

[sde1500]

Forgot to mention my lights aren’t like that during its normal day lol I just used a preset for 5 min and have an orange film cover on the camera that’s why it doesn’t look natural. I use the recommend coral labs an+ template which replicates more of a natural reef setting. But I do agree the only thing that could make any sense was the dip. I’m just very worried about getting zoa pox introduced into the tank because once it’s in the tank you can’t get it out unless you pretty much take everything out and recycle the tank from scratch. One thing I’ll do is look into alternative dips and dipping methods !!!

Don’t worry about his comments on your LED lighting. Best to just ignore, as he makes it a point to make negative comments about LEDs every single chance he can.

 

[Maddlesrain]

Don’t worry about his comments on your LED lighting. Best to just ignore, as he makes it a point to make negative comments about LEDs every single chance he can.

As someone who uses LEDs and gets phenomenal growth, I always think it’s hilarious when people have to be haters just because someone’s doing something that’s not their preferred way.