Zoanthids disappeared!

[fsas89]

Hello, I noticed some of my zoas disappeared in the night. I just say this white thing, it doesn’t seem to be moving. But I haven’t noticed it in the day time. I have a emerald crab, few bumble bee snails, coral beauty, osc clown / onyx clown, strawberry dotty, 2 green chrome. I also found out I have vermited snails which I’ll be removing tomorrow.

 

[monkeyCmonkeyDo]

Bumble bee snails are carnivirous and if they arent eating enough i would suspect them.
Ive had a cowrie munch through a $50 zoa rock before.
D

 

[Suohhen]

The white thing is a harmless filter feeder, it is a worm inside of the white tube that you can see little strands coming out of the end. They are an extremely common hitchhiker in aquariums and are completely safe. I just for some reason cannot remember the name atm. Can you please elaborate on missing zoa? Are they are part of that colony on the right of the picture?

 

[fsas89]

The white thing is a harmless filter feeder, it is a worm inside of the white tube that you can see little strands coming out of the end. They are an extremely common hitchhiker in aquariums and are completely safe. I just for some reason cannot remember the name atm. Can you please elaborate on missing zoa? Are they are part of that colony on the right of the picture?

Yes this one. It was full, over last three or 4 days all those bald spots.

 

[Suohhen]

Your taking this picture at night when the light is off? When you say it was full a few days ago are you referencing the same time of night when the Zoa were closed or while they were open. The zoa on the left side look far more shrunken than the others which can be totally normal but it could also be a sign of stress from perhaps being picked at by something. I would suspect the angelfish as the primary culprit if this were the case. Regardless how long have you had this coral and have you noticed stress in any other coral in the tank, has anything big happened/changed recently, how old is the tank, and do you test for water parameters?

 

[monkeyCmonkeyDo]

The coral beauty. Ya idk how i missed that. Ive returned 1 of those before for that. Coral nipper.
The petco had a buyer already lined up. Beautiful fish.
D

 

[fsas89]

Your taking this picture at night when the light is off? When you say it was full a few days ago are you referencing the same time of night when the Zoa were closed or while they were open. The zoa on the left side look far more shrunken than the others which can be totally normal but it could also be a sign of stress from perhaps being picked at by something. I would suspect the angelfish as the primary culprit if this were the case. Regardless how long have you had this coral and have you noticed stress in any other coral in the tank, has anything big happened/changed recently, how old is the tank, and do you test for water parameters?

Yes this is at night when they are closed and most noticeable. The only new thing is I added a Duncan and found out it has vermited snails last Thursday. But no snails on the zoas. I am going to do a water change tomorrow but all my parameters have been spot on thus far. Tank is 3 1/2 months old.

 

[F i s h y]

Was this coral dipped with anything prior to going in the tank? If so what and for how long. If you can I would recommend dipping or dipping again to rule out any pests. If none are found most likely the angel would be my next guess. I have a friend that has a coral beauty she can't catch. She has a lot of zoas but the damage caused by the angel is noticeable. Polyps missing tentacles, not expanding all the way, and bald patches forming in her colonies.

Lastly have you had or seen any asterna starfish? These are common hitchhikers and known zoa eaters as well.

 

[fsas89]

The coral beauty. Ya idk how i missed that. Ive returned 1 of those before for that. Coral nipper.
The petco had a buyer already lined up. Beautiful fish.
D

Noooo not the coral beauty. It’s my favorite fish lol. Will it pick at all coral??? I thought he was reef safe

 

[monkeyCmonkeyDo]

Yes even the small angels are not considered reef safe imo.
Sorry. Debbie downer i know.
D

 

[fsas89]

I have b

Was this coral dipped with anything prior to going in the tank? If so what and for how long. If you can I would recommend dipping or dipping again to rule out any pests. If none are found most likely the angel would be my next guess. I have a friend that has a coral beauty she can't catch. She has a lot of zoas but the damage caused by the angel is noticeable. Polyps missing tentacles, not expanding all the way, and bald patches forming in her colonies.

Lastly have you had or seen any asterna starfish? These are common hitchhikers and known zoa eaters as well.

I have not seen any asterna starfish and I did not dip, just a drip acclimation and I did my best to squirt off debris or anything with water and a baster. This is my first non Fowlr tank, it’s a lot to learn! But I didn’t think a dip was so necessary, seems like it should be mandatory

 

[monkeyCmonkeyDo]

Look for pyramid snails.
D

 

[mdb_talon]

Noooo not the coral beauty. It’s my favorite fish lol. Will it pick at all coral??? I thought he was reef safe

My vote is coral beauty also. Some are reported to not bother coral, but they are also know to eat soft corals, clam mantles, and even nip at sps. Just depends if your coral beauty is a ******* or not....maybe yours is.

Most common pests(spiders,nudis,snails) are not going to just remove several polyps that quickly while also leaving the other polyps around looking healthy.

 

[Suohhen]

Sorry to be more clear what I am asking is whether you a noticing this 'bald spot' compared to seeing the coral in the same state 4 days ago, closed, but far more filled out. Also are you noticing less heads or simply less fullness. soft coral can shrink a lot expecially when stressed. Dwarf Angels can definitely be prone to nip, it isn't always a problem but there is a genus of angelfish which are reef safe, Genicanthus. Unfortunetely they get big so they require a big tank but they are among my favorite fish.

 

[mdb_talon]

I have b

I have not seen any asterna starfish and I did not dip, just a drip acclimation and I did my best to squirt off debris or anything with water and a baster. This is my first non Fowlr tank, it’s a lot to learn! But I didn’t think a dip was so necessary, seems like it should be mandatory

I am doubtful it is a pest....but i would say a dip and close inspection for eggs/etc (at minimum) is always necessary. Small price and effort to minimize chances of getting a pest that can decimate your coral and csn be very difficult to eradicate.

 

[fsas89]

Sorry to be more clear what I am asking is whether you a noticing this 'bald spot' compared to seeing the coral in the same state 4 days ago, closed, but far more filled out. Also are you noticing less heads or simply less fullness. soft coral can shrink a lot expecially when stressed. Dwarf Angels can definitely be prone to nip, it isn't always a problem but there is a genus of angelfish which are reef safe, Genicanthus. Unfortunetely they get big so they require a big tank but they are among my favorite fish.

definatley less heads, one was hangin on by a thread the other day when I woke up. So it sounds like the coral beauty is nippng them unintentially or not. Sigh...I really dont wanna get rid of her but it might be my only option if I wanna keep these. Thanks for all the help!

 

[Suohhen]

It might not be the angel, or anything else for that matter, it could simply be that the coral is losing some heads on its own. You might want to observe and see if you notice the angel nipping before you get rid of it.

 

[fsas89]

It might not be the angel, or anything else for that matter, it could simply be that the coral is losing some heads on its own. You might want to observe and see if you notice the angel nipping before you get rid of it.

That is a good idea, I have not really seen him do it but I will try to watch here at night a little longer see if anything happens, appreciate the feedback!