Zoas closed due to algae, or red slime

[SaltySqueeble]

Can anyone lend a hand? Does this seem like red slime or some type bad algae? The color still looks normal.

This very healthy little frag has been thriving and yesterday started closing up, one by one. Couple more polyps today. I do have some quite a bit of algae in my tank, at one year in

 

[Zoa.Mania]

Could be just on my end but the video won’t start. From what you're saying it sounds like some sort of bacteria, a YouTube link or some images could help to be sure.

 

[SaltySqueeble]

Trying a picture

 

[Lavey29]

It's difficult to tell but we need complete tank parameters including age of the tank and salinity. Pic under white light too.

How long have you had the frag? In my tank blue colored zoas are more difficult because the frag I got is Caribbean.

 

[Zoa.Mania]

I can see the closed polyps but can't tell if they are coated by anything or harmed in any way.
Please try to provide, a better picture and description.
Also tank parameters will benefit.
Is salinity, phosphate and nitrate in check?

Any possible warfare in the tank?
Are you running carbon?

 

[SaltySqueeble]

Thank you for all the replies. I’ll get a better white light pic of the Zoa and tank. This was one of my first frags I put in a year ago. Was a tiny 3 polyp I ordered online( tubbs blue). I’ve battled some pests in the past, got nudis on them from a LFs Zoa frag. Got rid of them with dips and it continued to grow for months. There was another few polyps above this one that already dissolved.
Tank stays pretty stable with weekly 10% changes.
It’s a 25 gal with no sump, daily Kalk addition.
Nitrates 3-5
Salinity: 1.025-26
Ph: 7.8(working on getting this up)
Calcium:400-450
I need a new phosphate test. And probably some others.

 

[Doctorgori]

if most of the problem is between polyps, sometimes lack of flow is the issue …hit the area with a powerhead and blow it out….see what happens

 

[SaltySqueeble]

Alk is 7-8
No carbon dosing or anything fancy. Definitely a dark algae that’s horrible under white light. I usually have a pretty even spread of cool blue, royal blue, and cool white with an AI blade led.

 

[Zoa.Mania]

Alk is 7-8
No carbon dosing or anything fancy. Definitely a dark algae that’s horrible under white light. I usually have a pretty even spread of cool blue, royal blue, and cool white with an AI blade led.

Love these Smurfs blood zoanthids. I lost a frag of it few months back due to coral warfare.

Anyway I still can't see anything in the photo. Does it look like this but less severe?

If so it's a bacterial infection from what I know. Don't worry, just dip the frag in a hydrogen peroxide 3% solution.

The ratio for zoanthids is 100-175ml of h2o2 to 0.5L of saltwater (tank temperature - you can use water from the tank no problem) first make the solution (mix the h2o2 with the water) then put the frag in this will kill the bacteria. Let the frag rinse for exactly 5 minutes, no more. Then rinse the frag with tank water in a different container, then put it back in the tank. I'd start off with the lower amount of h2o2 (100ml to 0.5L) and see how it goes in the next few days.

Make sure the tank salinity and other parameters are in check for future health and I recommend to run carbon in a reactor constantly.

 

[SaltySqueeble]

Hey, thanks a lot for the info. I feel like it must be this infection. I don’t really see any brown on my polyps right now. I will definitely look into the carbon and try the dip. They are on the rockwork, though, would you pull them off?

 

[Zoa.Mania]

Hey, thanks a lot for the info. I feel like it must be this infection. I don’t really see any brown on my polyps right now. I will definitely look into the carbon and try the dip. They are on the rockwork, though, would you pull them off?

In the original post you mentioned it's covered by “red algae”, which could be cyano and could be some other bacteria or actual algae.
It's already been few days since your original post so if the zoas are still closed up i’d pull them out and make that dip to get rid of this bacteria/algae and prevent if from spreading