Zoas half open and half closed.

[Melinda01]

I bought some corals and placed them in the tank Thursday. This is my 1st attempt at corals so I’m not quite sure what to expect. Everything looks to
me like it is doing well except maybe the zoas.
Why would they be half open and half closed? I have the lighting set to a 6 week acclimation starting at 20% moving up to 75%
Parameters
Mag 1380
Ca 450
Alk 9.9
Ph 8.4
SG 1.025
Temp 76.1
Ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate 0
Phos 0.02

 

[chewy tabacca]

I see a crab close by, he may have touched them, they open and close all the time, usually if something is wrong all of them will close, there could be pests that have entered that side and are working their way over. That is a little bit of a stretch though. Did you dip them?

 

[Melinda01]

I see a crab close by, he may have touched them, they open and close all the time, usually if something is wrong all of them will close, there could be pests that have entered that side and are working their way over. That is a little bit of a stretch though. Did you dip them?

I dipped them in Bayer before I put them in the tank. They have been like this since I added them Thursday so it has me baffled. I haven’t noticed the crabs bothering them. that’s actually a bumble bee snail. I just noticed it there today.

 

[chewy tabacca]

I dipped them in Bayer before I put them in the tank. They have been like this since I added them Thursday so it has me baffled. I haven’t noticed the crabs bothering them.

Zoas are a little sensitive in the fact they will close for anything, how is the flow? Lighting should be low. Half of them might be getting blasted by higher flow. Some times it takes a bit to acclimate. I have a cleaner shrimp, if he whisps one with his antenna they close. If I touch one side of a rock with a colony on they all close. They are kind of funny in my opinion. They almost have a personality.

 

[chewy tabacca]

I bought some corals and placed them in the tank Thursday. This is my 1st attempt at corals so I’m not quite sure what to expect. Everything looks to
me like it is doing well except maybe the zoas.
Why would they be half open and half closed? I have the lighting set to a 6 week acclimation starting at 20% moving up to 75%
Parameters
Mag 1380
Ca 450
Alk 9.9
Ph 8.4
SG 1.025
Temp 76.1
Ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate 0
Phos 0.02

Your parameters are good, so it really leaves, flow, light, acclimation, and pests. They are pretty simple not like acros.

 

[Denisk]

Your parameters look fine. I typically keep my temp at 78 but as long it’s stable then it’s fine. Zoas open and close all the time. As others have said, they’re pretty sensitive when it comes to snails and even cleaning the glass. Everything so far looks good!

 

[Melinda01]

Zoas are a little sensitive in the fact they will close for anything, how is the flow? Lighting should be low. Half of them might be getting blasted by higher flow. Some times it takes a bit to acclimate. I have a cleaner shrimp, if he whisps one with his antenna they close. If I touch one side of a rock with a colony on they all close. They are kind of funny in my opinion. They almost have a personality.

The flow is something I have been working on. it isn’t directed right at them. I’ve even looked to see if they appear to be moving with the flow and they are not moving much so I don’t think they are getting to much. Maybe I just need to give it some time.

 

[Melinda01]

Your parameters are good, so it really leaves, flow, light, acclimation, and pests. They are pretty simple not like acros.

It seems to me that the SPS I just bought look better than these zoas. Lol. I thought it would be the other way around. The Bam bams look good tho. Clepto the tuxedo urchin even had bam bam flowers in his hair the other day and they survived

 

[chewy tabacca]

The flow is something I have been working on. it isn’t directed right at them. I’ve even looked to see if they appear to be moving with the flow and they are not moving much so I don’t think they are getting to much. Maybe I just need to give it some time.

Looking at your picture I am not to sure if that is the problem, there is heads open all around the closed heads.(I also see a head that is opening or closing in there is well) but for the sake of it what are you using for a power head and how far from it are they.

 

[Melinda01]

Looking at your picture I am not to sure if that is the problem, there is heads open all around the closed heads.(I also see a head that is opening or closing in there is well) but for the sake of it what are you using for a power head and how far from it are they.

Right now I just have two hydor karolias in the tank. The bigger of the two is directed toward the SPS on the other side of the tank. The other is about 12 inches away, directed away from the zoas so that they don’t get such direct flow. I would like to upgrade the powerheads but I just upgraded the lights to two radion XR15s. That kind of put a dent in the pocketbook.

 

[chewy tabacca]

Right now I just have two hydor karolias in the tank. The bigger of the two is directed toward the SPS on the other side of the tank. The other is about 12 inches away, directed away from the zoas so that they don’t get such direct flow. I would like to upgrade the powerheads but I just upgraded the lights to two radion XR15s. That kind of put a dent in the pocketbook.

All is well, they will open, they also grow like mad if your tank is stable, not saying this is the case because the tissue looks very healthy but if half of them die, they will double in a month anyways lol

 

[chewy tabacca]

Here is what I am looking at, in the middle of testing

 

[Melinda01]

All is well, they will open, they also grow like mad if your tank is stable, not saying this is the case because the tissue looks very healthy but if half of them die, they will double in a month anyways lol

I hope you are right! The open zoas are so pretty! I’m ready for some color in the tank. It’s been FOLR for the past 5 years because I knew the lighting I had wouldn’t support corals. I’m ready for a change!

 

[chewy tabacca]

These are mine that I just bought, I am moving to all high end corals, the sunny D went from 5 heads to 25 in a month.

The big colony is just a no name that I moved to the back, you can't even see it anymore, but I am trying to sell it, I don't want it taking over

The 4 new zoa colonys were on the same rock so you can imaging how big that this is, it's over 200 heads. It closed and opened all the time with crabs crawling on it and it even has a peaceful acro crab living in it. You see him once every 2 weeks poke his head out

 

[chewy tabacca]

I hope you are right! The open zoas are so pretty! I’m ready for some color in the tank. It’s been FOLR for the past 5 years because I knew the lighting I had wouldn’t support corals. I’m ready for a change!

Zoas can sit by a window and grow, if your polyps are open on your sps, they will be good with what you got

 

[Melinda01]

Here is what I am looking at, in the middle of testing

Very nice! What size is it? I can’t wait to get fish back in the tank! Recently had a velvet outbreak that set me back. Only two fish remain. A ywg and a purple pseudochromis who are now both in qt being treated with copper

Here is what I am looking at, in the middle of testing

 

[chewy tabacca]

Very nice! What size is it? I can’t wait to get fish back in the tank! Recently had a velvet outbreak that set me back. Only two fish remain. A ywg and a purple pseudochromis who are now both in qt being treated with copper

Just a 125, I am going to go up to either a 300 or 225

 

[Melinda01]

These are mine that I just bought, I am moving to all high end corals, the sunny D went from 5 heads to 25 in a month.

The big colony is just a no name that I moved to the back, you can't even see it anymore, but I am trying to sell it, I don't want it taking over

The 4 new zoa colonys were on the same rock so you can imaging how big that this is, it's over 200 heads. It closed and opened all the time with crabs crawling on it and it even has a peaceful acro crab living in it. You see him once every 2 weeks poke his head out

Very nice! Hopefully mine will be as nice someday!

 

[Melinda01]

Just a 125, I am going to go up to either a 300 or 225

Mine is a 72 gal. I didn’t realize when I bought it how limited I would be with fish. Wish I would’ve gone a lot bigger. But most of the fish I would want in a bigger tank are not coral friendly anyway

 

[chewy tabacca]

Mine is a 72 gal. I didn’t realize when I bought it how limited I would be with fish. Wish I would’ve gone a lot bigger. But most of the fish I would want in a bigger tank are not coral friendly anyway

I've been there, angels are deadly