Zoas not opening. Stumped

[MichaelllHoh]

This is my first post on here and I was hoping I could get some help. I have had this tank for about a year and I have a variety of corals. Hammers, a torch, gsp, mushroom, Xenia, a sps coral, an anemone and another lps. And lastly zoas. Everything is doing great I’m seeing good growth great polyp extension and I like to think my tank is doing great. Except for my zoas they have never done well the whole time I’ve had the tank. I’ve moved them all over and they just stay closed. They even grow but slowly. I’m stumped on why I can’t keep beautiful zoas. I’ve dipped them looking for pests and no sign of any and checked at night.
Any suggestions?

I have them in low flow and low light currently next to my mushroom.

alk 8
Calcium 460
Magnesium 1400
Phosphate.05 gfo reactor to keep at this level
Nitrate usually 0 recently tested .25 ppm
Salinity 1.024-1.025
Temp 79 degrees

 

[MnFish1]

This is my first post on here and I was hoping I could get some help. I have had this tank for about a year and I have a variety of corals. Hammers, a torch, gsp, mushroom, Xenia, a sps coral, an anemone and another lps. And lastly zoas. Everything is doing great I’m seeing good growth great polyp extension and I like to think my tank is doing great. Except for my zoas they have never done well the whole time I’ve had the tank. I’ve moved them all over and they just stay closed. They even grow but slowly. I’m stumped on why I can’t keep beautiful zoas. I’ve dipped them looking for pests and no sign of any and checked at night.
Any suggestions?

I have them in low flow and low light currently next to my mushroom.

alk 8
Calcium 460
Magnesium 1400
Phosphate.05 gfo reactor to keep at this level
Nitrate usually 0 recently tested .25 ppm
Salinity 1.024-1.025
Temp 79 degrees

How often do you 'move them around'. I have had Zoas stay closed for weeks after moving them. My tendency would be to put them somewhere and leave them. Do you happen to know the PAR? How long have you had them? Do you have a picture>

 

[LiveFreeAndReef]

I agree with MnFish, if you're moving them often I'd stop and let them get settled in. I've had zoas closed for a week or two after moving them and they eventually came around

 

[Quietman]

Just for another view point. I've never had any luck with zoas. I've left them alone for months and months, moderate flow, good lighting...they've just never done well in my tank. Closed at times and with very small heads and sporadic growth. I've heard some tanks just don't do zoas well. Not sure I buy that but I've yet to figure out their needs adequately. I doubt it's as easy as "just leave them alone" but good for you if it is. I think my issues might have to do with nutrients almost always being very low (<3/.03) from day one but that's just a guess. No solutions here for you, just sharing difficulties with an "easy" coral. Good luck!

 

[Borat]

i have 4 large plates of zoas, each with approximately 50+ polyps (different varieties). i grew these from single polyps. All are nearby - one plate haf mixed zoas - just 2 different varieties. one day half of this plate closed up - while the other is absolutely fine. i did ro dips a few times - no impact, one half is happy the other is not.

these corals are little understood - the only thing i can say is that they become more resilient as the colony grows in numbers - perhaps they feel safer when they are part of large colony.

btw i have a bta that lives amongst one of the colonies - apparently they are related and dont really sting each other.

 

[Borat]

The other myth some will tell is too much light or too much flow - not true, there is never too much light or too much flow for zoas..

 

[LiveFreeAndReef]

Just for another view point. I've never had any luck with zoas. I've left them alone for months and months, moderate flow, good lighting...they've just never done well in my tank. Closed at times and with very small heads and sporadic growth. I've heard some tanks just don't do zoas well. Not sure I buy that but I've yet to figure out their needs adequately. I doubt it's as easy as "just leave them alone" but good for you if it is. I think my issues might have to do with nutrients almost always being very low (<3/.03) from day one but that's just a guess. No solutions here for you, just sharing difficulties with an "easy" coral. Good luck!

Wasn't trying to say that "just leave it alone" would be the perfect solution, just that moving them often is making them acclimate to different flow/light so you're not really giving them a chance to get situated. Now, if they haven't been moved in a month and they're still being grumpy, I'd look for another solution.

 

[MnFish1]

The other myth some will tell is too much light or too much flow - not true, there is never too much light or too much flow for zoas..

This I believe is spot on. I had the best zoa growth ever sitting on the very top of my tank - about an inch under water - with intermittent strong flow and very high light. One often hears the same about mushrooms and GSP. I've found that they CAN do fine in lower light and flow - but its not required for them to do ok.

 

[blaxsun]

I had two smaller 25-gallon tanks and my zoas were going gangbusters. Then I moved them into a larger 160-gallon and some of the established colonies have been really, really struggling (only partially out).

 

[DoomervilleG]

I can second the too much light. My zoa's took longer too open when I got my new lights, but after a month or so they opened up and now growing like weeds. My GSP on the other hand is recovering from a potential die off I never figured out, but still, recovering!

 

[workhz]

feed more, skim less, let phosphate climb a little?

btw, what size tank and how many fish?

 

[anthonygf]

If you are not using carbon maybe you should try some. I zapped some GHA with a little Hydrogen Peroxide and almost all zoas closed up for several hours. Maybe you have something in the water that is just irritating your zoas and carbon may help. I have zoas growing in all locations of my 75, high flow-low flow, high light-low light, all growing fine.

 

[MichaelllHoh]

Just for another view point. I've never had any luck with zoas. I've left them alone for months and months, moderate flow, good lighting...they've just never done well in my tank. Closed at times and with very small heads and sporadic growth. I've heard some tanks just don't do zoas well. Not sure I buy that but I've yet to figure out their needs adequately. I doubt it's as easy as "just leave them alone" but good for you if it is. I think my issues might have to do with nutrients almost always being very low (<3/.03) from day one but that's just a guess. No solutions here for you, just sharing difficulties with an "easy" coral. Good luck!

This may be my problem as well. My nutrients have always been low. I don’t know how much I want to let them raise because of my other corals. But I’d love some nice zoas. I’m glad I’m not the only one that can’t keep zoas

 

[MichaelllHoh]

feed more, skim less, let phosphate climb a little?

btw, what size tank and how many fish?

Do you think I need to have higher nutrients? Do you think it will negatively affect my other corals?
180 gallon. Quite a few fish

 

[MichaelllHoh]

I can second the too much light. My zoa's took longer too open when I got my new lights, but after a month or so they opened up and now growing like weeds. My GSP on the other hand is recovering from a potential die off I never figured out, but still, recovering!

I have tried lowering my light a bit. Hopefully it helps thank you

 

[MichaelllHoh]

The other myth some will tell is too much light or too much flow - not true, there is never too much light or too much flow for zoas.

What do you suppose it is then? It is a rather large colony I have. Probably 50 or so polyps as well. I used to have two colonies. But one ended up dying off

 

[Borat]

As I said - they are corals that are little understood, this is the colony - half happy, half gone (as of now)..



these are its neighbours (as of now):



The only thing I can suggest is an early 10min RO dip (before they have completely gone downhill), just to eliminate the chance that it's zoa eating nudibranch.. RO dips are completely safe for zoas.

 

[anthonygf]

I just don't understand the reason for acclimating corals to the light by starting low and gradually raise intensity. What about the folks that run MH and other lights that cannot adjust intensity and just turn them on full brightness for 8-10 hours a day?

 

[DoomervilleG]

I might be wrong, but aren't most modern LED systems considerably brighter than MH? I was warned several times when I installed steves leds in my biocube that if I went full intensity right away, I risked burning the coral. I'm still new so I generally don't know, it's just what worked for me.

 

[anthonygf]

I might be wrong, but aren't most modern LED systems considerably brighter than MH? I was warned several times when I installed steves leds in my biocube that if I went full intensity right away, I risked burning the coral. I'm still new so I generally don't know, it's just what worked for me.

It's possible they are brighter, I am not sure but just to play it safe I do ramp up intensity slowly.