Dying zoa's, question

matt2364

matt2364

Member
Alright, now a few questions. I have had these pink zoo's for about 2 1/2 months now. The first picture you see is when I first got them, now, they look like the second picture. I am not sure why they are dying. I had another rock of zoo's this summer and the same thing happened. I do, however, have a third zoo rock and it has been flourishing. It started with 4-5 zoo's and now has >25. Any ideas?


 
matt2364

matt2364

Member
I just checked the levels and dKH is 11.4, calcium is 380, ammonia, nitrates, and nitrites are all 0.
My lights are 2x175w MH, and 2x40w actinics. The zoa's are probably 2/3rds the way down into the tank and the halides are 12'' off of the water. I would imagine that they are getting plenty of light.
 
matt2364

matt2364

Member
Anyone? I am developing some brown algae on my sand. Is this due to high nitrates that could be adversely affecting my corals? I have tests, but they have always said that nitrates, nitrites, and ammonia were at 0. I am thinking about gettings some Salifert test kits soon and retesting. What do you think?
 
mushroomss

mushroomss

Member
i would buy at least a couple test kits.Some tend to be more accurate then others.Even if they are slightly off this can sometimes cause a problem with corals
 
mushroomss

mushroomss

Member
also are you sure there are no predators?Some types of isopods can eat zoanthids.I have lost a couple HUGE colonys to them.Try checking late at night with a flashlight,you might find something unexpected.
 
matt2364

matt2364

Member
also are you sure there are no predators?Some types of isopods can eat zoanthids.I have lost a couple HUGE colonys to them.Try checking late at night with a flashlight,you might find something unexpected.
I have seen some pretty big bristle worms at times. I have heard these are relitively harmless, is this correct?
whats the salt level at?
Salinity is at 1.025
 
mushroomss

mushroomss

Member
salinity sounds ok.And bristle worms are beneficial to your system.The only time they eat coral is when it is already dying.And the chance of you having a predatory bristle worm in your system is VERY slim although it can happen.
 
matt2364

matt2364

Member
salinity sounds ok
Is there a more ideal level of salinity I should keep my tank at? I always heard 1.025-1.026 was optimal?
Any other ideas on the zoa's? I have some diatoms in the sand or brown algae. This is usually consistent with too many nutrients in the water. Could high nutriends affect the zoa's? All my other corals, except for one type of mushroom are doing very well.
 
matt2364

matt2364

Member
Alright, I just bought a salifert test kit and tested the Phosphates twice. Both times it came back as 0. I also bought a nitrate test kit and it said around 3 ppm.
Any ideas?
I usually have to clean my glass everyday from this white algae that keeps growing on the glass. You can see what it looks like on the back of the tank wall. Not sure if this helps with anything...
 
matt2364

matt2364

Member
Any ideas would be great, I just got a new rock that has over 100 zoa's on it and I do not want it to slowly die away like the other zoa's I had. Here is a picture of the new zoa's, they came on a mushroom rock I bought from someone breaking down his tank.
 
saltn00b

saltn00b

Active Member
you might have answered this, but have you caught any critters on it? at night with a red-tinted flashlight, well after lights out?
 
matt2364

matt2364

Member
Alright, I rexamined last night with a flashlight...too my asonishment I found hundreds of critters in my tank. Here is a picture below of one of them. They were pretty much everywhere, mainly on the sand though. It seems to be sort of isopod. Could these be causing the damage? If so, how do I get rid of them?
how old are your bulbs?
I am not sure exactly, but they are probably 4 months old. They were pretty cheap bulbs though, I will probably try to replace them over Christmas just in case. Although, none of my other corals seem to be doing poorly.
 
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