HELP!!! Please

[stubbbs]

my Zoos crashed about a year ago due to a Nudibranch infestation. I havent been able to get my once booming Zoo population to reproduce or keep 98% from melting. I feel like i have tried everything. the Zoos seem to be doing fine then just melt away. See Attached Pic. This colony was doing fine for about a month and now you can see they are shrinking and turning black at the attachments to the underlying rock. i have a 125 gallon tank, about 700 watts of lighting. i leave the MH on about 8 hrs per day. any ideas based on the pic??? Thanks for any advice offered!

 

[geoj]

I would move it down to the sand and change the flow and light to see what happens. Post the water parameters ...

 

[juice28]

what is the water quality? I have a problem with zoos in particular.. ive heard all the stories of how easy they are and how fast they spread so naturally, i wanted some zoos.. and have never been able to get them to take off..most die off/float away after a few months.. but everything else from my fish to various types of "open" brains to crocea clams to anemone are doing excellent(55g..yea its stocked kinda heavy)..maybe my tank is too bright and i basically burn them to nothing..i dont know.. im trying some more in shaded spots to see how they do so far so good, better than the old ones. (ill keep ya posted) but it could be a type of algae growing on them choking them out....maybe a really small/good at not being seen nudi..sundial snail...camel shrimp.. have you gotten anything new? you may have picked up something..

 

[stubbbs]

i will post my water parameters later today. so frustrated. i had so many Zoos they were almost a nuisance. now i have 2 small colonies of 4 polyps that seem to be doing fine and everything melts.

 

[nano-newb1983]

yea i would try lower light and maybe less flow
to me they look like the getting cooked
I had a frag of RPE closer to the top on the rocks and they started to look like ones in ur 1st pic, then once i moved them on the floor they started to open up and seemed happy

 

[flower]

Check for stray voltage as well. Good Calcium levels are important for that coral, since both need the same thing in water qualiry levels...how is coraline algae growth doing in the tank?

 

[stubbbs]

ok here are my parameters... i know what sticks out like a sore thumb but please give me your input:

• 
  pH 7.8
• 
  Amonia 0
• 
  Nitrite 0
• 
  Nitrate 80
• 
  Phosphate 0.1 - 0.2
  Alkalinity 0 - 0.16
  Calcium 420
  Temp 78-80
  Salinity 1.024
  Metal Halides on 8 hrs

any advice greatly appreciated. maybe i have been too relaxed on water changes but most of my parameters look ok except one which has always been a little high... maybe it finally got too high. THANKS!

 

[stubbbs]

coraline algae growth is good!

 

[flower]

Quote:
Originally Posted by stubbbs http:///forum/thread/384343/help-please#post_3366601
coraline algae growth is good!

Nitrates won't bother the fish much but 80 will kill any inverts or coral...You need to keep the nitrates at least under 40. PH should be at least 8.0 to 8.4..7.8 is not good at all. Any readings on phosphates are very bad for corals. I don't understand your alkainity levels at all. It should be around 2.5 if it is a Red Sea kit...8 thru 11 for API test kits...0.16???? That does not mean it's off, it just means I PERSONALLY don't know that reading.
Bottom line: You can't keep zoa because your water quality is no good.

 

[stubbbs]

so im thinking some frequent water changes over the next 2 weeks should bring most of the parameters in line...i can always add a bit of baking soda to bump the pH correct? i think my biggest problem was i got lazy with the tank and because everything else (leathers, mushrooms, candy canes, frogspawn, fish and anemones) were growing like weeds i assumed the Zoos were not growing due to something complicated (fungus, nudibranches, lighting etc...). i hope i just need to be more vigilant and get back on track. as long as i know what the issue is, i can fix it but feel like ive been chasing my tail trying to figure out the problem. i think if everything else in the tank would have crashed like my Zoos this would have been easier to diagnose. Your thoughts???? And TY

 

[juice28]

well if your zoas have been recovering and youve had high nitrates, it may just be too much for them to bounce back from... but your phis low, i wouldnt use baking soda personally..not a reef system.. aquavitro makes great product called 8.5.. or just get some buffer.. BUT, do 2 30% water changes and check your parameters after that FIRST, after that if your pg is low, then use the buffer and continue with 2 a week h2o change untill you level out. stop feeding also. your corals will be fine and so will your fish.(i feed my fish twice a week and that is it i personally dont feed my tank regularly with like phyto or anything like that). correct me if im wrong yall, but (from lookin at your numbers) your bio filter isnt breaking down the nutrients in your tank faster then they are generating.

 

[flower]

Quote:
Originally Posted by stubbbs http:///forum/thread/384343/help-please#post_3366636
so im thinking some frequent water changes over the next 2 weeks should bring most of the parameters in line...i can always add a bit of baking soda to bump the pH correct? i think my biggest problem was i got lazy with the tank and because everything else (leathers, mushrooms, candy canes, frogspawn, fish and anemones) were growing like weeds i assumed the Zoos were not growing due to something complicated (fungus, nudibranches, lighting etc...). i hope i just need to be more vigilant and get back on track. as long as i know what the issue is, i can fix it but feel like ive been chasing my tail trying to figure out the problem. i think if everything else in the tank would have crashed like my Zoos this would have been easier to diagnose. Your thoughts???? And TY

Water changes are a very good idea and should help bring parameters back in check. Coral absorbs your alkalinity, so don't buffer PH, instead buffer your top off RO water with Reef builder or baking soda (add a little pinch and test to see how much it raised it..Then adjust until you get it to the right dose). The PH will stabilize when you get the alk in check.

I am not a fan of starving the fish. Lots of people do it for different reasons, but I believe it stunts the growth and adds to aggression. Some folks keep the tank cold to inhibit algae growth…To these folks I say..Take better care of the tank with frequent water changes, use good RO water and have a good CUC.

However also remember, because you have live rock and sand your fish have food besides what you feed them. The algae eaters enjoy the algae that grow on the rocks and then there are amphipods and copepods especially if you have a refugium. So you don’t need to dump a ton of food out for them, just what is eaten within a minute or so. By the time I return my little feeding cup to the kitchen and return, my fish are done eating what I put in there. My house is very small and the kitchen is mere steps from the tank.

 

[jeremye83]

water changes water changes water changes!! and keep them a routine. I always had problems with my tank until i started going 10 gallon changes in my 60 every 2 weeks no matter what. I havent had a single issue since then. keep it a routine!