Are my zoas dying?!

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Abiroad

Aquarium Advice Activist
Joined
May 21, 2013
Messages
172
Location
Dayton
My zoas have a brown polyp on them an look melty. My parameters are good an my other corals are growing and look great! What's wrong :(?



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I also recently had a coral beauty die yesterday for no reason. He was fine swimming when I went to bed and was on the floor as hermie food when I woke up :( is this the beginning of the end for my tank?
 
We can't really answer unless you give the parameters of your tank. We need to know Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrate, Salinity, Phosphate, Tank setup, age of tank. The more information you supply us with the better we will be able to help you.

That brown polyp you have looks like a Palythoa. They are similar to zoanthids and are pretty common. Here is a pic I found of 1 type although they have huge differences in how they look.

Palythoa_sp3.jpg
 
We can't really answer unless you give the parameters of your tank. We need to know Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrate, Salinity, Phosphate, Tank setup, age of tank. The more information you supply us with the better we will be able to help you.

That brown polyp you have looks like a Palythoa. They are similar to zoanthids and are pretty common. Here is a pic I found of 1 type although they have huge differences in how they look.

Ammonia 0
Nitrate 0
Nitrite 0
Salinity 1.025

I have a 20 long set up. Live sand. 25 lb live rock. Some coral and two oc clowns. Just lost the coral beauty. The tank is 2 1/2 months olds.

I had a nitrate spike last week but though water changes and setting up some cheata and Lr in the filter I have gotten it under control.

Will the playthoa hurt the zoas? Are the half open once okay?
 
Palythoas are very closely related to zoanthids, they wont bother each other. It isn't uncommon for zoanthids to only half open for a little while. If they stay that way for a while it might be a good idea to try moving them to a higher point in the tank for more light. Also, what lights do you have over your tank?
 
The angel didn't belong in a 20 gallon tank anyway, but it certainly didn't die for "no reason". Something wasn't/is not right. Could have been poor collection practices, parasites, acclimation issues...etc.
As for the brown polyp, see if you can get another picture of it. It may be a majano anemone, and not a paly at all. If that's the case, it will be stinging whatever coral it's touching.
 
Palythoas are very closely related to zoanthids, they wont bother each other. It isn't uncommon for zoanthids to only half open for a little while. If they stay that way for a while it might be a good idea to try moving them to a higher point in the tank for more light. Also, what lights do you have over your tank?

I have Marineland reef ready LEDS
 
The angel didn't belong in a 20 gallon tank anyway, but it certainly didn't die for "no reason". Something wasn't/is not right. Could have been poor collection practices, parasites, acclimation issues...etc.
As for the brown polyp, see if you can get another picture of it. It may be a majano anemone, and not a paly at all. If that's the case, it will be stinging whatever coral it's touching.

That was the misguidance of the LFS I feel really horrible...

Now that you say the stinging I think I have seen one of my clowns nosing around it and then twitching back. Here is a better picture.



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I'm still not sure. If it is a majano anemone, A clown would not be bothered by the sting- they live in close proximity of anemones and come in contact with them on a regular basis. The zoas however, would not like to be touching it. If you look at the colony, you see the only polyps that are partially or totally closed are the ones around the mystery hitch hiker. I would say that's your problem.
 
Yeah that is the only spot they are closed! How do I eradicate the culprit!?

Thanks a lot by the way!
 
I would remove the frag, take a screwdriver and scrape the pest off, taking care to scrape off some of the rock with it, or you'll have a bunch more in no time. make sure you get all the flesh.
 
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