Deteriorating gorgonia...shrivelling zenia...Help!

[scotteod]

I'm a newbie with 30 gal tank and:
CF lights (on 8 hrs)
sump (set up as refugium with live sand and rock)
low or no nitrates and phosphates
good pH
temp 80-82 (I know, its a little high... I'm in S. Florida without a chiller)
10% water changes with natural seawater from store every 2 weeks or so.

I have these other animals, all doing well:
mushrooms
bubble and leather corals
red and green polyps
feather dusters
anenome and clownfish
cleaner shrimp
arrow crab
hermits and snails

Anyone have any ideas about the gorgonia and zenia (small and non-pulsing)?
Do I need any additives?

Thanks in advance,
Jeff

 

[roka64]

I won't be able to help you on your corals, but we will need to know a little more about your water tests.

low or no nitrates and phosphates
good pH

Can we get a definitive number on these?

temp 80-82 (I know, its a little high... I'm in S. Florida without a chiller)

You can probably get the temp down with a fan, blowing across the top of the water.

 

[dorian965]

everytime my tank hits 80 or above the xenia tend to wilt and look ratty for a few weeks. most of the time they pull through. i would guess temp on the xenia. just watch them and make sure they dont get to far gone. if it is a large colony then you could possibly thin them out a bit by fraging or just trimming some polyps.

try a water change and run some carbon for a bit to clean everything up.

were the gorgonia failing before the xenia? gorgonia are kept in low light to keep algae from growing over them and causing them to die but yours seems to be free of algae.

 

[scotteod]

Thanks guys.
OK, water numbers as of last night:
Sal=1.024
pH=8.4
N=10 mg/l
PO4=0.5 ppm
temp=82
These numbers are pretty typical for my tank by the end of week 2... I will change water Sunday afternoon, which should get the N and PO4 down.

I'll get a small fan for my cabinet and blow it across the refuge. Thanks for that tip.

I think I'll move the gorgonia down and under a shelf to see if lower light helps. I didn't know it was supposed to be a low-light specimen. It was so nice looking, I had it prominently displayed up top. Oh, well.

Some pieces of the gorgonia have broken off, and the little stumps are still "blooming". Crazy. Do you think they will eventually grow into new "trees"? That is.. if I can keep them alive..

 

[Hara]

Some pieces of the gorgonia have broken off, and the little stumps are still "blooming". Crazy. Do you think they will eventually grow into new "trees"? That is.. if I can keep them alive..

Yes, provided they are in a "happy place".

As far as your temps, your tank is not too hot. Many people, myself included, keep tank temps at 82-84. My Xenia grows like crazy...
http://www.fantasyreef.com/showthread.php?t=921

You have a few crabs,maybe they are picking at things when you arent looking?

 

[scotteod]

Can Xenia be content with just CF lighting? Or do they need MH?

Thanks again.

 

[Hara]

They can be content with CF, I would place them near the top though, for two reasons, it tends to travel "upward" and this will prevent it from taking over your tank and the additional light.