Zoanthid Anorexia?

[nicksgirl]

My beautiful new zoos look like fashion models. The longer they are in the tank the taller and thinner they get! I'm no longer sure they are going to survive and I have only had them about two weeks.. Anybody know a solution?

They are high in my tank - under 260 watts of light.. 10k PC and Actinic. I have tried moving them down but that did not seem to help. Water parameters show no ammonia, nitrite or nitrate. pH 8.2 and temperature rises sometimes to 80 during the day and falls to about 76 or 77 every night.

Any suggestions?

 

[roka64]

I'm betting it is the temp swings, generally about a 2 degree is ok. What Wattage rating is your heater? I would set the temp on your heater to the highest temp reached in your tank (80). Not sure on the lighting or flow requirements.

 

[nicksgirl]

I don't use a heater. (We live in south florida).. My problem is keeping the tank cool without a chiller... My a/c in the apartment has been set for 78 for the past month and I am cold in here like that... But if I go any warmer with the a/c or forget to turn the fan on during the day - the tank gets up to 80 pretty quickly.

I actually thought about putting some styrofoam on the back of the tank - do you think that would help?

 

[Ziggy953]

What temp are you keeping your tank at?


Mine stays at 80 all the time (for the most part)...

 

[nicksgirl]

I try to keep it below 80 and above 77... My thermometer is realy too small for me to read without a magnifying glass so I basically use the yellow leather as my guide. If the leather doesn't extend polyps when the lights are on, I know the tank is too hot.

 

[roka64]

I have my fan on the same timer as the lights. I have found that to keep my temp very stable.

 

[melosu58]

The key to temps is stability. I`ve seen tanks such as mine do good at 75 degrees and I`ve seen tanks do great at 83 or so but the key is stability.

 

[produceb]

I was having a similar problem not quite as high. If I didnt come home at lunch and open the top the tank, it would get to 78-79 and then settle to 76 by morning. I went to radio shack and bought a computer fan for inside the top and it seems to have fixed the problem. I am also in Florida.

 

[Kurt_Nelson]

My thermometer is realy too small for me to read without a magnifying glass so I basically use the yellow leather as my guide. If the leather doesn't extend polyps when the lights are on, I know the tank is too hot.

8O

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Product/Prod_Display.cfm?pcatid=12089&N=2004+113769

or

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Product/Prod_Display.cfm?pcatid=3841&N=2004+113769

The second link has big digits!

 

[nicksgirl]

Hee hee hee hee heee..... I like that face with the big eyes!
(Thanks Kurt!)
I would have got one by now but Nick keeps promising one to me and then he never gets around to bringing it.

So is the consensus that the instability in temperature is the culpret?