zoas not well????

[craig_will2513]

hi all i have some necular green and dragon eye (or so i belive) growing together. some are open and most are colsed and are tiny.. can someone please help me as to weather or not they are ill and what is wrong and how to fix it.. also iv noticed like a trail or something hanging from the back of the rock thay are on its like something has dripped from it then dried. it has some of my substrate stuck in it... should i be worried thanks in advance guys.. and mr x or carey iam taking bets on who will reply first lol.....

 

[craig_will2513]

hello any one out there

 

[paulace2372]

Hi, I'm looking at the pic on an iPhone so the pic isn't huge but I can't see any problems with your zoas. You may want to have a look through them with something like a chopstick and part them to check that you have no nasties in there like sundial snails etc. Some snails will secrete a wool like thread to catch food, that could be the other thing you mentioned.

 

[paulace2372]

Also - should have asked before, what lighting and parameters?

 

[craig_will2513]

but they all seem to be either closed or part closed.. they dont look as bright as they used to.. dont think i have any nasties as iv never seen anythin other than what iv put in myself.. as for water amonia and nitrite are zero and nirtrate is very low.. i have 2x28 watt one marine bule and one marine white t5s.. also for night time i have 96led bule

 

[rdnelson99]

I am asking more than anything because I am no expert but, to me the small ones look like new ones. As in, it is spreading. From what I see in the picture I sure wouldn't be worried about it.

 

[craig_will2513]

but iam sure when i got them they was all larger and open also i think they are changing colour is this normal and they used to glow under my moon light and now they dont

 

[rdnelson99]

Again, I am no expert but.....What size is the tank. That isn't a lot of lighting if it is a good sized tank. Could just be a matter of not enough light. Also, how long has it been in the tank. Could just be getting used to the new surroundings.

 

[craig_will2513]

hi all an update.. the new heads someone said that i may have still have not opened any ideas

 

[ilostnemo]

what size tank? like rd said it could be not enough light, could be a number of things

 

[dezso]

Give them some vitamins and mush needed minerals if you want their color to be vibrant. Feeding, light, and water parameters also important.

 

[craig_will2513]

its a 33g tank and i thought t5 lighting is good and sufficient

 

[ilostnemo]

how long has the tank been set up?

 

[craig_will2513]

ok so what vitamins and minerals do i get.. and the tank has been up aabout 2 months

 

[paulace2372]

ok so what vitamins and minerals do i get.. and the tank has been up aabout 2 months[/QUOTE

I use SALIFERT trace elements, I have always used it with a combination of sufficient lighting and 3 times a week feeding - including target feeding where necessary and I have had a lot of success with coral growth and several healthy and beautiful colonies of Zoas. Thats just what I do though... many people have different ideas. Salifert will be readily available to you at Maidenhead aquatics which you will find in just about every major town.

 

[rdnelson99]

its a 33g tank and i thought t5 lighting is good and sufficient

Nothing wrong with T5 lighting in the right quantity. I made the mistake of buying a 2 lamp 36" T5 fixture for my 45. Then I found that while it would be marginally ok for some basic corals it has no where near enough for the good stuff. I am currently building a 6 lamp. With that, I should be able to do any corals I want as long as I use the good lamps. There are a lot of other factors but many corals get what they need most from the light.

 

[paulace2372]

You are absolutely right, some of the very best reefs I have ever seen have been run on T5's. I would look to use a reflector of some kind - white guttering is cheap and works brilliantly for a DIY build.

 

[rdnelson99]

You are absolutely right, some of the very best reefs I have ever seen have been run on T5's. I would look to use a reflector of some kind - white guttering is cheap and works brilliantly for a DIY build.

Actually, I have chrome reflectors which will give an individual reflector for each lamp. It is a fixture that is designed for warehouses and to be mounted 30 feet off the floor. It was damaged in shipping and they told us to field scrap it and they would send us a new one. So, I field scrapped it to my garage. LOL I have cut it down in size width wise and I am in the process of building a nice wooden shroud for it. Then I will hang it over the aquarium. While it may not be as good as a factory built one, it should do the trick just fine.

 

[paulace2372]

Yeah its a much debated issue which rears its head from time to time (white or mirrored reflectors) . Im certainly not saying you are wrong, infact I think its a great idea and individual reflectors are always going to be better. Depending on the spectrum you are using and the light coverage available, white guttering is a good, cheap and available alternative which will not reflect as much heat as chrome will - a problem for many with closed tanks who do not run a chiller unit.

 

[paulace2372]

I do think we have veered off subject slightly but the importance of lighting should be expressed! lol