Seriously?!

[TeamTrash]

I came home today to find my duncan and zoa's covered in algae (stringy and hard to get off). Checked my water parameters and nitrates were at 10 - they have been at 0 for months. So, what could cause this spike? I hadn't done anything different. I did exchange one of my 10,000K bulbs for an actinic bulb yesterday, but that's it. It wasn't until I went to feed the fish that I noticed a substantial drop in fish food and, after close inspection, I noticed flake food throughout the tank. Apparently my thrifty four-year-old daughter thought the fish were hungry yesterday and went on a little expedition finding the fish food, a chair, fed the fish (oh so plenty), and then put everything away . Sigh. I've done a water change, but after I cleaned off my zoas they haven't opened, and I'm not sure I got everything off. My duncan looks terrible and I'd be very surprised if it survives. What really sucks is that I had just found a good spot for the duncan last night and it was finally starting to open... I guess I'll go to the lfs tomorrow for more water and do another change so I can get the levels down. Don't need the entire tank covered in algae

 

[mr_X]

I don't think you'll lose corals over this.

 

[TeamTrash]

I dunno. The Duncan is concave. Hopefully it will pull through. Can the corals still open even if there is some algae left?

 

[joy13]

Just keep up your water changes until your nitrates get down. I found doing smaller more frequent water changes work better than just one huge one.

 

[TeamTrash]

Well, got up this morning to find the top of the duncan covered in the same gunk again . I cleaned it to the best of my abilities, but there's still some left. My zoa still hasn't opened after I cleaned it off yesterday. Don't know if I damaged it or if my new actinic bulb is too strong/weak for it. Now I have one 10,000K bulb instead of two, don't know if that's what's annoying the zoa. Anyhow, cleaned out the filter and floss, inserted the new Chem Clean filter media (better work or I'm going to whine at the LFS). Going to get some more water and then I'll do another water change tomorrow. The rest of today I'm going to nurse the blister on my finger that I got from unscrewing the intake/outtake hoses. This is just so frustrating! Also, the gunk on the coral is nowhere else in the tank. It just mystifies me

 

[scottayy]

I wouldn't think 10 nitrates would cause any kind of trouble. That's pretty good. How's your phosphates?

 

[TeamTrash]

I wouldn't think 10 nitrates would cause any kind of trouble. That's pretty good. How's your phosphates?

0.25. Come to think about it, I did try to feed it some mysis shrimp the other evening when it was finally opening up. Perhaps I the shrimp just ended up decaying on top of it??

 

[Sniperhank]

When zoas close up, they can sometimes stay closed for awhile until they feel like opening up again. Mine closed up and didn't open up again for a week.

As for the duncan, they do that sometimes too. Mine open and close up randomly. Sometimes irritated by a fish swimming by or a hermit grabbing some algae off of it. Also, duncans like a moderate flow. In a flow like this, algae shouldn't really be on it. Should flow right off under the right flow. Any pics of the duncan? I love duncans and have two of my own

 

[TeamTrash]

When zoas close up, they can sometimes stay closed for awhile until they feel like opening up again. Mine closed up and didn't open up again for a week.

As for the duncan, they do that sometimes too. Mine open and close up randomly. Sometimes irritated by a fish swimming by or a hermit grabbing some algae off of it. Also, duncans like a moderate flow. In a flow like this, algae shouldn't really be on it. Should flow right off under the right flow. Any pics of the duncan? I love duncans and have two of my own

The Duncan went back to the lfs. It made me too stressed!! Instead I got a candycane and a feather duster, both of which are doing great so far. Should I move the zoa to the bottom of the tank? I did get new lights and a new circulation (stronger) circulation pump, so I don't know if it would be happy in its old spot.