sick zoos?

[whitetiprs]

I have a small frag of some green zoos that as of yesterday look really weird.

It looks like they are pushing their mouths up with all their arms pulled in, for lack of a better description they look like nipples. Sorry no pic I can not get my digital cam to work.

Is this normal or should I be conscerned. It is the only colony of zoos doing this and all within that colony look weird.

All water levels are within in the correct range including calcium and alkalinity. I am having an out break of diatoms on the sand bed though which started about 4 days ago. All other corals are doing fine.

 

[steve-s]

Could be nothing really, hard to tell. Are you seeing any white filaments extruding from their mouth or just a rounded opening? How long have you had it? Do you quarantine your corals before adding to the main?

How close is the nearest coral and what would the estimated distance be? Any changes in the tank set up lately, lights, chemistry additions, new additives and so on. The diatom growth could simpley be coincidental but best to figure that out as well. Do you use tap or RO/DI?

Cheers
Steve

 

[whitetiprs]

Well I am not seeing any filament coming out of their mouths it looks more like a brownish color. I have had it for a few months now, can't remember exactly how long though. And I do not QT them before adding, just drip to acclimate.

The nearest coral to it is another colony of zoos that I purchased about the same time. The only change to the tank is that I added a small egg crate platform off my center brace to hold some of the sps frags I purchased until I have my frag tank up and running. I believe the diatom grow is coming from the fact that the mandarine gobie I had died, not from starvation but I think some thing may have killed it. And that I killed a few atspia anemmonies finaly.
I do use RO/DI water hand have done 2 water changes since I noticed the zoos, but it does not seem to have helped. I run carbon 24/7 to combat the coral wars that may happen.

 

[melosu58]

Hey Steve do you reccomend putting corals in a QT. I`ve never done it but just wondered

 

[steve-s]

Well I am not seeing any filament coming out of their mouths it looks more like a brownish color. I have had it for a few months now, can't remember exactly how long though. And I do not QT them before adding, just drip to acclimate.

They could be expelling zooxanthellae or waste, no way of telling unless they start losing color. Best suggestion is keep up with the PWC but do a series of water changes over the next few days and see if that helps. We cannot always test for every possible contingent but when in doubt, it's usually the best place to start. Be sure the new SW to be used is aged and aerated a full day before use and match pH and temp. If possible, also try to move them downwards and well away from other corals. Light intensity might be an issue as well.

What additives do you use, how much and how often?

Try to carefully inspect the coral for signs of parasitism and also check after lights out.

Great to hear on the carbon use
How often do you change it and what type are you using?

The nearest coral to it is another colony of zoos that I purchased about the same time. The only change to the tank is that I added a small egg crate platform off my center brace to hold some of the sps frags I purchased until I have my frag tank up and running. I believe the diatom grow is coming from the fact that the mandarine gobie I had died, not from starvation but I think some thing may have killed it.

Can't comment on the Mandarin, not enough info but as far as your diatoms, it had nothing to do with it. Diatom growth is directly related to available silicates. When you added the plastic, you added a source for silicates.

Cheers
Steve

 

[steve-s]

Hey Steve do you reccomend putting corals in a QT. I`ve never done it but just wondered

Yes, I recommend as much as possible be QT'd before placing in the display. Not just for fish maladies but coral problems as well. There are just as many coral parasites that can be difficult or near impossible to deal with once introduced. A few weeks in a QT will often allow enough time to discover and deal with them or at the very least not allow it to infect the main tank.

Red bugs, polyclads, planaria, isopods, aeolid nudibranch's, gall crabs, vermetid snails, predaceous snails, limpets and so on. There is also a parasitic bivalve, just can't remember the name right at this moment.

Cheers
Steve

 

[whitetiprs]

Well they still look the same, no sign of parasitism.

I use the marineland carbon and change once a week.

I use SeaChem's Reef advantage calcium and alkalinity buffer on alternating days, 2 tbs each.

I am running a phosphoban reactor with ROwa phos, Will that help clear up the diatoms along with the PWC's?

What kind of setup would you reccomend as a Coral QT, one that could be used for all types of coral?

I have an extra 15 gal and a 55 watt CF light with 6700k bulb, this I guess would be good for softies but what about sps?

 

[steve-s]

I use SeaChem's Reef advantage calcium and alkalinity buffer on alternating days, 2 tbs each.

I am running a phosphoban reactor with ROwa phos, Will that help clear up the diatoms along with the PWC's?

Check alk, Ca, pH and post the numbers along with time of day tested. Depending on the media used in the reactor, it can sometimes impact alk and pH levels driving them down. Especially in smaller tanks.

What kind of setup would you reccomend as a Coral QT, one that could be used for all types of coral?

I have an extra 15 gal and a 55 watt CF light with 6700k bulb, this I guess would be good for softies but what about sps?

A basic tank would work well, much like a grow out/frag tank. Doesn't need to be anything special. The 15 gal would work just fine. I would make an eggcrate "stand/shelf" to elevate coral off the bottom and give you better line of sight all around the coral. Bare tank, no rock or substrate with a simple HOB or canister filtration. The 55 w PC's would be fine depending on the depth of the tank, same goes for the SPS's. The light intensity of an invert QT is not that important as long as it meets the minimum light requirements of the animals that need it. It can be light acclimated later once transfered to the display tank by placing it on the substrate or in a shady spot for a few days.

I use a 5 gal mini bow for this along with a 2x9w PC fixture. When it's not serving as an invert QT I use it as a grow out tank.

Cheers
Steve

 

[whitetiprs]

Alk : 3
pH : 8.2-8.3
Calcium : 600 which I know is high but I did add Clacium today

Took tests at 6:30pm 1 hour before MH lights out.

 

[steve-s]

Calcium is best kept at 410-420 ppm, your not doing the animals (snails/shrimp/scleractinians) any favor keeping it that high. With the amount of water changes done of late, I would think the dosing would be overkill? What salt are you using?

Please be sure to let that fall and test before the next addition.

As far as the zoo's, the only thing I can suggest is watch and wait. There are too many "what if's" to speculate on anything specific and the info thus far doesn't point to anything really. The main things to observe is predators, especially after lights out (snails and nudi's mostly), nearby corals causing discomfort or the possibility it may be too much light.

Cheers
Steve

 

[whitetiprs]

I was using reef crystals but I just ran out so I will be using regulat instant ocean from now on.

After seeing the high calcium I do plan to stop dosing that until it gets back into check. I will contine with the alkalinity though as that still seems to be low.

Thanks

 

[steve-s]

I was using reef crystals but I just ran out so I will be using regulat instant ocean from now on.

Be wary how quickly you switch over. Using new salt can often wreek havock on chemistry and stress corals. More commonly it impacts more sensitive sessile inverts but it can stress them all equally.

I will contine with the alkalinity though as that still seems to be low.

Actually 3 mEq/l is just fine. There's no benefit to a higher alkalinity unless experiencing unmanagable pH or nuisance alages. I generally recommend 2.8-3.25 on average, higher can just lead to additional problems.

Cheers
Steve