Dying Zoa colony!

Dowtish · Jul 31, 2011

I am completely at a loss here folks. I have had this colony for about 4 months and has looked amazing since putting it in the tank. I noticed a few days ago that it was looking strange. The polyps were half open in places and seemed to be moving a lot more. like they were detaching from the rock. I knew I had a little hitch hiker crab that lived under them, but had not been a problem. after seeing the aggravated polyps, I took out the colony and captured the crab. That was 3 days ago, and I took the colony out yesterday and dipped it in coral rx. There were about 5 huge amiphopods in the bowl after the dip. I have looked around and it seems like a bacterial infection. I can see discoloration in the "mat" or base of the polyps. like it's eating them away from the bottom up. I have put in some heavy flow to blow off any debris/detritus. I am wanting to just leave it alone for a bit to see if it looks better,since I am making it mad so much, but I'm thinking another dip might be helpful.

All my parameters are great, and everything else is looking awesome. so weird, that just all the sudden it hits.

any suggestions or experience would be highly appreciated.

Jennifier615 · Jul 31, 2011

Maybe a very diluted solution of iodine and saltwater as an antiseptic. Like a 1:20 solution which is 1ml iodine and 19 mls saltwater. Maybe even go 1:25 to start even weaker

For those of you reefers about to "rock"- we salute you

gmoney243 · Jul 31, 2011

Dang that sux bro

Dowtish · Jul 31, 2011

just dipped in furan2 and found a sundial snail! hopefully this was the cause, and now just hope for them to heal.

Sundial Snails - Treatment for Sundial Snail|Remove Sundial Snail - CoralRX
CoralPedia.com :: PREDATOR - Sundial Snail

gmoney243 · Jul 31, 2011

Least u found most likely the culprit .. now its time to re-dip all ur zoas just in case

TinaFoster · Jul 31, 2011

Wow why does it have to be a predator? I looked them up and they're pretty! Did you kill it? Or did you put it in a no-zoas type tank?

Dowtish · Jul 31, 2011

it's currently sitting on the coffee table, wondering what it did wrong, and why it cant breathe

gmoney243 · Jul 31, 2011

So escargot for dinner then chris?

Dowtish · Jul 31, 2011

no, I would probably get palytoxin poisoning

TinaFoster · Jul 31, 2011

Dowtish said:
it's currently sitting on the coffee table, wondering what it did wrong, and why it cant breathe

can't help but feel sorry for it

gmoney243 · Jul 31, 2011

TinaFoster said:
can't help but feel sorry for it

You wouldn't if it ate your zoas lol

TinaFoster · Jul 31, 2011

It's gotta eat! Sure you don't want it eating things you're keeping but can understand why it does it. He has to die a slow and painful death. How about a hammer or some salt or the freezer?
Yeah I know, I'm soft. But still...

TinaFoster · Jul 31, 2011

If I find anything like that it'll just go in Dennis' tank since he hasn't got any corals anyway. If it can eat something else it gets to live. If not, it had a chance anyway. All except bristleworms--they're just too creepy.

Dowtish · Jul 31, 2011

Tina there are some things that you just have to get over in this hobby. My girlfriend publishes a pet magazine with it's sole mission being about animal welfare and rescue. She doesnt eat meat and is a huge activist in the animal community. She is not a crazy person about it, she is just passionate for animals. And I feel the same way about about animals and most all living creatures. But there is a line. I remember when she was upset that I was purposely killing aiptasia. But then I reminded her about the fly she killed a little earlier. I consider the aiptasia/predator snails as a pest, just as she did the fly. My point is, Snails are one of those things that I am just not too upset about if it dies, especially when it is eating something that I spend countless hours trying to keep alive.