Help! What's wrong with these zoas?!

[Tztop]

I got my first zoas on the 25th of February and after acclimating them and dipping them with revive, they looked healthy and had opened up by the next day. On March 3rd, I noticed they looked a little misshapen, like some were starting to have that umbrella-shape to them, and then on the next day I noticed a giant blister-like growth on the side of one of the polyps and some white dots on that polyp and some of the surrounding polyps. I also noticed a couple dots on a different zoa frag. Do my zoas have zoa pox or is something else going on? I have 8.2 ph, 0 ammonia, 0 nitrite, and around 5 nitrates (little darker than the 5 on the test kit.) I also only have two clown fish in the tank, which don't even come near the any of my zoas.

This is the giant bubble I found on the zoa:

This is the frag from the day before (the front polyp managed to catch a piece of flake food my two clowns missed.)

Here's another frag that had some small white specks and didn't want to open.

 

[bobby.w.hodges]

I don't see anything that is abnormal on the zoas. Where is the bubble you are talking about? I'm also noticing how white your sand and rock is, how new is your tank? Please post a full tank photo so that we can see their placement.

 

[Copingwithpods]

Red people eaters, I have a small colony and mine do the same thing. Nothing to worry about. I have a few polyps that just retract wrong when eating but it has no ill effect on their health or ability to propagate.

 

[Tztop]

Red people eaters, I have a small colony and mine do the same thing. Nothing to worry about. I have a few polyps that just retract wrong when eating but it has no ill effect on their health or ability to propagate.

I'm hoping you're right. And the store called them purple people eaters. I took the picture under white light as I don't have a filter for my phone, so their color is a little off.

I don't see anything that is abnormal on the zoas. Where is the bubble you are talking about? I'm also noticing how white your sand and rock is, how new is your tank? Please post a full tank photo so that we can see their placement.

The spot circled in red was not there the day before and it is most definitely not a polyp, but is attached to the polyp.

The tank is a few months old. The rock behind is new dry rock I added at the same time as the frags. Here's a link to the dry rock: https://www.marinedepot.com/aquamaxx-dry-live-rock-by-marco-rocks . I also vacuum half the substrate each week when I do a 25% water change which has probably kept it a little lighter in color.
Here's the full tank photo:

I also got an anemone at the same time as the frags, so I've been keeping them towards the front of the tank as a temporary location until the anemone finds its home.

 

[Copingwithpods]

Wasn't sure so I checked

Also just checked on mine at it seams mine have those bulbs at the base as well.

My guess is the base of the polyp expanding looking for new ground. I don't think there is any reason to worry they seam fine. Actually better than mine as I mounted them completely vertical some have 2in stocks hahahaha, life uhhhhh finds a way.

 

[Tztop]

My guess is the base of the polyp expanding looking for new ground. I don't think there is any reason to worry they seam fine. Actually better than mine as I mounted them completely vertical some have 2in stocks hahahaha, life uhhhhh finds a way.

Thanks for your help! It's very hard as a newbie to the hobby to not jump the gun and assume the worst when you see something you didn't see when researching. It's even harder to not immediately try to intervene in any way possible to make sure that the livestock lives.

 

[Copingwithpods]

No worrys man zoas are pretty tough and forgiving. I have stabbed holes in zoas with a seringe trying to kill a stray polyp even injecting them with 3% peroxide only to have that same polyp open and healthy 3 days later.

Not saying poke them with a stick for fun or anything as some are extremely delicate with some people finding them impossible to keep in their tanks.

 

[danieyella]

Not sure about the bubble growth, but these guys are resilient so I wouldn't be too incredibly concerned. Umbrella shape happens to mine sometimes if they catch a hefty amount of food, usually goes back to normal within a few hours but I've had a few last a day or more that way before reverting.

 

[nicholasng11]

I have no luck wt ppe zoas, 1 reason Im sure of is that they don’t like heat, and prefer low light, try to place them in a lower light area, that should stop the “umbrella affect”

 

[jeffchapok]

In my opinion, your tank is too new for zoas. I know everyone says they are good beginner corals, but I had zero luck keeping any alive until my tank was 9 or 10 months old. Now at 14 months, they are going gangbuster.

Mine all acted just like yours - open for a couple of days, then close up and melt away. My parameters all looked good for softies, so I just gave up for a while, occasionally trying a small frag as a test. Eventually they started surviving and thriving.

Remember, nothing good in this hobby happens fast.