Rainbow Incinerator with mouth swollen and spitting out grey stuff

[ChantalWK]

Hi!!

I'm new to the reefing hobby, but I'm a experienced freshwater hobbyist. The thing is, not even experienced friends could tell me what happened to my new rainbow incinerator.

I've bought it with a Sunny D in the same store, I've made a dip before putting it in the tank (new tank).
The Sunny D is looking fine, all polyps open and looking very happy. My other corals are all looking good too (two cloves and a wagon wheel).


But the Rainbow Incinerator "drooped" and the mouth got super swollen and it started spitting out this weird grey stuff. It's not looking good. I don't even know if it will survive this.

Day One, Looking Good:

Later in the same day:

Day two:

Day three:

Day 4 (It started spitting out stuff)

What is it? Is it contagious?

Thanks!

 

[Saltyreef]

Please post your water parameters.

I Actually have never seen this on a zoa but plenty of times with mushrooms.

I suspect its reacting to new tank water quality.

Superb photos by the way!

 

[ChantalWK]

Thanks, photography is another passion of mine

Yesterday I did a water change (about 30%), it's a nano with 25 liters, red sea salt

Params (just tested):
salinity: 1.025
temp: 78,62
alk: 7
ph: 8.0
calcium: Don't have the test yet
ammonia: 0
no3: 0
no4: between 0.2 and 1 (seachem test)
po4 : 0
lighting - 60% blue 2% "uv" 2% white 2% green/red

 

[Kasrift]

Please post your water parameters.

I Actually have never seen this on a zoa but plenty of times with mushrooms.

I suspect its reacting to new tank water quality.

Superb photos by the way!

Agree, amazing photos. I've never seen a zoa with the messenterial filaments in the center either.

However, it could just be adjusting. Being puffy isn't bad. Btw, you need a more accurate phosphates test kit @ChantalWK

Wondering if on one of the last pics if that is a zoa eating nudibranch on the side.

 

[Saltyreef]

You can forget about the ammonia and nitrite tests.

Focus on dead accurate salinity first.

Then all of your other parameters should fall in line of the stated ranges at a given salinity.

If you dont get salinity down accurately, you will be fighting an uphill battle with macros.

Recommend keeping an eye on alk, cal, mag......nitrate and phosphate too.

 

[Cristy17]

I would suggest getting some nitrate 5-20 ppm and phosphate .02-.04..corals need some of these to survive. I agree with everyone, your picture are excellent! Bon dia

 

[ChantalWK]

Agree, amazing photos. I've never seen a zoa with the messenterial filaments in the center either.

However, it could just be adjusting. Being puffy isn't bad. Btw, you need a more accurate phosphates test kit @ChantalWK

Wondering if on one of the last pics if that is a zoa eating nudibranch on the side.

Thanks!

In the last picture that's the stuff it was spitting out. I even grabbed it with tweezers fearing it was some parasite but it's just a slime

I'm in south america so my test options are limited, although a friend has some Hanna tests ($$$$$)

 

[ChantalWK]

You can forget about the ammonia and nitrite tests.

Focus on dead accurate salinity first.

Then all of your other parameters should fall in line of the stated ranges at a given salinity.

If you dont get salinity down accurately, you will be fighting an uphill battle with macros.

Recommend keeping an eye on alk, cal, mag......nitrate and phosphate too.

Ok, I'll pay more attention to it. I use a refractometer regularly, have a RO/DI system, dosing salt with a precision scale for water changes, daily manual replenishing of RO/DI. There's something I'm missing?

 

[ChantalWK]

I would suggest getting some nitrate 5-20 ppm and phosphate .02-.04..corals need some of these to survive. I agree with everyone, your picture are excellent! Bon dia

Thanks! Legal, sabe português! hahaha

I guess I'll start feeding, it's very new and I have only 4 small corals so I'm afraid to mess with the parameters.

 

[Saltyreef]

Ok, I'll pay more attention to it. I use a refractometer regularly, have a RO/DI system, dosing salt with a precision scale for water changes, daily manual replenishing of RO/DI. There's something I'm missing?

Thats a good start. Good practice to calibrate the refractometer too.
use of a scale is smart too.

Nothing you are necissarily missing besides some helpful parameters to know if you have skewed ranges.

If the water the zoa came from is vastly different, it could be the cause.

 

[ChantalWK]

Thats a good start. Good practice to calibrate the refractometer too.
use of a scale is smart too.

Nothing you are necissarily missing besides some helpful parameters to know if you have skewed ranges.

If the water the zoa came from is vastly different, it could be the cause.

Got it!

The Sunny D that came from the same tank is looking good, the Incinerator could be more sensitive... So my worst fear of some zoa invading worm/parasite is probably just some adaptation problem

 

[Saltyreef]

Got it!

The Sunny D that came from the same tank is looking good, the Incinerator could be more sensitive... So my worst fear of some zoa invading worm/parasite is probably just some adaptation problem

Yes those are very likely more sensitive and theres not much in the form of worms/parasites that affect them.

Main cause of melting is shock from one tank to another but yours showing "guts" like that is odd.

Just let it ride and focus on your husbandry!

 

[ChantalWK]

Yes those are very likely more sensitive and theres not much in the form of worms/parasites that affect them.

Main cause of melting is shock from one tank to another but yours showing "guts" like that is odd.

Just let it ride and focus on your husbandry!

So it spat out its own guts... poor thing

 

[ChantalWK]

Update: Main polyps are looking terrible but it gave me 2 babies!