Zoanthid Issues

[Cole_Voeller]

Hello all.
So lately I have been having some pretty big problems with my zoa frags. I mainly just keep zoanthids, and have for quite some time. My zoas have always done great. But lately, they are starting to go downhill. There are 0.2 phosphates, and 10 nitrates. A lot of the zoas are stretching crazy amounts, even with higher lighting, to the point that their stalks are incredibly thin. Some look like their mouths are jutting out way to far, and some just look like they are shrinking. At night they all look absolutely horrible. During the day the majority open, though the ones that are shrinking and a few others do not. A lot of the zoas have white dots on them, which I worried was zoa pox, but most zoas still open so I have no idea. The only recent change I have made is adding a protein skimmer, as I have finally started LPS corals, and also started using some AB Plus, and I was recommended to use this by some friends. All of my mushrooms, GSP, Sympodium, hammers, other LPS are all doing perfectly fine. It is literally only my zoanthids that I am having issues with. This is really stressing me out. I can try to take some pictures tonight if I get home soon. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you.

 

[Sheld24]

Pictures under white lights?

 

[Sheld24]

Sorry I just seen you said you will post some when you get home, that will help the experts diagnose

 

[Cole_Voeller]

I was able to get home much sooner than I thought I would be able to. Lights were off, so turning whites on some are partially open. I grabbed some of what looked the worst to take pictures. I hope this helps. I have no idea why they are all deteriorating like this. They just look awful. I recently got some new zoas from someone here on R2F and I don’t want to put them into this tank just for that reason.

 

[Cole_Voeller]

Bump

 

[vtecintegra]

Have you dipped and checked for zoa spiders?

 

[Cole_Voeller]

Not zoa

Have you dipped and checked for zoa spiders?

Not spiders. I’ve had them before, and they are fully eradicated. None of these zoas are showing any of the signs of zoa spiders, this is something completely different.

 

[Cole_Voeller]

Bumping again. Just took some pictures. This is showing how absolutely thin the zoa stalks are getting, to the point where even low flow looks like it will break them. The others show the shrinking issue some of my zoas are having. If anyone can help please let me know.

 

[Cole_Voeller]

Salinity is 1.025, temp is 78, 400ppm calcium, 15 nitrates, ph is 8.3, 9 alkalinity, 0.10 phosphates.

 

[Edgecrusher28]

Any new fish additions in the last few months? I have an on going Zoa issues as well where I have been tossing the kitchen sink at it for months now and Just cant seem to figure it out. I have began Vitamin C dosing and have also begun trials doing dips and baths with Malachite Green and Methylene blue. I am leaning towards a possible superficial fungal issues; but who the heck knows.

 

[Cole_Voeller]

Any new fish additions in the last few months? I have an on going Zoa issues as well where I have been tossing the kitchen sink at it for months now and Just cant seem to figure it out. I have began Vitamin C dosing and have also begun trials doing dips and baths with Malachite Green and Methylene blue. I am leaning towards a possible superficial fungal issues; but who the heck knows.

No new fish added

 

[Cole_Voeller]

Sorry I just seen you said you will post some when you get home, that will help the experts diagnose

Sorry, realized I never tagged you when I added pictures.

 

[Not woodyarmadillo]

They look a little leggy I suppose? Maybe more light? I’m a newbie so take my words with a grain of salt but they don’t look that terribly bad to me. Like they may need some light tweaking or something? I’ve got some good looking Zoas and also have some that have been leggy since I got them from the LFS. As you can see in the last picture, those Zoas are pretty leggy. Also lights are winding down so that’s why there are quite a few polyps closed.

 

[Not woodyarmadillo]

Edit- adding on. Looking again, To my uneducated eyes it looks like your Zoas are reaching for more light. I would think the answer would be to increase your lighting.

 

[Cole_Voeller]

Edit- adding on. Looking again, To my uneducated eyes it looks like your Zoas are reaching for more light. I would think the answer would be to increase your lighting.

Honestly my lighting is a bit more than it should be. I rented a par meter to check what they were at, and my frag rack has a range of 80-200. Even setting the stretching zoas at 200 they still stretch like this, and that’s way more light than they need, which is why the stretching is so concerning to me.

 

[Not woodyarmadillo]

Honestly my lighting is a bit more than it should be. I rented a par meter to check what they were at, and my frag rack has a range of 80-200. Even setting the stretching zoas at 200 they still stretch like this, and that’s way more light than they need, which is why the stretching is so concerning to me.

Yep, agreed. Good that you know your par though. I would think 80-200 would be good for all of them if not a bit much.

 

[Cole_Voeller]

Yep, agreed. Good that you know your par though. I would think 80-200 would be good for all of them if not a bit much.

Yeah, exactly. I like to keep them on the lower end, and I’ve moved some because of the extreme stretching, but even that has done nothing for them.

 

[Not woodyarmadillo]

Yeah, exactly. I like to keep them on the lower end, and I’ve moved some because of the extreme stretching, but even that has done nothing for them.

Sorry I can’t help! I’m far from an expert but they just look like they are reaching, if your lighting is good then I got no idea? You got some flow on them?

 

[Cole_Voeller]

Sorry I can’t help! I’m far from an expert but they just look like they are reaching, if your lighting is good then I got no idea? You got some flow on them?

Yep, I’ve upped it a bit as well.

 

[BuckChoklit]

I have the same issue with mines. My stalks seem a bit longer. So odd