Problem with zoo colony

[TomD]

This colony has not been looking good and seems to be getting worse within the last week.

I just tested and doses my tank and nothing has changed. The only change is the trumpet coral. Do they have long stingers? I have had the colony for about 6 months and my other zoos are all normal. Should I leave it, or frag it?

Here is a before pic. There is one of those snails that spit web (Vermawhat? ) next to it. Could that be irritating them?


Thanks

 

[jimrawr]

This happened to me a couple weeks ago I didnt know why one colony of zoos were closing and the rest were all ok. Water tested fine and everything... I waited a few days and they started to open again, and then they had a major growth spurt in the next week..

 

[TomD]

This happened to me a couple weeks ago I didnt know why one colony of zoos were closing and the rest were all ok. Water tested fine and everything... I waited a few days and they started to open again, and then they had a major growth spurt in the next week..

I have had this happen in the past but this time it seems like polyps are missing from the middle like they were eaten or disintegrated.

 

[naturebatslast]

That snail looks like an Astrea. I would dip with betadine and closely inspect the colony out of water with a magnifying glass and a flashlight, then dip it again.

 

[TomD]

That Astrea has been on them all day.

I was going to dip and inspect for nudis/sundials but I am going to give it another day or so I think.

 

[naturebatslast]

Generally, I've found most Zoanthid/Paly colonies to be pretty tolerant of frequent dipping, that most LPS/SPS couldn't handle.

 

[TomD]

Generally, I've found most Zoanthid/Paly colonies to be pretty tolerant of frequent dipping, that most LPS/SPS couldn't handle.

Wouldn't it be strange to now have a zoo predator pop up when I have not gotten a new zoo in a while.

I got a 3-4 polyp frag from last meeting and I inspected it and dipped it well. Before that it was months before I had a zoo addition.

 

[starrfish]

Tom, if they are melting away it could be some kind of fungus or bacteria. I had this happen to a few of my colonies. I dipped them in hydrogen peroxide. Some say a 10:1 dip with tank water, but I read on RC that you can dip them in 100% hydrogen peroxide for 10-20 seconds - so that's what I did. They seem to be recovering.

 

[Gina McReeferson]

Tom, if they are melting away it could be some kind of fungus or bacteria. I had this happen to a few of my colonies. I dipped them in hydrogen peroxide.

That's what I was thinking, we've had this happen as well. Sometimes fragging is the only way to save the healthy polyps if this continues after they've been dipped. Even then it doesn't always save them. Hopefully it's not a fungus but if they are melting, I would say there's a strong possibility that it could be. I would try the peroxide dip.

Good luck Tom.

 

[penguinsix]

Are there white bumps on the polyps?

 

[fanaglethebagle]

Check at night with a flashlight.

 

[TomD]

Thanks for the advice Daire and Gina. I have checked at night and I do not think it is a predator. I overtreat and inspect and I have not got zoos often so I think the fungus makes more sense.


Does anybody know how this happens, or ways to prevent it?

 

[fanaglethebagle]

Could they be getting too much light? (recent bulb change?)

 

[TomD]

Nope, it has been a while and they have not been moved. I have heard of people having similar problems with no cause.

There is nothing more aggrivating than not knowing what you should/could have done.

 

[Gina McReeferson]

Thanks for the advice Daire and Gina.

Does anybody know how this happens, or ways to prevent it?

You're welcome and good luck. I wish I knew why a fungus just shows up on zoos, if you find out any info on that, please let us know. Zoos do really well in our system but we have lost a couple of nice sized zoo rocks in the past to fungus and could not save them no matter what. Just wiped out all the polyps.

 

[penguinsix]

Are there white bumps on the polyps?

I should also add if there are white bumps they would be on the stalk or mat as well.

 

[Aquaman_68]

What kind of fish in the tank? Any tangs or Angels? If so what kinds? I don't think by looking at the pics posted it's fungus related. I would rather take a stab & say you have a fish who has found a taste for them. May not eat any other in the tank...I've had it happen to me....(with a tang that was in the system for over 8 years before it started chomping too!!!) The problem is...Once they get a taste....If that colony perishes they may start to chomp on another!!! This is not the first time I heard of this.....I know another reefer who experienced the same issue as well!!! Most times it starts because the fish isn't getting enough to eat. I had the problem start when I cut back on feeding a couple years back for a stretch...Once I picked it back up to the norm the fish stoped attacking the colony. FWIW....It took over a month for me to catch the lil Ba***** too!! Found out when I got up in the middle of the night to take a squirt...Put the flashlight on & wahla....

 

[TomD]

What kind of fish in the tank? Any tangs or Angels? If so what kinds? I don't think by looking at the pics posted it's fungus related. I would rather take a stab & say you have a fish who has found a taste for them. May not eat any other in the tank...I've had it happen to me....(with a tang that was in the system for over 8 years before it started chomping too!!!) The problem is...Once they get a taste....If that colony perishes they may start to chomp on another!!! This is not the first time I heard of this.....I know another reefer who experienced the same issue as well!!! Most times it starts because the fish isn't getting enough to eat. I had the problem start when I cut back on feeding a couple years back for a stretch...Once I picked it back up to the norm the fish stoped attacking the colony. FWIW....It took over a month for me to catch the lil Ba***** too!! Found out when I got up in the middle of the night to take a squirt...Put the flashlight on & wahla....

That is really interesting and I never even considered it. I do have a yellow tang and I do go light on the feeding except he gets Nori nightly. Other than that I have 2 Clowns, a Firefish, a LMB, a Mandarin, midas blenny, and a Royal Gramma.

 

[Gina McReeferson]

I have never heard of a YT eating zoos but anything is certainly possible. I did actually watch a large emerald crab chomp 3 whole zoo polyps once as soon as he was dropped in our tank. If something is hungry enough, it may go after just about anything. It doesn't sound to me as though your YT is starving though.

It might be worth setting up a camera to see if anything is munching on them or maybe just get up in the middle of the night and check it out. I would certainly also check them out for nudis or sundials, maybe with a magnifying glass. If you have access to a microscope, that would be perfect for finding critters that are hard to spot with the naked eye. Sundials and nudis can be very tiny and hard to spot, sometimes they blend right into the zoos.

 

[phatbob]

If it's a fungus causing this, would the fungus be visible at all? I also have some zoas that have recently started melting away like this. Tank parameters haven't changed, so I've been stumped as to what's causing it.