Zoa problems

[Dekon]

Everytime i add a new zoa to the tank this is what happens:

Add the zoa frag to the tank.
They open up nice.
Then after a while they spread.
Then they start to get skinny.
Then closed up, I start to lose polyps, then they die.

Here is an example, I had a 10 polyp frag of Tubs Blue. It grew like crazy for 4 months, probably got close to 75, if not 100 polyps. Then they started to not open and began to get skinny and die off. By the six month mark, I had none left. This seems true of any zoa colony I add.

I can't figure it out. Everything else in the tank looks great.

Anyone else have this problem with zoas? Any ideas on how to stop this cycle.

 

[SaltCreep]

Everytime i add a new zoa to the tank this is what happens:

Add the zoa frag to the tank.
They open up nice.
Then after a while they spread.
Then they start to get skinny.
Then closed up, I start to lose polyps, then they die.

Here is an example, I had a 10 polyp frag of Tubs Blue. It grew like crazy for 4 months, probably got close to 75, if not 100 polyps. Then they started to not open and began to get skinny and die off. By the six month mark, I had none left. This seems true of any zoa colony I add.

I can't figure it out. Everything else in the tank looks great.

Anyone else have this problem with zoas? Any ideas on how to stop this cycle.

I have something similar going on.
I have noticed that the small batch of zoa's that are in a steady flow of water that takes flake food right too them, have not suffered the same fate.

All other zoa's do great....for a while....then get skinny....and thin out.

It could be the flow, it could be the flake food hitting them, it could also be the flow keeping some zoa eating snails away.....

 

[zforx2000]

I was just thinking the same thing about several of my zoa frags. I do notice those small white starfishes that are everywhere in the tank on the frags. Could those starfish be chewing on them?

I always suspect my peppermint shrimp too. It has been guilty of eating mushrooms and rics. Caught red handed.

 

[kams56]

i think it may be the white starfish, i personally have no experience with this
(fingers crosses) but my roommate has lost some zoas and other corals to starfish. when you look at them they will have small white specks where the starfish had been and then apperently they eventually die off

 

[Takara]

Zoas are known to do that, esp some of the higher end ones. Do you have mag swings or ph swings?

 

[stingythingy45]

i think it may be the white starfish, i personally have no experience with this
(fingers crosses) but my roommate has lost some zoas and other corals to starfish. when you look at them they will have small white specks where the starfish had been and then apperently they eventually die off

I have seen asterina stars on palys and zoas,to the point of killing them.

 

[gobie1313]

i have the same problem, everything grows great in my tank except zoa's. Pretty frustrating.

 

[Joel A]

yup, me too! Some die.. some just don't grow well. I've probably had 20 polyps of eagle eyes for a year now..

 

[kotu100]

crazy, i can't keep my zoas from spreading so much.
do you guys skim a lot? run carbon? lotsa water changes?

 

[zforx2000]

My skimmer is always running, but doesn't do much. Way too few water changes. No carbon.

takara may be on to something about the high end zoas going south. I have some zoa's /paly's that are unstoppable, but the higher end ones do have the most problems.

 

[Joel A]

My skimmer is always running, but doesn't do much. Way too few water changes. No carbon.

takara may be on to something about the high end zoas going south. I have some zoa's /paly's that are unstoppable, but the higher end ones do have the most problems.

well it well known that high end zoas/palys melt or fade away for no reason... but something like a "tubs blue" i don't think would fall into that category.

 

[Turbosnail]

My tubs blues would not open for the longest time but they kept growing new polyps anyway.

 

[yukyuklee]

I had some paly's and zoa's closed up for nearly a month but once they opened they became much brighter... kind of wierd... only thing that melted in my tank was my colony of candy apple reds

 

[frank180reef]

Mine do better now that I keep them out from under my MH lights