ZOANTHID HELP -_-

[beprimeaux]

So I have a JBJ Picotope 3 gallon that has been cycling for two months. Sunday I added two zoanthid frags and a neon clown goby. Anyway, My zoanthids are closed and one colony has this weird "skin" over it. I don't have any parameters because I haven't tested my tank yet. Yes, I know I may have made a n00b mistake by not testing, even after being in the hobby for three years. Anyway, here is a picture of the main colony in question. (iPhone quality)

 

( SORRY ABOUT THE ORIENTATION OF THE PICTURE)

[beprimeaux]

Anybody...?

[glennr1978]

Peroxide dip. Do a 5:1 water to peroxide and leave the frag in there for about 8 minutes or so. The frag likely won't open up for a few days but it should wipe out whatever it is that's growing on the polyps.

 

And by water I mean tank water .Good luck!

[Mariaface]

For the record, I agree that testing should'v been done beforehand. You'd have a better idea of what kind of bioload your nitrifying bacteria can handle. >> Is your fish okay?

 

But on to the zoas. Did you dip/quarantine them at all before introducing them to the tank? What does flow look like in the tank? That really looks like a fungus; have you tried basting water at it to see if it'll come off?

 

Zoas are pretty resistant to peroxide dips, so I'd suggest something like 3-5:1 tank water to 3% hydrogen peroxide (you can find a large bottle for a dollar at grocery/pharmacy stores) and dipping the zoas for maybe 30s to one minute, then rinsing in tank water (try to baste water onto it to remove anything left) and observing further. There are other mixes and your zoas are pretty hardy, so you should be fine even if you mess up a little and leave them in there a bit longer. The zoas will be pissed off, of course, but better than eaten alive by fungus.

 

My other suggestion is to at least grab API tests for your cycle. The saltwater kit will have high range pH, ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate, and you don't need them to be super accurate. Nitrite isn't very toxic in saltwater tanks, but nitrates are pretty bad past 10ppm and ammonia is not a force to be reckoned with. :x

 

And for after your zoas have recovered:

-Make sure you use a coral dip (something like Coral Rx or Revive) and follow instructions before introducing any corals (and potentially pests) into the tank.

-I'm not sure if you quarantined your goby before adding him, but if you did not then either quarantine him in a separate tank for six weeks while leaving the tank fallow (no fish), or at least supervise him closely to see if he's brought in any illnesses. He may not look it, but a bit of stress can trigger a whole lot.

-Invest in a quarantine tank for new additions, as well as medication.

-Try to research the lights you have to see how well your zoas will do under them.

[Tamberav]

I usually do a dip using iodine and tank water on zoa's that won't open for an unknown reason. I do peroxide and tank water if the problem is algae. Softies/zoa's seem to love iodine and it kills pests, so if theres no algae, I figure its a better solution to perk them up. I just used it on a large colony of bam bam's a few days ago that would not open and were shrinking and they made a full recovery.

[Mariaface]

I usually do a dip using iodine and tank water on zoa's that won't open for an unknown reason. I do peroxide and tank water if the problem is algae. Softies/zoa's seem to love iodine and it kills pests, so if theres no algae, I figure its a better solution to perk them up. I just used it on a large colony of bam bam's a few days ago that would not open and were shrinking and they made a full recovery.

 

This is also a good solution! I suggested the peroxide since people tend to have it in their medicine cabinets (though it's not necessarily good for cleaning out wounds) and it tends to burn through most anything, as well as irritate most pests, and an actual iodine dip or other coral dip might not be available immediately. Still, dipping. It's important stuff!

[beprimeaux]

I usually do a dip using iodine and tank water on zoa's that won't open for an unknown reason. I do peroxide and tank water if the problem is algae. Softies/zoa's seem to love iodine and it kills pests, so if theres no algae, I figure its a better solution to perk them up. I just used it on a large colony of bam bam's a few days ago that would not open and were shrinking and they made a full recovery.

 

 

For the record, I agree that testing should'v been done beforehand. You'd have a better idea of what kind of bioload your nitrifying bacteria can handle. >> Is your fish okay?

 

But on to the zoas. Did you dip/quarantine them at all before introducing them to the tank? What does flow look like in the tank? That really looks like a fungus; have you tried basting water at it to see if it'll come off?

 

Zoas are pretty resistant to peroxide dips, so I'd suggest something like 3-5:1 tank water to 3% hydrogen peroxide (you can find a large bottle for a dollar at grocery/pharmacy stores) and dipping the zoas for maybe 30s to one minute, then rinsing in tank water (try to baste water onto it to remove anything left) and observing further. There are other mixes and your zoas are pretty hardy, so you should be fine even if you mess up a little and leave them in there a bit longer. The zoas will be pissed off, of course, but better than eaten alive by fungus.

 

My other suggestion is to at least grab API tests for your cycle. The saltwater kit will have high range pH, ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate, and you don't need them to be super accurate. Nitrite isn't very toxic in saltwater tanks, but nitrates are pretty bad past 10ppm and ammonia is not a force to be reckoned with. :x

 

And for after your zoas have recovered:

-Make sure you use a coral dip (something like Coral Rx or Revive) and follow instructions before introducing any corals (and potentially pests) into the tank.

-I'm not sure if you quarantined your goby before adding him, but if you did not then either quarantine him in a separate tank for six weeks while leaving the tank fallow (no fish), or at least supervise him closely to see if he's brought in any illnesses. He may not look it, but a bit of stress can trigger a whole lot.

-Invest in a quarantine tank for new additions, as well as medication.

-Try to research the lights you have to see how well your zoas will do under them.

 

 

Peroxide dip. Do a 5:1 water to peroxide and leave the frag in there for about 8 minutes or so. The frag likely won't open up for a few days but it should wipe out whatever it is that's growing on the polyps.

 

And by water I mean tank water .Good luck!

Thanks for all of the responses!

 

My fish is perfectly fine, it even ate frozen mysid shrimp yesterday! The flow in my tank is the stock JBJ Picotope filter PLUS an AquaClear 20. I did an RO water dip (recommended as the last resort dip online) before I put them in the tank but I'm going to try a peroxide dip! For my lights I'm using my old Innovative Marine Skyye lights that came with my Nuvo 16 (That cracked unexpectedly, SAME as my Nuvo 24 *Sigh*) and they are 4 and 1/2 inches from the water's surface and 11 inches from the sandbed. I'm wondering if they are so stressed out because my tank is so clean. I've been running carbon ever since the tank had water. I heard zoas don't like clean water. I have never had good luck with zoas. I have better luck with Maxima clams and LPS. Anyway, I definitely agree, I need to get some test strips.

[Mariaface]

Test strips will probably be fine for testing the cycle, but you'll want more accurate tests for alkalinity, calcium, and magnesium when you get there! Good luck!

[beprimeaux]

Just did the peroxide dip. We'll see how they turn out in the next week!

[clownfitch]

I usually do a dip using iodine and tank water on zoa's that won't open for an unknown reason. I do peroxide and tank water if the problem is algae. Softies/zoa's seem to love iodine and it kills pests, so if theres no algae, I figure its a better solution to perk them up. I just used it on a large colony of bam bam's a few days ago that would not open and were shrinking and they made a full recovery.

 

What is the saltwater to iodine ratio that you would recommend?

[Tamberav]

What is the saltwater to iodine ratio that you would recommend?

 

There is directions but I make a more potent dip. I basically add some until it is a light tea color.