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Rasta zoa is tearing apart? What caused it!?


DodgerDave

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Hi All

I got a 3 polyp rasta frag as a free-bee when I bought some coral last week. I wake up this morning and there's a tear on the frag. It's not on the polyp head itself, but on the white body/stem area. Do you guys know what could have caused this? Maybe a crab tore into it?

Picture is below. please click on the pic so you can get a better look at the tearing. Is this the first stage of a zoa "melting" away? Do you think it will heal up and be fine or should I be prepared for the death of this zoa?

Thanks!

 

post-85399-0-91146200-1410145185_thumb.jpg

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What fish do you have? What inverts do you have? And most importantly, how far is that trumpet coral from the zoas? It looks really close to me and they pack a really nasty punch.

 

99.9% of the time reef-safe crabs and shrimp won't bother zoas or other coral unless they are dead or dying. If they were unhealthy or on their way out, the crabs will go to town on them and it may look like they did the damage, but in reality it was already going downhill.

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What fish do you have? What inverts do you have? And most importantly, how far is that trumpet coral from the zoas? It looks really close to me and they pack a really nasty punch.

 

99.9% of the time crabs and shrimp won't bother zoas or other coral unless they are dead or dying. If they were unhealthy or on their way out, the crabs will go to town on them and it may look like they did the damage, but in reality it was already going downhill.

i disagree on shrimp or crabs. There are some nasty crabs and shrimp out there known to munch on corals.

 

To answer your question. As long as it is fully opened and not looking stressed i wouldn't worry much. It could've been that way when you got it.

If it worries you try to place it on a frag rack or move it to a different spot.

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i disagree on shrimp or crabs. There are some nasty crabs and shrimp out there known to munch on corals.

 

To answer your question. As long as it is fully opened and not looking stressed i wouldn't worry much. It could've been that way when you got it.

If it worries you try to place it on a frag rack or move it to a different spot.

Which is why I didn't say 100% - it isn't all that common for a "reef safe" crab or shrimp to munch on coral unless there is something unaccounted for going on.

 

My guess is either they came that way or the trumpet is stinging them - LPS have a way of hitting neighbors like a ton of bricks unexpectedly and then not attacking again for months on end.

 

I have a Merulina that has been in my tank for almost 3 years now that didn't extend sweepers for 2 years then every night for a week put out 4-5" sweepers, ate 5 or 6 acan lord polyps, and then stopped extending them and I haven't seen them in months. Trumpets aren't quite as agressive, but they pack a very strong punch.

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Which is why I didn't say 100% - it isn't all that common for a "reef safe" crab or shrimp to munch on coral unless there is something unaccounted for going on.

 

My guess is either they came that way or the trumpet is stinging them - LPS have a way of hitting neighbors like a ton of bricks unexpectedly and then not attacking again for months on end.

 

I have a Merulina that has been in my tank for almost 3 years now that didn't extend sweepers for 2 years then every night for a week put out 4-5" sweepers, ate 5 or 6 acan lord polyps, and then stopped extending them and I haven't seen them in months. Trumpets aren't quite as agressive, but they pack a very strong punch.

99.9% is a pretty high number.

If you would've stated the "reef safe" part i would've agreed.

Since your comment stated ...

99.9% of the time crabs and shrimp

That can have OP thinking a Camel Shrimp or a Xanthidae crab (etc.) is not a threat.

 

Jmo. :)

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