Zoa Not Doing Too Hot

[Dr. Acula]

Alright, I got my first zoa frag about a week ago, and gave it a nice spot in my tank. The little guy opened up and seemed to be doing well. Today, though, I came home to find them looking a little off. They seem kind of washed out, and aren't opening completely.

 

Here are pictures for comparisons:

 

Then:

 

Now:

 

So, what do you guys think? Is it getting too much/not enough light? Too much/not enough flow? Anything else?

 

I checked my water parameters and ammonia and nitrites seem to be at 0 from what I can tell from the color matching tests.

 

Thanks for the help.

[eddiecorrea]

Looks like too much light. Maybe move them a little deeper or in a little shade.

[trippinsting]

did it also lose some color?

[Dr. Acula]

They did lose some color. The pictures aren't spot-on in terms of color, but they are now a little more pale. The skirts especially have lightened.

 

But too much light was what I was thinking, too. I'll try moving it over to the side of the tank, so that it's not under all three of the skkye lights. Hopefully that makes them a little happier.

[TeflonTomDosh]

IME...when zoas are "reaching" upwards like that, its due to not enough light. Jus sayin....

[Dr. Acula]

Hmm, well now you have me confused, TeflonTomDosh. I guess that also makes sense. And I have the option to move this guy to either a spot with more or less light. Is there one I should try first? If I move it somewhere with less light, and that was the opposite of what it wanted, will that really hurt it? Or could I then just move it up and have it recover just fine?

 

This is obviously my first experience with saltwater critters, and though this isn't the nicest zoa I've ever seen, I'm just attempting to get a feel for everything and make things happy.

[TeflonTomDosh]

Hmm, well now you have me confused, TeflonTomDosh. I guess that also makes sense. And I have the option to move this guy to either a spot with more or less light. Is there one I should try first? If I move it somewhere with less light, and that was the opposite of what it wanted, will that really hurt it? Or could I then just move it up and have it recover just fine?

 

This is obviously my first experience with saltwater critters, and though this isn't the nicest zoa I've ever seen, I'm just attempting to get a feel for everything and make things happy.

move it up a few inches in the water column for a day or two, if no improvement, move it down, or vice versa...

[Veng]

If you're using the stock Nuvo 16 lights, then it's going to be low on light.

[Dr. Acula]

I'm not exactly running the stock configuration. I've got the two 8W skyye lights it came with, plus a third. So 24W of LED total. I'm not sure exactly where that puts me, though.

[IamTomm]

If you have only had them a week give them some time to adjust. To much flow will cause them to extent like that as well. If it were me I would leave them be. They dont look bad or anything so.

[x3thelast]

zoas will open and close indefinitely. they'll be fine unless they start melting

[eddiecorrea]

Didn't realize you were using the Nuvo. Not enough light sounds logical. Innovative Marine isn't really innovative by marketing a reef tank with not even close to reef quality lighting. I hate companies that do that.