Something's wrong

[hinnenkm]

Just read through this and sorry you’re having difficulties - that is definitely part of the challenge of this hobby. After looking at your pic of the zoas, I don’t know that they will come back (maybe though ??). It is definitely possible that amphipods were munching on them, but asterina stars have been known to do the same and I’ve lost plenty of zoas to them. 

With your algae issues, this is what I would do if it were my tank (and I’ve had all types).... 

 - check your photo period so you’re not running your lights for too long

 - feeding heavily is fine, but you also want a good way to export those nutrients because algae growth is fueled by what’s in the water and your lights

 - get some good clean up crew (don’t be scared of adding them to your tank) trochus snails are a staple, nassarius do a great job at leftover food, and for the algae that’s already there, a small emerald would be more than appropriate and possibly a blue tuxedo urchin (they stay small)

 - consider growing chaetomorpha in a back chamber to outcompete the algae in your display for nutrients

It will take some time, but in combination these things should work. Seems like it is still a pretty new tank, patience is key and no need to be overly worried about any of these things. Good luck✌

[Floundering_Around]

8 hours ago, hinnenkm said:

Just read through this and sorry you’re having difficulties - that is definitely part of the challenge of this hobby. After looking at your pic of the zoas, I don’t know that they will come back (maybe though ??). It is definitely possible that amphipods were munching on them, but asterina stars have been known to do the same and I’ve lost plenty of zoas to them. 

With your algae issues, this is what I would do if it were my tank (and I’ve had all types).... 

 - check your photo period so you’re not running your lights for too long

 - feeding heavily is fine, but you also want a good way to export those nutrients because algae growth is fueled by what’s in the water and your lights

 - get some good clean up crew (don’t be scared of adding them to your tank) trochus snails are a staple, nassarius do a great job at leftover food, and for the algae that’s already there, a small emerald would be more than appropriate and possibly a blue tuxedo urchin (they stay small)

 - consider growing chaetomorpha in a back chamber to outcompete the algae in your display for nutrients

It will take some time, but in combination these things should work. Seems like it is still a pretty new tank, patience is key and no need to be overly worried about any of these things. Good luck✌

My light runs twelve hours a day (probably too long with the nutrient issues I'm having). I have chaeto in the back chamber running on an opposite time schedule, at least twelve hours or more. I've upped water changes to one gallon a day rather than doing five gallons at the end of the week; this is because it is suspected that alk or some toxin may be an issue. As for my clean up crew, I'm really hesitant to get an emerald crab; I don't want it eating my corals or killing my hermits/snails/clowns. I'm thinking of adding a tail spot to eat algae (yes it will add more bioload); want to get some nasarrius, bumblebee snails, more trochus, and maybe a halloween hermit crab.

[Floundering_Around]

I found this article about things that are likely to eat zoanthids. I have never seen any of these in my tanks, but I've mostly been looking for nudibranchs. https://forums.saltwaterfish.com/index.php?threads/zoa-eating-something.369773/

 

I don't think the UC is gonna make it. The frag it was on is completely devoid of any polyps, bleached or not

[hinnenkm]

9 hours ago, Floundering_Around said:

My light runs twelve hours a day (probably too long with the nutrient issues I'm having). I have chaeto in the back chamber running on an opposite time schedule, at least twelve hours or more. I've upped water changes to one gallon a day rather than doing five gallons at the end of the week; this is because it is suspected that alk or some toxin may be an issue. As for my clean up crew, I'm really hesitant to get an emerald crab; I don't want it eating my corals or killing my hermits/snails/clowns. I'm thinking of adding a tail spot to eat algae (yes it will add more bioload); want to get some nasarrius, bumblebee snails, more trochus, and maybe a halloween hermit crab.

One thing is definitely reducing your photo-period. Also, what size tank is it (can't seem to find it in the thread, although I only went back and skimmed it). What do you have in there for bioload already? Inverts don't really count in this sense. 

With an emerald crab, which corals are you so worried they will go after? I've got two babies in my tank and a ton of lps and softies that have been just fine. (I also work at a fish store and deal with this kind of stuff often). I would easily put emeralds (the small ones, the bigger ones do tend to be more aggressive) in my tank before I would do a halloween hermit - they look cool, but very aggressive. The emerald shouldn't go after any of the other stuff you mentioned. The other snails you mentioned are definitely good ones. 

[Floundering_Around]

On 8/5/2018 at 8:33 AM, hinnenkm said:

One thing is definitely reducing your photo-period. Also, what size tank is it (can't seem to find it in the thread, although I only went back and skimmed it). What do you have in there for bioload already? Inverts don't really count in this sense. 

With an emerald crab, which corals are you so worried they will go after? I've got two babies in my tank and a ton of lps and softies that have been just fine. (I also work at a fish store and deal with this kind of stuff often). I would easily put emeralds (the small ones, the bigger ones do tend to be more aggressive) in my tank before I would do a halloween hermit - they look cool, but very aggressive. The emerald shouldn't go after any of the other stuff you mentioned. The other snails you mentioned are definitely good ones. 

It's probably hidden away, but the tank is 13.5 gallons with two clown fish and a yellow finger gorgonian (which is leading to some heavy feeding)

Cool, if anything, I can throw the emerald in the bucket of shame with my peppermint shrimp and move rocks in and out of that if my paranoia holds out.

 

Unfortunately, the UC is gone but the monti hasn't regressed any further. I bumped water changes up to 1 gallon/day (to maintain alk and nutrients), moved the monti further from the light, and upped my flow. so hopefully this helps and it recovers.

[Aurortpa]

“Bucket of shame” LOL!

 

Glad to hear monti is stable.  

 

It’s hard to evict critters...I get attached lol...I had to get rid of my emerald, she got much bigger and there simply wasn’t as much nuisance algae left for me to be comfortable.  Same with my hermits, after the algae started waning, they went after my nassarius snails. Of course found them all good homes.