Zoa faceplant

[mattitheowl]

So I got 2 lovely new Zoa frags from mailordercoral in the UK and they arrived really well packed.  Then I got my hands (tongs) on them.  First one I got in to place nicely with no trouble.  Second one I juggled and dropped square on it's face into the sand bed.  I recovered it quickly and got the plug nicely wedged into a V in my rock.  Went to bed and all was well in the world.  Came down in the morning and had a quick check on them before I went to work.  First lot all looked good and were starting to open up.  Second lot, the plug had fallen from the rock and were again on their face on the sand.  I then moved them and just lodged the plug into the sand bed.  

 

Since then (Thursday) I've had a couple of small ones pop out but nothing else really. Have I murdered them or do they just need a few more days to feel settled?

[Christopher Marks]

Zoanthids can be really fickle at first when getting acclimated, especially after a tumble or two. I wouldn’t worry though, sometimes it can take a few days for polyps to all open, even under ideal conditions. 

[scribz718]

I wouldnt worry one bit. If they are going to die, the fall into the sand bed wasn't the cause. Imagine the force of tides as they crash on the reef to break. A good iodine dip followed by some leaving them alone, should do the trick. But again, if they die, they were already dying or your parameters are not what they like.

[mcarroll]

It wouldn't be a bad idea to post your most recent water test results (everything), give a brief tank history and provide a full tank photo just in case.  :-)

[mattitheowl]

So of the two heads that came when I bought it one seems to have gone.  But the other one just took off one day and looks fantastic.  It's doubled in size now and I can see new polyps coming all the time.