sps & lps great. Zoas and mushrooms shrinking

[Ohmegg]

 Having trouble with zoanthids shrinking and disappearing. Mushrooms shrink but then never grow. Water changes, placement of flow/lighting doesn't seem to solve problem. My montipora, pocilapora, Duncan, Euphyllia and candy canes thriving and growing. Any suggestions? Think I just need iodine? 
 

[DevilDuck]

Looks like you have a lot of hair algae irritating them so they won't open. Can you remove them and do a hydrogen peroxide dip?

 

[mcarroll]

1 hour ago, Ohmegg said:

Having trouble with zoanthids shrinking and disappearing. Mushrooms shrink but then never grow. Water changes, placement of flow/lighting doesn't seem to solve problem. My montipora, pocilapora, Duncan, Euphyllia and candy canes thriving and growing. Any suggestions? Think I just need iodine? 

That's such a small amount of algae, @Ohmegg, just use your fingers to "tweeze" the algae off that frag.

 

The rest of the tank looks too clean.

 

Further you mention water changes and lighting changes as things you've done....those things don't help in a situation of trouble – they just tweak the corals more.  Removing them from the tank is also an irritation....do so only as a last resort.

 

I'm guessing further that since you didn't include any water test results that maybe you aren't testing?  If you are, please post your results for ca, alk, mg, no3, po4, salinity and temp if you can.

 

Do you have any cleanup crew, or how did that algae manage to grow so long?   Cleanup crew snails will only eat small, freshly grown algae, BTW.

 

Last, can you post a full tank shot that includes flow sources and everything?

[Ohmegg]

10 hours ago, DevilDuck said:

Looks like you have a lot of hair algae irritating them so they won't open. Can you remove them and do a hydrogen peroxide dip?

 

The rastas and 1 LA laker zoas stuck in that mess of hair algae are the ones doing ok lol. It's my orange bam bans to the right that are shrinking, and I already lost some mohecans the same way. Close up, shrink, and disappear over a few weeks. It's so weird. 

[Ohmegg]

10 hours ago, mcarroll said:

That's such a small amount of algae, @Ohmegg, just use your fingers to "tweeze" the algae off that frag.

 

The rest of the tank looks too clean.

 

Further you mention water changes and lighting changes as things you've done....those things don't help in a situation of trouble – they just tweak the corals more.  Removing them from the tank is also an irritation....do so only as a last resort.

 

I'm guessing further that since you didn't include any water test results that maybe you aren't testing?  If you are, please post your results for ca, alk, mg, no3, po4, salinity and temp if you can.

 

Do you have any cleanup crew, or how did that algae manage to grow so long?   Cleanup crew snails will only eat small, freshly grown algae, BTW.

 

Last, can you post a full tank shot that includes flow sources and everything?

Yes, the small amount of algae may be a result of this "closed system " approach Iv been taking. Little feeding, maybe once a week before a 25% water change. Nothing but corals, light and a clean up crew. I can't get my water tested because I'm only home a few days a week, if that, and my LFS is closed. Just wondering if anyone else has seen this before. LPS and SPS thriving while SOME zoanthids melt and mushrooms are meh. Maybe my water is too clean?

[ubpr]

Make sure that you have some nitrates and phosphates in the water, this may help. And I would use fresh activated carbon.

[Ohmegg]

16 hours ago, ubpr said:

Make sure that you have some nitrates and phosphates in the water, this may help. And I would use fresh activated carbon.

Really...ok, did a feeding yesterday then had to head off to work. Fed my LPS some cheap TetraMin brand fish flakes mixed in a slurry...they like it. That's bound to spike the phosphates lol.

[Ohmegg]

On 1/14/2022 at 6:12 AM, ubpr said:

Make sure that you have some nitrates and phosphates in the water, this may help. And I would use fresh activated carbon.

Interestingly this worked. Zoas perked up with dirtier water but I have more cyano now and this hair algae is really making me 😠, nothing eats it.