What is killing my zoas?

Discussion in 'ID This!' started by gabbyr189, Oct 6, 2011.

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  1. gabbyr189

    gabbyr189 Bubble Tip Anemone

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    Philadelphia
    Is this a sponge killing my zoas? + green cyano? I have to stop it before it moves on towards my expensive zoas.. The problem is that this is a vital base rock, so just taking it out isn't really an option. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

    Here is maybe a week or two ago when I started noticing it
    [​IMG]

    Here is now
    [​IMG]

    and up close
    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]
     
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  3. leighton1245

    leighton1245 Horrid Stonefish

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    I didnt see any in the picture but have you checked for nudi's?
     
  4. JJL

    JJL Purple Tang

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    Nudis or zoa eating asterinas? I would dip them in Revive, Lugols, or Coral RX.
     
  5. libog2fish

    libog2fish Fire Shrimp

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    I just picked up some seachem reef dip...
    supposivley just as good as the Rx...
    you can try that also...
     
  6. schackmel

    schackmel Giant Squid

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    it is C. taxapholia that is killing your zoas (that green stuff on the rocks) You need to take the rock out of the tank as it is in the piece. Unfortunatly you will have to loose those zoas but it will take off in the tank if you dont remove it.
     
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  7. bbrian189

    bbrian189 Skunk Shrimp

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    I thought this stuff was bright green..and a little stiff resistant to currents.
    I also think the green stuff could just be green cyano

    This stuff looks almost hairy or dirty.. and it flows in the current?

    Could it be a sponge thats just smothering the zoas cause they are in a low flow..almost shaded area??
     
    Last edited: Oct 6, 2011
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  9. libog2fish

    libog2fish Fire Shrimp

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    you don't have to go to the severity of removing the rock...
    As I would wait for more replies stick with a disinfectant dip,this way your not going to be removing somthing you really don't know If it Is...
    remeber your the individual who has the problem not others here...
    although is thier any lfs store around you or friends that can check out your system...
    least locally someone can give you a benefit with a lesser doubt.
     
  10. gabbyr189

    gabbyr189 Bubble Tip Anemone

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    I haven't seen anything that looked like one.. I've only seen pictures, never one in person except really big ones at lfs. How big do you think they would be?

    The zoas are dying even where there is no green stuff. And would C. taxapholia just blow off the rocks with a baster? Thats the only reason I think this stuff is green cyano.. How does C. taxapholia spread?

    How can I do a disinfectant dip if I don't remove the rock? I don't really have anyone here that I can ask to check it out. I know someone at home but my tank is in my apartment at school.



    Any thoughts on a sponge? There is a sponge there, I can see it. Someone gave me about a 4 inch long rock covered with gsp's about a year ago. This same sponge started covering it and killing it. Its like clear jelly-like with big holes. Iodine dip didn't do barely anything. It took half the rock before I just decided to chop it in half. I see this same one here, but not as thick at the one that killed the gsp's. and I can only see two of them here. What is the stringy looking stuff? The rest of my rock does not look anything like this. I do have a nitrate issue. I have never been able to keep my nitrates down, I don't know if this would contribute. I have been doing weekly water changes since the tank went up about a year and a few months ago (only way I can keep them down).
    Also.. problem with my cheato, it isn't dying, but it will not grow. It used to grow, but now all this other algae is growing in my tank, but not the cheato. Just spinning in the sump. Something must be inhibiting any new growth. We used to have to throw it out! Any more ideas?
     
  11. scadsobees

    scadsobees Fire Shrimp

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    I've had the same thing happened to some of my zoas. For some reason on one of the frags, the zoas would close, shrivel, and some of them would invert (inside out, pointy, like some in the picture) before dwindling and disappearing. They looked EXACTLY like what yours are doing.

    I moved them around, more light, less light, I dipped them in revive daily for a while. The dipping seemed to help, but as soon as I stopped dipping, they'd do that again.

    I tried cutting out the bad ones, and it would help but then they'd start going again.

    And it only happened on the one frag. The other zoas (different kinds) in the tank, near and far, were fine. They were close to other frags, nothing else was affected.

    Finally I gave up. There's still a couple of polyps left, but they've never thrived.

    I did also have an episode where my sump return was blowing air into the tank because of the sump getting low, and it did have a similar affect on some other zoas, but they've since recovered nicely.

    In summary: I've got no idea what the problem or cure is. Letting them go was the way for me.
     
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  12. BigJim

    BigJim Spaghetti Worm

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    What sort of fish and inverts do you have in the tank? I thought snails were killing my zoas until I caught my black combtooth blenny nipping at them. They didn't look like they were being eaten, but the problem went away when I took him back to the LFS. I have also heard that some urchins might eat them.