Whats wrong with my zoa?

Discussion in 'Soft Corals' started by nanomania, Mar 3, 2016.

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  1. Eco Marine Reef

    Eco Marine Reef Astrea Snail

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    Well, I would give it a few more days so they can fully acclimate. Do you have them in a lowish flow area on your sand bed?

    On a side note, they may be open during the day when you aren't looking. My hermits and urchin love to hang out near my favorite zoas and it seems like every time I look at the tank they are closed. Do you have a large number of clean up crew that like to hang out near your zoas?
     
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  3. Swisswiss

    Swisswiss Caribbean Reef Squid

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    am I the only one cringing when i read 10 min freshwater dip?
     
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  4. Eco Marine Reef

    Eco Marine Reef Astrea Snail

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    I seen several people use freshwater dips at a time length of 10 minutes. Yes, I do agree with you swisswiss that is a long time. Most would say they freshwater dip for 20-30 seconds and 3 minutes being the upper limit. However, I have a few fellow reefers who swear by using a 10 minute freshwater dip for all their zoas. This basically kills those pesky nudibranch and spiders. They do experience the same issues nanomania is having where the polyps are closed for several days. In the end, they do recover and end up opening within a week or so.
     
    Last edited: Mar 7, 2016
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  5. Swisswiss

    Swisswiss Caribbean Reef Squid

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    well i believe you that zoas and palys can take a hit but damn, 10 mins seems like an eternity to me. your zoas are probably suffering from osmotic shock and will hopefully make a come back....
     
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  6. Eco Marine Reef

    Eco Marine Reef Astrea Snail

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    I made the mistake in my previous post about palys. I just corrected it (my apologies). I just contacted my good friend who loves this method, but he advised me that palys are a little more sensative and do not do well in the 10 minute freshwater dip. They essentially melt due to the osmotic shock as you have stated. Healthy zoas can easily handle the shock. Most dips are shocking to the coral, doesn't matter if it is an osmotic shock or a toxic shock. As for using a 10 minute freshwater dip on anything but a softy, I would agree that is a definite no no. Most other corals are way to sensitive when it comes to harsh dipping methods.
     
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  7. civiccars2003

    civiccars2003 Great Blue Whale

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    I don't think it has anything to do with acclimation. I'd guess your lighting or the fact the tank is so new, water parameters could be off somewhere.
     
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  9. nanomania

    nanomania Vagabond Butterfly

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    My lights on at 4pm and shut at 10pm, i come home at 6. Jus 2 snails.
     
  10. nanomania

    nanomania Vagabond Butterfly

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    Tank is morethan a month old... all paraz are fine. Gsp has already started spreading. Will be adding fish this week
     
    Last edited: Mar 7, 2016
  11. nanomania

    nanomania Vagabond Butterfly

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    Guys i finally noticed nudibranches on zoas... what shud i do? I had dipped them in fw, for 2 days they were looking better, today again they are looking same, then i saw them.. i again did a fw dip for 10mints.. will i never be able to keep zoas?
     
  12. Eco Marine Reef

    Eco Marine Reef Astrea Snail

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    Are you using Lugol's iodine solution in addition to your freshwater dips? The nudibranchs are a tough bunch. A Lugol's solution can be very potent so you only need a few drops when dipping. I think on average its like 40 drops per gallon (but I doubt you will be dipping your one coral in a gallon of water). You will need to administer the dip several times. I would say once or twice per week for the next couple weeks as nothing on the market is effective against the eggs.

    Additionally, you can try Salifert Flatworm Exit. A commercial product that is marketed as being reef safe for your fish and other inverts. Again this will need to be administered multiple times to effectively kill all nudibranchs. On the other hand, if your tank is big enough and you want a natural predator, there are several fish that may eat nudibranchs. I say may because nothing in this hobby is a for sure thing.

    If you have no luck finding any of the listed products take a look at the Bayer Advanced Coral Dip Method in my post here (http://www.3reef.com/threads/bayer-advanced-complete-insect-killer-coral-dip-method.160736/). I personally love this method, but some find it a little intimidating as it is an insecticide. Keep us posted if you have any questions about the above methods.
     
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