Zoanthid

I originally bought this frag as one. After a few months, the zoa seemed to be getting smaller and opening less and less. It looked like maybe the Anthelia was overtaking it, so I pulled them apart, left the Anthelia in place since it's already growing over the rock behind it, and moved the zoa to the other side of the tank, to no avail. It has continued to decline. After reading on the subject this morning, I found that they don't like to be in high flow areas, so I've moved it again to the lowest flow part of the tank. Upon visual inspection, I don't see any parasites, however there are quite a few feather dusters growing on the same frag (could this be the problem?). I'm assuming a FW dip would kill the feather dusters, so I'm leary of trying that just yet. Any other suggestions? I hate to lose this coral.
Tank parameters are as follows:
20 gal DT with 10 gal sump/refugium
Corallife fixtures on both tanks with 1 10,000k daylight and 1 6500k actinic
2 Finnex Mighty 21 leds also on DT
All lights running 8 hours a day
Emperor 150 biowheel on DT with AP Bio-stars in addition to filter cartridge
Maxi-jet 400 in DT
Skimmer and UV Sterilizer are in sump/macro-algae refugium
Let's see.... about 20lbs LS and 30lbs LR in DT
4" sand bed in fug.
Ammonia-0
Nitrites-0
Ph-8.4
Nitrates-around 40 (Currently attempting vodka method for reduction, only on fourth day so far)
SG-.24

I apreciate any help you guys can offer, thanks!

 

I'd recommend loosing the biowheel, Bio-stars (shatever that is) and filter cartridges. These can be your natrate factory. You have plenty of other good equipment.

The Zoas in that pic look allright, IMHO.

 

I am tempted to say this is a zoanthids that likes more intense lighting than what a PC bulb can give.

Also if you have not carefully inspected the frag by lifting it up and examining it for Asternia star fish, sundial snails, sponge growth, nudibranch I would start there. Asternia hiding under the body of the frag rock and coming out and eating at night can do a lot of damage. Besides that you could dip in Coral RX or a iodine mixture and try moving it up. It may take a week or more to see improvement.

 

Preciate it. Yeah, they looked great in that pic. They look nothing like it now.
I did pick it up and looked it all over and found nothing but tubes. I do have three Asternia in the tank that I know of, but they seem to be happy on the rocks since theres plenty of coralline there.

 

Corailline,
It seems the final leg of the decline was after I added the led's. Any thoughts?

 

Sounds like they are not getting enough light. Try moving them closer to the light. I am finally getting some growth with my zoo's that I have under LED's after switching from the marineland LED to some Par-38's from ecoxotic as well as 1 generic 6500K LED until I find a more permenant solution. May have to try DIY LED's next. The only other thing I can suggest is to do a freshwater or a coralrx dip to rid them of parasites.

 

Ok. Well, I moved it to lowest flow area of the tank, which also puts it about 4" higher up than it was. I'll observe it there for a while before I dip. Thanks for the help!

 

No problem, also sometimes coral's just die not entirely sure why but sometimes zoo's just don't make it. I have had a couple do this to me, it sucks but it happens!

 

So, on the tiopic of Zoas,

Do Zoas like more, or less light?]

MOre or less flow?

I thought (maybe wrong), that it was slightly less light, and less flow.

??

 

Well, after everything I've read, I'm starting with trying more light and less flow. I've added back an old fixture so now I've got one more T8 10000k in addition to everything else, have moved it higher in the tank and into an area of less flow. Maybe it's just wishful thinking, but it looks better already than it has in a month or so. Keep your fingers crossed for me!