Zoas regaining their strength?

[sedrostyle]

So I'm curious to get this started I know it may be a little late but my phone took forever to update.

We've all I'm guess had zoas melt away. I recently have had this happen in frags I have got from a buddy that his tank has crashed due to lack of maintenance
Question is how do you get the size of the polyps back to normal once they have shrank up to the size of a half of grain of rice. Maybe smaller.
I have tried moving them into low flow but high lighting.
You obviously cannot spot feed them since the size of food they would pick up if micro
Eventually after some micro vert food and just letting them do their thing I think I have been nursing them back to health. Keep in mind I have had them a good month and they were all closed when I got them. I dipped and within 3 days you could tell they were open but sooo tiny in size.
Does anyone have any tips or tricks or any information on how to regain these zoas sizes. I hate so see little blues or greens that could be beautiful normal zoas melt away because of health issues in a previous tank. There must be a way to save them.
Mucho?

 

[DTECH07]

I have to go from what Mojoreef helped me in a simple way by saying "Water Quality"! Zoas I have found are very tough and can live in simi dirty to very clean water but don't like extremes. I've had polyps that looked like vains with no polyps and have came back strong (good and bad), but I had to stop my tank from Extrem conditions to slight changes like found in real world or big breeders.
Ok IMHO and what has worked for me and as they say " there's more than one way to skin this" moving your zoas and dipping will give some relief but it comes down to your water quality and husbandry. 1) water changes, 2) sump/refuge, 3) stable water condition and feeding. I'm sure there are a dozen out there that have MORE to add to take away but the it will come down to water QUAILTY and husbandry. Let me know we're close by would love to meet.

 

[user 26995]

You know, I think your right. It has to husbandry and water quality. But then isnt it the case for all livestock. I think back and remember my zoas used to grow like crazy and I think it was from feeding and regular water changes. I think I may have fed too much though becuase I ended up with a really bad case of GHA and it smothered a lot of my zoas. I am really surprised that some of them survived and flourished. I am feeding additives like zooplex, phytoplankton, oyster feast, cyclopeze(which my fish eat most of before any coral get it) and getting back into regular water changes. I have talked to a few people that somehow didnt do water changes but every couple months and not sure how but they got away with it and had beautiful corals and great growth. I have been having better luck recently with growth in most of my zoas. Still having some melt. I stopped one from melting away and saved two polyps. We will see if I can keep them going.

 

[sedrostyle]

Where do you live at dtech?
and ya I have heard that dirtier conditions they like.
What do you mean by that. Higher nitrates? I think we were just havin a conversation about this on another topic. Hah
I never would let my nitrates get above 5 or 10. I'd do water changes every 10 days or so. Just to keep everything clean.
Nowa days I've been trying to test my calcium and stuff to figure out how my tank uses its resources.

Now that I do that. When I test for nitrates I feel like I'm letting my tank go to crap

I have a API test kit and when I test it I use to jus look thru the side of the vile into natural day light and judge by that.
A frien told me to look down the vile in natural day light and by doing that it shows very high rates compared to looking thru the side.
So long story short when I do try to dial in my tank and get some good info I second guess myself alot. ;/
I haven't got any good information
I do have cheato in my sump fuge that hasn't grown much.
I have some dragons breath down there that is seeming to start to grow decent. Not enough to feed my tang tho. He's a cow.

 

[sedrostyle]

I have talked to a few people that somehow didnt do water changes but every couple months and not sure how but they got away with it and had beautiful corals and great growth. I have been having better luck recently with growth in most of my zoas. Still having some melt. I stopped one from melting away and saved two polyps. We will see if I can keep them going.

The more people I talk to they say they've gone months also.
I feel like my tank would be filthy. As like I said above my testings have been giving me anxiety when I try to get good info. I'm so used to changing water every 10 days or so I feel weird letting it go. Lol
Even with macro.
And I only feed maybe a third of mysis shrimp cube daily.

 

[DTECH07]

Lets see if I can by your response:
In Lakewood buy Stellicom College
I use Elos test kits but looking down gives a truer reading than to the side
My tank NO3 is .03-08 (don't want 0.00 thing will have issues) on average.
As far as second guessing your not the only person new or old that has this in one way or another, I think the key is patients in making a choice to do or not to do. Meaning your reading in your tank are high there's several chemicals that could solve quickly your issue but what changes are the safest in the long run.
This hobby does require a lot of reading and re-reading I know because it took me 8montjs to "pull the trigger" on a Ca Reactor and it was for me easier than I thought.

Each and every tank has its own personality and how it was started sets that character IMHO. You have to know yours yet look at other tanks and processes to determine what might benefit yours best, and as you try this you'll find your tank pattern.

I knew I wanted a Refuguim for my tank, I had the 55gal ready to DIY but I took me 1 1/2 and help from members on this site for me to finally do it and once done it was the best thing for my tank I could have done and I did it my way.
As far as your let me know when your available and you can come by and have a lol at my setup and we can talk. I think this is what forums are for when you can find it because a picture is worth a 1 million words ( I know a thousand words but that's me lol).
And I lost my Dragon to snails .
Let me know

 

[DTECH07]

You know, I think your right. It has to husbandry and water quality. But then isnt it the case for all livestock. I think back and remember my zoas used to grow like crazy and I think it was from feeding and regular water changes. I think I may have fed too much though becuase I ended up with a really bad case of GHA and it smothered a lot of my zoas. I am really surprised that some of them survived and flourished. I am feeding additives like zooplex, phytoplankton, oyster feast, cyclopeze(which my fish eat most of before any coral get it) and getting back into regular water changes. I have talked to a few people that somehow didnt do water changes but every couple months and not sure how but they got away with it and had beautiful corals and great growth. I have been having better luck recently with growth in most of my zoas. Still having some melt. I stopped one from melting away and saved two polyps. We will see if I can keep them going.

Yes I had some dragon readioactive eyes, omegas, and others that had disappeared but are back now with a vengeance haha.

 

[user 26995]

Well, I have to admit, I have let my tank go for a couple months without a water change. And you know I have not had an algae problem for a couple years now. As a matter of fact, another tank is clearing up from a GHA issue. I have not done a water change on it for a while. I think the lack of water changes is starving the algae, but I imagine it is also starving the coral because the coral is using the elements in the water for nutrition and when its used up, the coral starves. Thats my best guess.

I would also invest in better testing kits.
I have been using salifert and really like it. Easy to read and easy to use. Its shelf life is longer than API too.

 

[DTECH07]

Well, I have to admit, I have let my tank go for a couple months without a water change. And you know I have not had an algae problem for a couple years now. As a matter of fact, another tank is clearing up from a GHA issue. I have not done a water change on it for a while. I think the lack of water changes is starving the algae, but I imagine it is also starving the coral because the coral is using the elements in the water for nutrition and when its used up, the coral starves. Thats my best guess.

I would also invest in better testing kits.
I have been using salifert and really like it. Easy to read and easy to use. Its shelf life is longer than API too.

+1 I would do a water change weekly and now I do 1 every 3 weeks and seen a change in my tank. But I make my own Oyster Feast, phytoplankton, Rotifers, Brine Shrimp, and food so the tank is getting the nessary nourishment but leaking the super rich add from the saltmix; also it breaks the pattern that the tank has been use to and work when it was younger but now older and better established it prefers the new over the old weekly new tank water change process IMHO.

 

[sedrostyle]

I do think a redesign of my sump fuge is in order soon.

Anyways as for small zoas growing again just keeping the water clean will bring them back?

Do I not have enough coral to take up calcium in my tank. The longest I've went so far was a little over 2 weeks. I tested after a water Chang at 450 and tested just the other day the water I changed out and it was 425.
I usually do a 5 gallon change every week then about once a month month and a half do a ten gallon one.
Like I said since looking down the vial I have noticed color a lot easier and have changed water as soon as I see the slightest orange.

Do zoas use up calcium or are they mostly photosynthesis?
I've heard the snow stuff by bright well is a good thing to add if you have zoas

 

[user 26995]

I havent tried the reef snow yet. Zoas dont use calcium to my knowledge, but LPS will and coraline algae will, Some other algaes use it too, like halimeda.

 

[sedrostyle]

Halimeda is dragons breath right?
Crazy I didn't know that.
I had read good things on reef snow.

It's weird that even with all my coralline on my back wall and overflow that like I said after weeks of not Doing anything it doesn't use much resource.

I only I could stable my nitrates out a bit. I personally think I dont feed enough.

 

[user 26995]

Halimeda is a green segmented calcareous algae

 

[sedrostyle]

So bottom line. Do zoas feed off extra food int he water. Nitrates. Or fish poo?
You've said that scheduled water changes are the best but others have said they thrive in "dirty" water?
I currently have my "purple gorillas" that haven't grown in months. Actually ever since I got the four polyps in the last 6 months. And they were decent size. Maybe half a dime?
I noticed today and yesterday they are shriiiinking
For you that follow me. I always do changes. Never over 10 ppm nitrates id say
As you know. I've been trying to test the resources my tank uses and so I've been stretching out the changes.
I changed the Water yesterday so everything should be good but these zoas have been shrinking in size???
I dunnnnno

 

[user 26995]

Wow, I think I found what we are all looking for
"Why are my Zoanthids closed?" - Care, Pests, and Troubleshooting

 

[sedrostyle]

Brb reading

From what I see so far I hope it's not a pest.

 

[user 26995]

Sorry, its on another site but hey, its a great write up.

 

[sedrostyle]

Holy cow. Very informative.

My problem. Oh hey the other week I notice I had baby snails one in my sump one in my overflow.
Coincidence? I also have spaghetti worms in my tank all over. I alway try to suck them out when I change the water. This write up says they can be a stressor. This is two strikes.

I guess I am going to dip my corals for the new few days if they've started closing at all.

What do you think :/

 

[user 26995]

You could pull the zoa out and dip it. Coral RX I have had good luck with removing spiders and starfish.

 

[sedrostyle]

Ohhh man I'm on the hunt now.
I thought oh cool baby snails.
Nottttt.
Yea I have some coral rx. I will definitely be checking my shrinking ones closer.

As for the ones that have been shrunk to lack of maintenance I'll just keep a eye on them. Maybe get some more micro vert or something similar and let em grow back. Hopefully

Holy cow lorrie awesome find. I'll keep very one posted on what I dig out of my tank. I would start now but light just went out.
thanks again