Help!!! My zoa's and paly's are melting away.

[Goofball310]

I don't know what is going on in my tank but my zoa's and paly's are melting away fast. Three days ago I lost 2 zoa's that I've had for 3 months which I just assumed something ate them since there was nothing left of their remains. Then yesterday I noticed that my magicians colony which was around 50+ is now down to around 20 and my candy apple reds which I had 7 of closed up and I slowly watched melt away over 48 hours. I haven't done anything different besides a water change which I do weekly and changed out my GFO. All parameters are perfect and from what I've observed there is nothing eating them.

 

[ritter6788]

Maybe take the GFO offline and see if there is improvement. Just a guess but anytime I've had troubles with my tank GFO was involved. Probably from over use.

 

[Goofball310]

I've been using GFO for well over a year and is only half way through the container. So this can't be a bad batch I just happened to open up. I also rinsed it prior to putting it in my tank like I always do.

 

[tj51]

I'd run some carbon if you aren't already and see if you can get whatever is upsetting them out of the water

 

[Murfman]

What fish do you have?

 

[Goofball310]

One thing to note is that all my fish, LPS, SPS, and BTA's are doing just fine.

The only thing being affected are my z's & p's.

 

[Goofball310]

3 perc's, 3 chromis', 1 purple tang, 1 blue tang, 1 yellow coris, 1 diamond goby, & 1 orange spot goby.

 

[Goofball310]

I've already made plans to pick up some carbon in the morning.

 

[caudill187]

Sounds like it could be a pest. I'd take a colony out and dip it under a flashlight to be sure. Also has your Alk spiked recently by chance? +1 run carbon.

 

[lawnman]

If you do not see any nudi's eating on them or sometimes amphipods will eat on them at night. Touch them with something to get them to close up. Now look at the mat of the zoas or palys for built up detrius fungus or red fungus growing on the mats. Zoas are notorious for fungus. The best thing you can do for zoas and palys is take a turkey baster at least once a week and give them a good blast keeping there mats and stalks clean of detrius which will lead to fungus. They will open more often and bigger.

 

[tj51]

if all your parameters are in line, it could be something that was in the air that got in your tank, cleaning solvent, when someone vacuumed, air freshener, if so the carbon will take care of it. I had stuff hit my water and my frogspawn and trumpets will retract, but my zoas will look great, or some of my zoas will shut but my frogspawn looks good, the reef is a strange place. I forgot to ask, could you have picked up a hitchhiker? some zoa eating pest? add any new zoas?

 

[tj51]

great idea!

If you do not see any nudi's eating on them or sometimes amphipods will eat on them at night. Touch them with something to get them to close up. Now look at the mat of the zoas or palys for built up detrius fungus or red fungus growing on the mats. Zoas are notorious for fungus. The best thing you can do for zoas and palys is take a turkey baster at least once a week and give them a good blast keeping there mats and stalks clean of detrius which will lead to fungus. They will open more often and bigger.

 

[lawnman]

I have been running GFO for years with zoas and palys so I do not believe that is the problem. I am sticking with a fungus.

 

[robert]

FWIW - My blue hippo developed a taste for zoas. About wiped me out before I caught her in the act. So its a possibility to keep in mind.

 

[Goofball310]

It's not any of my fishes. I literally watched my z's & p's melt away for no apparent reason. One day they just closed up and within 24 hours their stocks became transparent and then they were gone. I haven't added anything into my tank for a few months, but I am dealing with a pretty bad vermatid outbreak that I'm trying to figure out how to control. I'll try and turkey baster the base but I do not see any mat at base of my tanks that I can observe.

 

[reefpeeper]

Try doing water changes more often. Like 2 times a week for about 1 month. I had a similar problem and this seemed to some what help. Also what do u add to the tank for supplement if any?

 

[Dowtish]

you could also look into dosing Vitamin C

 

[jtotheb]

Do a quick search on fungal and or bacterial infections. Maybe what you got. If this is whats going on you have to get on it right away. It can wipe every single zoa in a tank if its left untreated. I collect zoas and have had many outbreaks. Some outbreaks come on slow and some hit so quick and hard you will think your tank is about to crash. Good luck and I will follow thread and help if I can.

 

[hermesfansf]

i had the similar situation that i was totally clueless. i bought 3 5 heads chong bongs a month ago. Now, i have 1 7 heads, 1 6 heads, and 1 2 heads frag. Not sure why only the selected frag was melted.