zoo's dying

[clownlover]

my zoos are dying and i dont know why. the edges recede in and the centers push up like a mushroom. then they just shrink til they die.

125g
1.025
0po4
virtually undectable nitrates
o amm and nitrites
ph - added some supplements couple weeks ago and ph keeps dropin to 7.8 i keep buffering to 8.1. every day its the same thing. could also be the denitrator
mg 1400
ca 440
alk have trouble keeping this up as well. its around 2

anuone have any idea whats going on? do zoo's like alot of flow?

also had a clove poylp die off that seems to have stabilized. my star polyps and pipe organ dont come out as well as they used to.

 

[OctaviousMonk]

That ph swing could be causing some of the issues...

 

[clownlover]

just did another water change. hopefully it will help

 

[KathyC]

They look like little umbrellas?
Too much light. Move them into a more shaded area on the bottom of the tank.
Post a pic if possible of the zoas & a full tank shot.

No, zoas do not like a lot of flow, medium is fine for them. They do like nitrates..not too much, but not zero either. They are one of the few corals that like water with nutrients in it.

What supplements did you add to the tank???
If you are using 'PH up' or 'PH down', please throw it directly into the garbage, all it will do is give you continual PH swings thta will last less than 24 hours before it reverts back to where it was and it will quickly harm if not kill your fish.

Your alk level is WAY too low!

When was the last time you did a water change and what % of the water was changed?

 

[tosiek]

Your alkalinity levels control for the most part your PH levels. Once you fix your alk levels everything should go to normal. Like Kathy said, throw the PH buffer in the garbage because it will only cause your tank more problems. The last PH buffer powder i seen stated on the bottle that it affects alkalinity levels in reef tanks =0) Once the Alk level balances out your tank should read 7.8-8.2 PH. You shouldn't worry about your PH unless it drops below 7.8, 7.8 is fine as long as the rest of your tank params are stable and will eventually rise. Also oxygen levels affect PH, which oversized denitrators tend to do if your tanks not making up for it in flow or a skimmer or something to add oxygen.

Check the zoa colonies for bugs, worms and the likes. Do you have alot of different zoa's, are they spread away from each other? And if so is the umbrella thing happening to all at the same time or just one frag/colony at a time? Any hitchicker crabs or something that would annoy them while your sleeping you seen?

I recently had a small colony beeing attacked at night by a hitchiker crab which made the colony look like that. He would just pick at the skirt untill it was about to die then eat the polyp when it was about to die. May he RIP....

 

[Psycho graphic]

No, zoas do not like a lot of flow, medium is fine for them.

I was just reading at Club Zoa, that people are using very high flow levels to help with Zoa Pox and it seems to be helping quite a few people who are dealing with it.

 

[KathyC]

I was just reading at Club Zoa, that people are using very high flow levels to help with Zoa Pox and it seems to be helping quite a few people who are dealing with it.

Not to confuse issues but clownlover is having issues with a number of different corals and not describing zoa pox. I don't think higher flow is warranted in his case as he/she has a number of other issues to deal with imo.

 

[clownlover]

yea tried using ph up. thre it right in the trash. i mixed in a cup but it never mixed into solution so well and would "burn" my coras when it touched it. i use the buffer from esv b ionic now and it works for about a day

my zoos r on 2" diskd and io have like 4 of them. i first noticed it on a small colony, now i notice it on another two. yes umbrella looking is a good word for it. i will try and get a pic.

didnt notice anything really bothering them but will keep an eye out

my effluent from my denitrator goes into th eprotein skimmer to oxygenate it, that should be enough right? the sulfur denitrtor does look like some of the calcium in it dissolved.. should i open it up and add more?