zoanthus sp. not opening

[msteele]

My zoanthus sp. has shut itself right up and doesn't open up any longer. It used to be wide open and happy, but ever since my last water change it doesn't open. Any suggestions? I'm worried it won't survive.

[MUCHO REEF]

How long has it been?

[msteele]

About a week. It's not completely closed up, it opens up every once and a while, but not very often.
Water parameters are all within normal, healthy ranges.

[flyyyguy]

did you dip it for pests??

any fish bugging it.

If all your water paramters are in check, and no fish are bugging it, the first thing I would do is pull it out and give it a tankwater and iodine gbatch and see if anything will come out. A close visual inspection as well. Are all the polyps firm and healthy?? Just not open, or are there some damages and or melting/unhealhty ones?

[msteele]

There are no fish in the tank, just inverts.
All polyps look healthy, just closed.
Should I still dip it? It opened a little bit when I fed "Kent Marine ChromaPlex".

[flyyyguy]

personally I would. Something is casuing them to be unhappy and that is the first thing to rule out at this point I would think. Of course I would have dipped and inspected and or quarantined before it got anywhere near my display in the first place.

I suggest you take on this practice, at least the dip and inspection part if qt isnt realistic It will save you some headaches sooner or later

[msteele]

Thanks for the help.
I have had the coral in my display, happy and healthy for almost 5 months before it decided it was unhappy. Nothing has changed other. tank is the same, inhabitants are the same etc.

[flyyyguy]

gotcha........when i read your statment "about a week" above....i thought thats all the longer you had had them. I misread it.....

[PayasoDelMar]

Can blue hermits do any damage to zoos? I always see my zoos squirt powdery stuff at them.

[MUCHO REEF]

msteele, you can always dip as a precautionary measure, however, in my opinion alone, dips are used far too often. If you haven't added anything new to your system in 2 to 4 weeks ( the time it would take for a predator to manifest itself ), nor have you added live rock, new coral, or any means of importing a host, a dip isn't really going to make a difference since the retraction occurred as a result/or response to the water change you performed. I have a neon fuschia colored zoanthind, one of my favorite, which has been partially closed for almost 11 days now. I did absolutely nothing to it and it is slowly beginning to reopen. Periodic retraction is normal and most likely this is why your polyps are partially closed.

From what you have stated, I don't feel it's a fish or invert either? Why? Your very detailed description of your tank, parameters etc and the fact that it all began after a water change, leads me to believe that it is nothing more than what it listed in # 25 in the link below. Water changes can sometimes cause polyps to retract especially if the water is not well aerated, mixed long enough, as some of the salt could fall on the corals and cause retraction, burning and/or irritation.

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=1154238&perpage=25&pagenumber=1

This retraction questions arise every week and I will speak with the mods about posting a sticky regarding the question or placing it in the Zoanthid information draft.

This may sound like overkill and a bit more than what you were asking, but I remove 4 colonies from my tank once a month, one from each corner of my tank. I place them in a clear or white shallow bowl with an actinic light over them. With a handheld magnifying glass, I turn and inspect the entire rock. Removing the rocks more often than this will only stunt their growth. I inspect for early signs of Fungus, BI, sponge growth, something parasitical, anything of premature concern. Yes, it's going overboard, but such precautions taken I believe is the reason why I have been lucky enough to keep any tank killing events from happening. I have invested far to much money over the years to feel that I know it all and if I just do my test and water changes my tank will be and prosper without any pitfalls forever.

Also, I would run your actinics only for one full photoperiod to encourage expansion. I have done this for many years safely and it will not hurt your corals. Many others have tried it and will vouch that you have nothing to worry about. Also, if you aren't already doing so, I am and have been a firm believer in using Reef Plus by Seachem. Sure, a lot of what's in it you will find in a good brand of salt, but I firmly and totally believe that it is the only weekly additive, with the exception of periodic additions of Lugol's Iodine, that keeps my system happy, healthy and thriving year after year.

You stated all of your parameters are in check, but could you still list them for us?

If you don't feel comfortable waiting, a very quick swoosh, more so than a prolonged dip, would be my suggestion. Why? A prolonged dip on a retracted colony which might not be the result of a predator, can and sometimes will cause further irritation and now your retraction period might be increased. With no new available avenues for a host to enter your tank, a quick swoosh would be my recommendation follwed by a good inspection.

There have been anecdotal reports of blue legs eating or nipping at zoas, I don't know how true it is.


Didn't mean to go overboard.


Good luck, Mucho

[msteele]

Thank you for the suggestions.
Mucho - I appreciate all of your comments!
I will be patient and hope that it reopens and will try your suggestions.
Sorry to ask questions that have already been asked - I did try to do a search to see if I could find answers before posting but was unable to do so.

Thanks again - I'll keep you posted.

[MUCHO REEF]

No need to apologize, it's a popular question.

The search function is still not fully on line yet due to the issues listed in the link at the top of this page.

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/announcement.php?s=&forumid=184

Hang in there.

Mucho