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View Full Version : Cause of Palythoa melting.

TacoKing
02/05/2009, 03:11 PM
About a week ago 90% of my palythoa's in my frag tank decided to close up and start melting a way. The zoa's are fine. This melt happened over a period of about 3 days and has since stopped. There is some tissue left on some the corals, a few have skirts popping out, but over all it's a pretty bad sight. Any common reasons for this happening? Everything else in my tank is stable and doing fantastic.
SIR PATRICK
02/05/2009, 04:01 PM
A list of parameters and description of your set up would be great help in figuring this one out. (ph,alc,calc,no2,no3,phos,)

Any drastic changes to the tank lately? (lighting, filtration, fish deaths, ect.)
xskyzx
02/05/2009, 04:33 PM
sometime they just melt on their own....
SIR PATRICK
02/05/2009, 05:33 PM
That is very true.

But- 90% all receading/melting at the same time usually means there is a problem.
TacoKing
02/05/2009, 06:04 PM
Parameters are spot on, though ALK has risen a bit and I'm working on getting it down. It's at about 10 when I like to keep it in the 8 range. Nothing really seems out of the norm. All LPS, SPS and clams are healthy. Even all zoanthids. It's just the palythoa's that melted... Heck, I haven't even added anything in ages.
Pufferpunk
02/05/2009, 06:06 PM
That's so sad... :( I've never heard of them melting away all at once like that. Mine would melt away as whole colonies that were doing well for years, with healthy colonies right next to them.

The only advice I can offer to you is read the Vitamin C thread. It may help get them back on their "feet".
TacoKing
02/05/2009, 06:55 PM
Pufferpunk, I've actually started VC treatment. I started a couple days ago. So far no drastic improvement, but we'll see. I'm currently on the low side of the dosage. It started with one colony and seems to have spread to others. I actually did notice one colony closed up earlier in the week and didnt' attribute anything to it. Low and behold it was the first one to go.
SIR PATRICK
02/05/2009, 08:04 PM
When you say started with one, and moved to others, it kind of reminds me of pox.

Notice any white spots/pimples on the zoas?
Pufferpunk
02/05/2009, 10:32 PM
Several of us (myself & Geoxman) have seen high doses of VC cure zoapox.
TacoKing
02/06/2009, 08:46 AM
How high are we talking? I bought the stuff from iHerb. I have a gross volume of around 400 gallons.
Pufferpunk
02/15/2009, 02:37 AM
I only treated my frag tank at those high doses of ~100ppm. My main tank gets ~25ppm.