lunar help

[EMUReef]

So im in this growout contest on another forum.
Lunars are one of the polyps included and for the life of me i cant find a spot in my tank they like.
2 small polyps that are barely hanging in there.

Any ideas/input on where to keep them?

i tried high light, medium/high and on the sand of my 24" tank... still not much to be excited about. I've always had issues with lunars, about the only polyp i have a problem with.

[Friday Night]

Grow out contest? Thats a first. Please explain sounds different....

In terms of making them grow?... Just keep up on good husbandry. Dont "add" anything unless needed. Dont fix unless broken... I always just kept mine on the floor of the tank... Yet again everyones tank chem is different......

[EMUReef]

Grow out contest? Thats a first. Please explain sounds different....

In terms of making them grow?... Just keep up on good husbandry. Dont "add" anything unless needed. Dont fix unless broken... I always just kept mine on the floor of the tank... Yet again everyones tank chem is different......

The growout contest is a contest running from nov to april to see who gets the most polyp growth on 7 different zoa frags. Its an idea to see what take conditions works best for the most polyp growth.

as far are your help.. well wasn't much lol i keep great husbandry, as the other 18 or so different polyps i have are doing great, along with the 5 other frags in the same area are growing and producing polyps.

[Snookster]

The growout contest is a contest running from nov to april to see who gets the most polyp growth on 7 different zoa frags. Its an idea to see what take conditions works best for the most polyp growth.

as far are your help.. well wasn't much lol i keep great husbandry, as the other 18 or so different polyps i have are doing great, along with the 5 other frags in the same area are growing and producing polyps.

I keep mine towards the top under 4 t5s (2 blue sp, 1 blue + & 1 aquasun) and one blue Reefbrite LED. I don't dose anything, run bio pellets, NO3 & Po4 are not measurable with my kits. I use Rod's 2x a week and don't target feed any zoas.

This pic is a couple of months old. It's probably triple this # polyps now.
http://www.markstraley.com/aquarium/corals/P8080017.jpg

[Friday Night]

Theres no "answer" to your question. Theres not a "X marks the spot" in the tank where the zoas are going to take off and grow at a crazy amount... Set them and forget them. let them do thier thing.....

[EMUReef]

Theres no "answer" to your question. Theres not a "X marks the spot" in the tank where the zoas are going to take off and grow at a crazy amount... Set them and forget them. let them do thier thing.....

See your failing to understand my question. Its not the fact i want my lunar to all of the sudden grow a million polyps.

they are living... not thrieving...

they look poor in health so something is not making them happy and i can say i know its not my water quality as many other zoa's i have are happy and growing nicely.

Put aside the fact that im in this growout contest, i'd still like to see these polyps open to there full potential. I've had them since november, its not like i just got them and expect them to growth 10 new polyps. So in 3 months, 0 growth.

I know that some zoa's like a certain amount of light or this and that. Thats why i was wondering because like i've said i have plenty of zoa's that are thrieving in my tank, and was wondering if my approach to the lunars was off.... but i appreciate your try at making it seem like i have no patience and all i want is a MILLLLIONNNNN polyps out of know where.

[EMUReef]

and just for fun here's a pic a couple weeks old.
they pretty much look the same and have looked this way for a month 1/2

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5161/5307289991_67be1f374e.jpg

[zooty]

too much flow? not enough flow?
too much/ too little light?

hard to say, mine are on the floor under halide/T5s and do well. Grow slowly though.

One observation that I have had with zoas and palys. They seem to be cyclical, growing well, then dying back, then growing well again. So much so that sometimes, I'll get polyps from somewhere where they were doing well then suddenly they die back for me and for months, 1 or 2 if any just hang in there. Then overnight they take off and start multiplying.

I have found that as long as they stop receding and you don't move them they will eventually "hopefully" take off growing again.

Probably not any info that you were looking for but I thought I would pass it along.

[Scopus Tang]

Have you tried requesting help on the forum of the contest? Maybe some of those who are having success with them would be able to share some suggestions.

[MUCHO REEF]

Wow, sorry to hear this mate. From the side view alone I can clearly see that they have begun to expel thier zooxanthellae, this is not good. Numerous factors can and will contribute/cause this to occur. A bit of background would help along with a top down picture. If you can click on the link below and see if you can answer any of those questions for us.


http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1852463


Did you acclimate them in anyway?

I don't agree at all with the constant moving, if anything, it might have contributed to the issues they were already having. Knowing the parameters of the previous system, lighting type, watts, scheme etc are all vital in the transition. Do you recall the type of system they came out of? Listed below are many factors which will contribute to the onset of bleaching.


Bacteria
chemicals
cilates
coccideans
darkness
fungi
heavy metals
higher temps
hypersalinty
hyposalinity
doldrum ( lack of water movement )
light
medications
noxious agents
physical stress
red spectral light
sedimentation
starvation
stress
temp changes
ultraviolet radiation

Here's a direct quote from page 380, top left corner of Eric's Aquarium Corals book.

"Without the proper number of Zooxanthellae in their tissues, corals must rely almost entirely on dissolved nutrient uptake and heterotrophic feeding to meet their energy needs. Without their symbionts, the corals' ready carbon source produced by zooxanthellae photosynthesis is severely, if not totally, reduced. Furthermore, there is no guarantee that a bleached coral can or will adopt new zooxanthellae. Without the uptake of new symbionts, it will then LIKELY PERISH. At the least, metabolic activity becomes abnormal while the coral is in a bleached or partially bleached state, leading to changes in reproduction, reduced growth and possible tissue degeneration.

Translation - If the appropriate measures by each of us are not taken to adequately address that which leads to bleaching and those who make a concerted effort to cause/create a color shift/change, this is what will potentially happen. The coral will expel its Zooxanthellae from its tissue, the coral will have to rely on organic substrates to get its carbon for growth and development, the coral must now adapt to meet its needs for survival, you have impeded the inner natural functions for survival, there is no guarantee that the color will return and possible mortality ( death ) can occur. The very least that's going to happen is the breakdown of food and its transformation into energy will become abnormal and change and/or alter the reproductive rate, hinder growth and possible cause external damage to the coral.




Question, are they retracting at night?

Are they responsive to current or touch?

If you could answer the questions in the link above, I will be happy to try and help you. Until then, make sure they are being hit with medium current which slightly wiggles them but does not cause retraction. They are indeed still alive and viable, but any attempts to save them needs to begin ASAP. Once we hear from you, maybe we can all help save them. As for now, don't move them till we hear back from you my friend. Hang tough.

Mucho Reef

[wazupjames]

My lunars are on the sand bed 24" down under T5 actinics and indirect 250w MH light. They have been doing great. My guess would be low flow, low - mid light is where mine stand.

Yours look very stressed. I would try picking a lower light spot and letting them chill for a bit.