Yellow Polyps?

[JustinReef]

I am looking for someone with experience keeping yellow polyps. Mine are not looking so good right now! Quite a few are not open and most are very dark yellow. One even seems to have this white fuzz all over it! I have searched the internet for answers but get completely different opinions on lighting, flow and difficulty of these polyps. Can someone who has kept them successfully please give me some advice and info on them?

Water parameters are: Amm., 0, Nitrites, 0, Nitrates, 5, Phosphate >.1, Calcium, 550, PH, 8.3, SG. 1.024, Alk. 10

Thanks!

[bertoni]

None of those parameters seem all that bad to me. This article might help in checking your SG device, though:

http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-06/rhf/index.php

Some devices are very inaccurate.

In which tank are you keeping the polyps, and what's the lighting of the 24g, if that's where they are.

[ACBlinky]

The colour change could be a lighting issue. The white fuzz concerns me, can you post a picture? Hopefully they don't have fungus.

Are you seeing them close up around feeding time? Could be they're just digesting -- these guys are big eaters and will consume just about anything from frozen foods to fish poop. They'll also close up if fish are picking at them or crabs walk over them.

AFAIK yellow polyps are very adaptable and will accept everything from low to high light and flow. Some of mine are right under the halides being absolutely blasted by flow and seem to be loving it; they eat like pigs at feeding time and are starting to take over.

[jp1856]

Are they high, med or low in the tank? sounds like a lighting issue. try putting them on the sand bed or under a ledge or something. the white is probable them burning up.

[JustinReef]

Well I use a hydrometer and am now going to try to test it to make sure it is working right! They are in my nanocube (My LFS said they would be fine and everything I read said that medium light would be fine). The lighting is just the stock lighting from the JBJ nanocube which is 72 watts. I will take a pic as soon as I get home. They were doing so well until the last few days!

[bertoni]

Hmm, well, that lighting should be okay for yellow polyps, I think. The tank might have some sort of predator or disease causing problems, though. You could try a close examination of the coral, perhaps at night, to see what's happening.

[JustinReef]

OK...Im sure there are lots of types of predators but what are the common ones? What should I be looking for? Everything Ive read on the net says the lighting should be fine but Im really not sure!

[JustinReef]

Here is a pic of them now... You can actually see two that have completely died! They were fine two days ago, yesterday they had a fuzz all over them and today, they are totally gone...You can see in the middle there is a kind of white knob, that used to be one...

http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r179/Justinpsmith/DSCN1708.jpg

And this is them about 4 days ago I think...Look much better!

http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r179/Justinpsmith/DSCN1650.jpg

I was also wondering about the placement of the powerhead on the right. It is on the same side as the return water from the filter. Should I move some stuff around and put it on the other side? Originally I was going to for better flow but then because of the small size tank, I thought it would be fine on the same side...Any thoughts?

http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r179/Justinpsmith/DSCN1700.jpg


Thanks!

[JustinReef]

Oh and what is the name of the coral in the sandbed? I have totally forgotten the name and want to read about them on the net. Sorry for all the questions but Im still trying to learn as much as possible!

[bertoni]

There are likely both slug-like animals and snails that will prey on your zoanthids.

[JustinReef]

Any one else have any other ideas? Im not sure what Im looking for?

[Driftwood]

They don't look that bad to me. I had a colony that died back a little for no apparent reason. Came back strong.

One thing that can make them grow fast is to feed them. Each polop will take food. I feed mine mysid shrimp with the rest of the tank and usually every polop will accept food.

Good luck!

[cristhiam]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8682121#post8682121 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by justinpsmith
Oh and what is the name of the coral in the sandbed? I have totally forgotten the name and want to read about them on the net. Sorry for all the questions but Im still trying to learn as much as possible!

Looks like a goniopora but a closer picture will help, if it is, is not so easy to keep, I've been lucky with my green goni I have 2+ years I don't do anything special to it.

Your yellow polyps looks fine (some polyps maybe had problems adjusting to the new tank), try feeding them.

[blackheart]

yes it is a goniopora secondly those polyps you have dont really need any light i keep them in my sump and they grow fine. Be careful though cause once they start growing it is all over i have to trim miine back once a month or they would be all over the tank. Also keep in mind that they are very very aggrsive and will kill almost any coral they touch.

With that being said if you would like them to grow, which they will, then feed them some mysis shrimp one shrimp per polyp will be plenty. feeding them twice a week will give you more than you know what to do with in no time.

http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r37/skess4444/fishtank079.jpg

I keep mine in the sand so they are easily removed

[snowman5373]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8682601#post8682601 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by justinpsmith
Any one else have any other ideas? Im not sure what Im looking for?

I would move them into a low flow area and close to the lights. They should recoup in a couple weeks, then you can place them where you would like.