Zoas closed up

[Big K]

Hello fellow Wet-Arms!

I was just going to see if anyone could help me out with my Radioactive Dragon Eye zoas that aren't opening up. it's only a certain area of the colony (on top) and they haven't opened (that I've seen) in a week or two.

A few pics:



Could it be the favia above it?

 

[Marinne13]

they look to be reaching

 

[Big K]

But the ones on bottom are open and the ones closer to the light are closed. o_O

 

[Marines_Wife]

are your water parameters ok? And are any other zoas in your tank closing?

 

[Marinne13]

Mine do the same thing..I hav e two colonies where some open and the others dont...its weird

 

[Big K]

Marines_Wife, Yeah I tested Saturday and everything was golden (pretty mature tank) and other colonies seem happy.

Marinne13, yeah, mine have been temperamental at times, but these specific polyps have been closed up tight for two weeks.

 

[Marinne13]

Is something bothering them?

 

[Marines_Wife]

That could be a real possibility that something you dont see is bothering them. When I looked at mine when they did this I found a ridiculously tiny nudi on them.

 

[Big K]

Dunno. There was a spaghetti worm in the middle of the area that had arms across the polyps but I got it out with a toothbrush a week or so ago. I was thinking the favia mounted above them might have sweepers bothering them, but it's been there for a fair bit with no issue before this.

 

[Big K]

Hmmm.. tiny Nudi you say. I may have to poke around in there and check again.

 

[Marines_Wife]

I dont know if you can, but I literally had to take mine out of the tank to look and see. It was a tiny brown nudi I found on them and I never would have seen it otherwise.

 

[Big K]

Yeah, this is on a main base rock. No way to remove it. It is close to the top though, I may be able to drain the system enough to get at it.

I've been thinking of getting a piece of plastic propped between the Favia and the Zoas to block any tendrils just to rule them out.

 

[Marinne13]

try basting them...it might get some crud out between them, I do it to my zoas who decide to close for multiple days

 

[Big K]

Good idea. Will do tonight!

 

[salt_for_brains]

The nudi is a possibility but I wouldn't think it would discriminate against the other zoas. My favia can extend some freakishly long sweepers but that appears to be a pretty good distance in your pic.

Have you changed your flow in that area recently?

They have given you some good ideas so hopefully that will fix the problem.

 

[salt_for_brains]

That strange slug thing may have been all up in their business:D

 

[Big K]

LOL I haven't seen Slurms McKenzie near them.

So last night I went to baste and brush off the area again and noticed a Majano anemone poking out amidst the closed polyps! It wasn't very far above them and is very similarly colored (I hate to even kill them they're so pretty!) so I had missed it. After putting the Aptasia X to it last night, this morning they are open just a tiny bit!

 

[salt_for_brains]

I'm glad you found the culprit and it definitely makes more sense why it was an isolated area.

Mojano are wicked but can be very pretty anemones.

 

[Big K]

When I first bought this set-up the guy had a whole colony of them and we just thought they were another coral. Now I have to kill them off every month or so.

 

[bjohanson1234]

Was going to suggest that maybe the new lights you just hung had something to do with it.