Palythoa/Protopalythoa Problems

[treylane]

I bought some "metallic green button polyps" at the LFS a few weeks ago - very cool looking. According to the descriptions in the "Aquarium Corals" book, they seem to match the description for Protopalythoa sp.

These were fine and dandy in the tank for a week or so, happily gobbling down cyclops. Then I started noticing that the green parts of the discs have startedt to splotchily change color, or the green stuff has started being worn away...? Either way, most of the polyps are now a splotchy pink/whitish color, and it seems to me that fewer open up each day - I've tried putting them in higher current areas, low current areas, right under the 28w PC light (this is a nano), under shade, etc. Nothing seems to help.

Ammonia=0,Nitrite=0,Nitrate=0, calcium levels are good, and the other corals in the tank (mushrooms, yellow polyps, sarcophyton, and a little monti frag) are doing great. Any ideas?

[musicsmaker]

Is there any way you could a nice clear pic? When you said "most of the polyps are now a splotchy pink/whitish color", it kinda sounds like bleaching. Is there a major difference in your lighting vs. the store lighting? More specifically, is your lighting much more intence than the store's? What else do you have in the tank?

[treylane]

They were about 3.5-4 feet (of air) and 2" of water below 2x96w CF lighting at the store, and at various positions under my 28W bulb right now. I really wish I could post pics, but the camera repair shop isn't sure yet whether my cam is going to be salvageable. :-/

Could certainly be bleaching, just strikes me as odd that everything else in the tank is fine. Corals: green star polyps, red mushrooms, green striped mushrooms, sarcophyton, yellow polyps. Inverts: queen conch, 2xMargarita snails, cerith snail, 3xZebra hermits. Fish: 1xTiny oscellaris, 1xHighfin goby (the fish are VERY recent additions, just had 'em a few days) Also got a big clump of red macroalgae, liverock+associated critters.

[musicsmaker]

It could very well be a shock resulting from the increase in lighting intensity. The other corals are fine because they are used to it. If it is not in a shaded spot now, I would personally get it into one and just leave it be for a while. Every move is a stressor. HTH