New Zoas Don't Look Good - Algea Caps on top?

[ReefGirlSara]

I just got some sweet zoas from a guy who is downsizing. He had quite a bit of algea in the tank - mainly extreme hair algea. I saw a pic he took a bout 1-2 weeks ago of these same zoas and they were open and very nice, they are blue and light greenish yellow. When I picked them up, they were mostly closed, but I thought it was just because he had been moving stuff in his tank.

Now that I have had time to really look at them, they are not opening very much in my tank and they look like they have little 'algea hats' over the closed polyps. I put them in an area of high flow and some of the algea started to loosen up, so I pulled a couple of them off - the algea caps I mean - and the closed polyps look healthy underneath. Is anyone familiar with this? What should I do for them? I got some other nice zoas from him that don't have this problem and they all opened nicely.

Thanks!

[dc_909]

Pics?

[ReefGirlSara]

Will post pics tonight.

[keef123]

Try using a turkey baster to blast some of the excess algae off of them.
if that doesnt work make sure the polyps are closed and rip off the algae that you can and use a soft bristle toothbrush to remove the rest.

[Pufferpunk]

That's what happened to mine, before dosing with Vitamin C. I dreaded buying zoas because of this. See the thread on treating w/Vit C.

[rawbomb]

Vitmin C directly into the tank???

[Pufferpunk]

Yup, you'll be amaized! Please read the thread.

[rawbomb]

i ask cause i have the exact same thing happening to me but im going to look up that thread now.

[ReefGirlSara]

That thread is awesome pufferpunk, thanks for posting the link. I'm still a little nervouse about any changes, because my tank is doing great - it's just these zoas that came from another tank that I got on Saturday - and I'm kind of fond of the idea "if it aint broke, don't fix it" so I'm not sure I want to go to Vitamin C yet. I am thinking of getting some selcon to soak food in though, but that's beside the point.

As for my zoas, I think I will try physically removing as much of it as I can tonight, and if they don't show signs of improvement tomorrow or Wednesday, I might start the Vitamin C dosing.

[Pufferpunk]

You might want to read this thread then:
http://archive.reefcentral.com/forum...readid=1274521

A guy with a wonderful tank, nothing going wrong with it & he's amazed at what adding C is doing for it.

[ReefGirlSara]

here's some pics in order of when I got them to now.









Anyone know what these zoas are called?

[Pufferpunk]

Did they ever look good, even at the beginning?

[ReefGirlSara]

He sent me a pic from about 10 days ago with all of them open. That's why I wanted them, and when I picked them up at his house I was in a hurry and it was a good deal, so I didn't inspect them too much. He had just done a water change so everything in the tank was closed up - not just them.

[Pufferpunk]

You should tell him he has zoapox & to inspect all of his for it, before it wipes out his tank.

[rawbomb]

where are the zoa pox?

[Pufferpunk]

OMG--I'm sorry, wrong thread!

[rawbomb]

but is there any specific dip or anything that can be done for a colony like this to stop the spread and save it? i am adding the Vit C but i know that takes some time.

[Pufferpunk]

Folks have had some sucess with Furan 2 dip. All it did for me was kill my zoas though.

[rawbomb]

Isnt furan for zoapox? i have the algea cap thing going

[Pufferpunk]

I was told that brown stuff is some sort of fungus. Just repeating what was suggested I do. The C works just fine for me--be patient.

[ReefGirlSara]

rawbomb - yesterday I picked the brown caps off as much as I could, and as gently as I could. Then I held them in front of my koralia 3 - about 8 inches from it, and rotated it a bit, letting the flow blow some more algea off. My blue leg hermits have been cleaning the algea off a little too. today they are almost algea free, twice as many are open now as compared to yesterday. All I have done today is leave them in an area of medium flow and I spot everything in the tank some frozen cyclopeeze. They look much healthier. I think the main thing is to get as much of it off of them as possible, but be as gentle with them as possible.

I am certainly no expert, and for all I know it could come back twice as bad tomorrow and take over all my zoas but for now, they look pretty good.

[Pufferpunk]

Are you still gonna try the vitamin C?

[ReefGirlSara]

I wanted to isolate the treatments - so I'll see how much they improve in the next few days, and I may end up dosing Vitamin C just to do it, not necessarily because anything is suffering.

I'm dosing Vitamin C to myself right now...I have a cold.

[Pufferpunk]

Try 3 caps of echinacea, 3x/day. It'll wipe it out in a couple of days.

[ReefGirlSara]

Yeah, echinacea is good stuff!! I always take it when I'm sick.