Court_Jester
02/06/2004, 03:36 PM
I've a problem with zoanthids in my tank withering away shortly after being placed in the tank.
It started several months ago with a large frag that had spread out on neighboring rock. Over the course of a week, individual polyps closed up and just melted away (not literally, they just seemed to shrink away until they were gone). After 2-3 weeks, the number of polyps droped from >300 to ~30. Those that remained have recovered and slowly grown to ~50 polyps but it has taken >4 months.
I stopped putting zoanthids in the tank the first time this happened, until just this last week when I placed two frags in the tank. Each frag had 3-5 different colors on it and they started "melting away" over the course of the next 4 day. Only a couple individual polyps remain on one of the rocks currently.
Anyone else experience this? My best guess is that this is some type of bacterial infection? The surviving polyps have built up a resistance to whatever is causing this but newly introduced polyps suffer immediately. BTW, no other problems with the tank - I have numerous SPS/LPS corals which show no signs of stress what so ever. Water parameters are all within typical ranges.
Any shared experience with this type of problem would be appreciated. Thanks.
It started several months ago with a large frag that had spread out on neighboring rock. Over the course of a week, individual polyps closed up and just melted away (not literally, they just seemed to shrink away until they were gone). After 2-3 weeks, the number of polyps droped from >300 to ~30. Those that remained have recovered and slowly grown to ~50 polyps but it has taken >4 months.
I stopped putting zoanthids in the tank the first time this happened, until just this last week when I placed two frags in the tank. Each frag had 3-5 different colors on it and they started "melting away" over the course of the next 4 day. Only a couple individual polyps remain on one of the rocks currently.
Anyone else experience this? My best guess is that this is some type of bacterial infection? The surviving polyps have built up a resistance to whatever is causing this but newly introduced polyps suffer immediately. BTW, no other problems with the tank - I have numerous SPS/LPS corals which show no signs of stress what so ever. Water parameters are all within typical ranges.
Any shared experience with this type of problem would be appreciated. Thanks.