Help GSP and Zenia Chemical Warfare

Discussion in 'Soft Corals' started by musarra, Apr 8, 2011.

to remove this notice and enjoy 3reef content with less ads. 3reef membership is free.

  1. musarra

    musarra Spanish Shawl Nudibranch

    Joined:
    Jul 14, 2010
    Messages:
    83
    Location:
    Buffalo, New York
    I have had these two corals for about a month (Green Star Polyp and Zenia). Recently the zenia, which just split into two separate stalks has been looking wilted. Is it possibly (or likely) that the GSP is harming it through chemical warfare? They are far apart but the flow is enough that it likely wouldn't matter if they were on opposite sides of the tank.

    I have read that both corals (and mushrooms which i also have) perform this chemical warfare but there is little consensus on how to deal with it or which corals are worse. From what I read the GSP is one of the worst for chemical warfare. Should I just get rid of it? (I already run 2x the recommended level of chemi-pure). I did not know when i bought it how severe the effects can get and I dont want to see my tank fall apart. Any suggestions?

    Parameters and other critters:
    34 gal tank
    150w HM lighting
    mp10 ecotech

    Ammo, Nitrite, & Nitrate 0
    Ph 7.9-8.2
    35 ppm salinity
    470 ppm cal
    7.0 dkh
    1290 ppm mag
    0 phosphates

    Occ. (black)
    Firefish goby
    some orange and blue mushrooms
    green mushrooms
    Duncan coral
    Torch, Hammer, and Standard(?) Euphyllia
    2 Maxima clams
    assorted snails and some blue dwarf hermits
    2 skunk cleaners
    some macro algae in sump
     
  2. Click Here!

  3. Sadie

    Sadie Coral Banded Shrimp

    Joined:
    Jan 12, 2011
    Messages:
    371
    Location:
    New England
    I never had a problem with my GSP. They covered an entire rock and I had a frogspawn, a toadstool, muchrooms, a red chilie coral and yellow polyps all very close (I only have a 12 gal) and I never had anything sting or chemical war each other.

    Did you dip it? Are you sure you didn't pick up some kind of hitch hicker?

    Do you have a pic?
     
  4. musarra

    musarra Spanish Shawl Nudibranch

    Joined:
    Jul 14, 2010
    Messages:
    83
    Location:
    Buffalo, New York
    no dip but all corals were captive grown pretty sure there is no hitchhiker. GSP looks amazing (pictures coming as soon as possible) but my mushrooms have gotten a bit smaller and my zenia looks very wilted like if i touch it it will fall apart (also will be posting zenia picture) everything was fine for a while the zenia even began to grown on the LR i placed it on then all of a sudden (last 2 days or so it has been very closed up).
     
  5. musarra

    musarra Spanish Shawl Nudibranch

    Joined:
    Jul 14, 2010
    Messages:
    83
    Location:
    Buffalo, New York
    images are attached and the corals are about 8 inches away from each other, p.s. also have a palm tree coral (culvera or something) thats been all closed up (in the zenia pic on the bottom). could it be the problem?
     

    Attached Files:

  6. SushiGirl

    SushiGirl Barracuda

    Joined:
    Sep 18, 2010
    Messages:
    2,457
    I'd be more inclined to think water parameters with the xenia, or just nothing LOL.

    Our xenia struggles. Some days it looks like it's getting bigger, other days it looks like it's getting smaller and suffering. Everything else looks fine. Some people have xenia take over and others can't grow it at all. Unfortunately, no one really knows enough about xenia to ever figure why it does any of the things that it does. Supposedly it likes nitrates in the water, but obviously that's not the only key or it'd be taking over the tank by now (we got it in December)!