I can't keep a zoa what am I doing wrong?

Hello everyone,

This is the second time that I have bought a zoathid and the first time It died but my light where crappy now I have t5 brand new and bought 2 little zoathid and neither are opening. one of them open the first couple hours that it was in the tank and then that's it it's close.

They are place midway in my 120 gallons tank.
I have 7 t5bulbs
They are placed in medium flow
my tank params are
PH 8.0
Ammonia 0
NO2 0
NO3 0
Phosphate 0
KH 9
Calcium 480
Salanity 1.025
temperature 80-82

I have 2 mushroom and they are doing great.
Any suggestion I really like them.

 

sounds like you had/have zoa eating nudi. I would recommend going zoa-less for a couple months (sorry) so the ones in the tank starve off and then begin to reintroduce slowly. Zoa are one thing that NO MATTER WHERE I get them from I dip to kill those off! They seem to be fairly common in the hobby.

 

maybe some pictures would helP??

Also, how are you acclimating the corals? You should really be drip-acclimating them. This will make for a smooth and easy transition into your DT.

Your water chemistry looks pretty good. This would make me lean more toward the method of acclimation or the specimen source.

Did both of them come from the same source??? Maybe you are getting some bunk livestock!?!?
Zoos are typically VERY hardy. So for TWO of them to be going wrong in that tank with seemingly good water can only mean a few things . . .

 

Are they deep water zoas?
I kept placing mine high in the tank, then realized they opened when I moved them lower...

 

very interesting observation. . . are there any guidelines to being able to differentiate the two types of zoos deep/shallow?

 

Very hard to tell unless they are stated as so. Don't put them in direct light at first. They do like moderate to strong flow.

 

No not from the same place, at first I was going to petland and then realize that the were better salt water store around my place. So now I only go to them. They only have salt water lifestock nothing else, locally own their tanks are awesome and their service is unbeleivable. I really think the problem is me.

I do drip acclimate them.

Tomorrow I will move them lower at this point there is nothing to lose, well actually I will lose my coral but better try then died.

 

1+ on the zoa eating nudi and the deepwater thing. your params are fine.

 

Can I see the nudi with my naked eye? I don't see anything in my tank