Pink Palys getting hurt.

So I have a group of super pink palys that have been doing very well until just the last couple of days. It's a group of three, with another budding out and growing.

The problem is that the largest one has been slowly loosing its tentacles. All three of them were looking good, and one day I noticed that they had ‘sprouted’ a second layer of tentacles. It was like there was one row on top of the other all the way around. And then the larges one’s tentacles started tuning black. Then, just a few at a time, they started disappearing. Now it is basically gone. The odd thing is that the rest of the group is doing fine and seems healthy. As I mentioned there is even new growth on it. But one of the other large ones is starting to do the same thing, and I am wondering if something in my tank is aggravating them.

Here’s some tank info:

My params are all right. There are no toxins that I can detect. Nitrates, nitrites, ammonia, and all trace elements are normal. The lighting is good and they are in the right spot in the tank. Nothing else in the tank seems to be suffering. In fact, the tank is almost too healthy (I am already cutting back some corals that are getting crowded). I have no other corals near the pay, and I have not observed any sweepers near it at night or in the day.

All I have in the tank right now are a couple of peppermint shrimp, a narite snail, a pink margarita snail, a few nas. Snails, a couple of blue hermits, a large hermit (I’m not sure on what he is exactly. He is striped green and he is big enough to be in a large turbo snail shell. He was labeled as a ‘reef hermit’, and I have never observed him even near any corals. He eats a ton of algae though) and an emerald. There are a couple of hitchhiker snails in the tank that I sort of suspect of being the problem. They are each very small, and have a standard snail shaped shell, stripped with brown and cream. I can’t get a definitive ID on them.

Any ideas? I don’t want to loose these little guys. The thing that has me puzzled, and why I thing something is picking at them, is the fact that whatever it is, it’s happening one at a time.

 

Bump

An update:

The paly that looks to be in bad shape is now forming a white ball at the top where the 'button' should be. I have no idea what is going on.

 

any pics

 

I don't have a camera that can capture an image that is of high enough quality to be of use unfortunately.

I wish i could show something that would help. I just can't figure it oue. The new one that is popping up is still growing and looking fine. It's just the largest ones that seem to be closing and 'pinching off the' tops into these white balls. I am stumped.

 

What is around it coral wise?

 

nothing is near it. The closest thing to it is a 'field' of yellow polyps on the opposite side of the rock. There isn't anything that should be stinging it coral wise. The only thing in my tank that i have seen that MIGHT be the cause are a few very small snails that have brow-stripped shells. I have never observed them on any corals, but i don't have them identifued 100% either. other than that, i can't think of what other critters might be the cause.

 

This is a tough one, I've never heard of the tentacles on a zoa or paly falling off or being eaten. How old is the tank? The only thing I could potentially think of is a worm of some type. Larger ones have been known to eat zoas or pick at other corals.

 

I thought of that. I suppose it could be something i just haven't seen.

My tank is only a few months old, but everything in it (LR, substrate, etc.) came from a show tank that was established for many years. It cycled smoothly and I have not had any other losses or health issues up to this point. I haven't had any detectable spike in chemistry either.

I was more concerned with the fact that the tentacles were turning black. It's almost like they just shrank away and rotted off. There was no eveindence that they fell anywhere, just that they shrivled up over the course of several days. Once they were gone it started to close. Now it has formed the ball at the tip and it looks likeit is 'pinching off.

Also, as i mentioned before, it seemed to have formed a second row of tentacles unter the first ones before they started to blacken.

It just sucks...

 

Is it possible that it is a way of spawning a new colony? Now tat i take a closer look, the 'stalk' seems to be quite healthy. It almost looks like it's trying to pinch off the sphere and open back up. I don't know that that is a possibility though.

Anyone ever heard of anything like that?

 

if you bought them from Exotic Tropicals, I would be looking at zoa spiders or zoa eating nudibranchs or some other form of pest.

Im in Cookvegas too!