High Tide Aquatics

AoG Polyp Melting?

Natterjak

Natterjak

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Not really melting per se, but I'm not sure how to describe it. I have a small frag of AoGs from the swap, and they've been doing great except that a while ago I had one polyp that started looking bad - the tentacles disappeared, and the polyp kept shrinking until it pretty much disappeared. Now I have another polyp that is doing the same thing. I can't see any noticeable pests on them, and the rest seem to be doing okay (the number of polyps is still increasing as well), as are the other zoas I have.

Anyone ever seen this happen before or know what might be the cause?
 
Though you don't detect any pests a bath in some Tropic Marin or Lugols couldn't hurt just to be on the safe side. Did you dip it before you put it in your tank?
 
I know I dipped the stuff I got from the swap in Lugols, but I can't remember if I dipped the zoas as well. What's the usual dipping regiment for zoas?
 
I usually do about a minimum of a 15 mins or so bath of Tropic Marin Pro Coral Cure for anything before it hits my tank. Zoa's can be just a vunerable to pests and there are some nasty ones out there.
 
I've had this happen with other stuff, but not AoG.

It may be that the frag was fresh cut and didn't have enough recovery time. I think the shrinking may be from stress and the polyp closing up and using its tissues for energy.

For dipping, you can do tank water with povidone in a 1 liter to 3 ml ratio.

If you use Lugol's, you can follow this guide:

http://www.reeffarmers.com/acclimation.htm
 
[quote author=Raddogz link=topic=1961.msg18904#msg18904 date=1176766578]
Bonnie - what is your salinity like?

On my smaller tank I kinda let the top-off go for a few days and p'oed a few zoos.
[/quote]
Yah, that can happen.
 
Hmm, haven't double-checked my salinity since my last water change a little over a week ago. I've been keeping up with my top-off, so I don't suspect that it's fluctuated that much, if it has. I'll check it tonight though.

The frag was the one I got from the BAR swap, so I would think it would be okay at this point? It's grown from 4 polyps to like 7 or 8 now, minus the two that I've lost. This second one that's going was adjacent to the first one that disappeared, but that one went a few weeks ago.

I will give it a dip tonight and see if that helps.
 
Sometimes stuff can close up for a while, then open back up. Water changes seem to help when that happens.

If it's growing well, and only some of the polyps are showing that problem, it might be nudibranchs then. They can be hard to spot. They'll be colored like what they have been eating.
 
Okay, I checked salinity, that's at 1.025. I dipped the frag in Lugols, and moved it to a higher flow spot. I have a feeling that one polyp is probably a goner, it looks pretty bad. The first one that died, I thought it might come back, but it literally just disappeared. They don't seem to be closing up - it's more like they're turning inside out, and the tentacles just disappear before the whole thing disappears. Sad. :(
 
I've seen zoas do that before.

If you have another tank, sometimes it helps to put the ailing zoa into an entirely different system.

I've rescued a few that way.

Also, if there are really bad looking polyps, I like to cut them out with a sharp scalpel or knife.
 
Bonnie,

I just reread the thread and noted that they went from 4 to 7 or 8 polyps since the swap, which is like 2 months ago. So I gotta ask, do you think the steroids could be the problem?

The symptoms sound similar. ;)

C
 
Well, my stupid polyps are still dying, one by one. I had dipped them, moved them to a higher flow area, and I've lost two more since. :( They are fortunately growing fast enough where I'm still gaining a polyp overall each time, but this is annoying. Should I try something else? Dip them again? All my other zoas are fine, it's just these. :p
 
NATTERJACK (Bonnie ?)

My zoa's did NOT like the changing of ALK and pH... even salinity changes... ( especially when I don't do the top off right away, I do manual top offs )

So, have you tried to dipped em' in FURAN2 ? I had the same problem till I dipped ALL my zoa's in FURAN2 as per the read-up on clubzoa regarding as a dip regiment. some lost color ( stress ? ) some which were already weak did not survive, but most did.

I first dipped in LUGOLS, ( Didn't work ) then I waited a week for the to recoop, the did a FW dip... ( waited another week after ) then finally the FURAN2 treatment... worked like a charm for me... can't really say it might for everyone.. figured that if the other known stuff did not work might as well try something new and different. ::)

Also after treatment.. all the zoos were place high up in frag racks away from the main rocks and sand.... ( KEEPS EM' away from large ampipods waiting to chew on weakend zoos ) plus helps with more water flowing through them during the healing phase.

I hope this helps.. if it dosn't let me know as I am starting to get more polyps on my AOG frags...I can possibly give you 2 polyps.. ;D

Charles ( DELSOL650 )
 
Yup, Bonnie. :)

I haven't tried Furan, only Lugols so far - I have an auto topoff, so salinity shouldn't be an issue.

I did spot a couple tiny asterinia stars on them, but they seemed to be only on the polyps that were already fading, so I'm not sure if they were causing the problem, or just scavenging.

It's odd that it's been a slow process - literally they've been going one at a time, to where I've lost 3 now since I got them back in February. I still have 10 or so polyps, so I'm not panicking yet - it's all just kind of mysterious!
 
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