How hardy are Zoas???

[reefenthusiast]

I am from out of town, I usually bring my mini tank setup (1-2 gal with top and carrier, bubble maker, and even heater) whenever I make a trip to Atl. Just in case I find something neat to bring back with me 😁. Well I was very excited to leave the expo this past weekend with 10 beautiful frags of zoas, a superman mushroom, and a torch coral. As soon as I left the expo, I carefully placed each coral in my mini tank and plugged in my bubble maker and heater ( kinda chilly that night or at least I thought for the corals) and let it sit overnight. Well heater malfunctioned, stuck in the on position and cooked my corals by the time I woke up in the am. Torch coral and and superman mushroom became sludge. To my surprise the zoas still kept its shape and form. As soon as I made it home, I dipped the zoas, squirt all the slime off of them, and placed them into my cube. It's been 4 days, still no sign of recovery. What are my chances? Some are still holding its shape and attached to frag disks.

As you can expect, I am beyond devastated and frustrated. My hard earned money that i saved up for months for the expo went right out the window 😰😪😥😓


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[ringo®]

If they didn't melt, then there's always a chance.

 

[reefenthusiast]

Thanks. How long will they zoas stay closed for when stressed.


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[reefenthusiast]

And also, should I redip them again with CoralRx or would that stress them out even more?


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[ringo®]

That depends. I've had some in the past that have stayed closed for a week or two. As long as it's not melting away, leave it in and let it do it's thing.

 

[ringo®]

I wouldn't dip them for overheating.

 

[reefenthusiast]

Oh good to know, I just have a habit of dipping my corals when they are showing stress. I guess in this case more harm than good. Thanks


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[y-not]

Dude, that totally blows goats.
I hate to hear about heater failures. It reminds me of why I got out of the freshwater side (long, long ago).

There's always a chance.

I know there's an ENORMOUS difference between saltwater and freshwater.
The heater on my freshwater tank failed in the on position. Cooked everything in the tank.
I was pissed. I unplugged everything and left it there. About 2 months later, my wife still being sensitive to my loss, asked that I do something with the tank.

By that point, about half of the water had evaporated. So with a bit of struggling, I put it in the guest bathtub. We did not have a child then and no one ever used that bathroom.

A couple of months later, my wife informs me that her mother is coming to visit and asked if I could, once again, do something with the tank that is now sitting in the guest bathtub.

At this point, there was about 3 inches of water left in the tank (it started with 29 gallons).
So I proceed to pull out all the pieces and getting ready to scoop the gravel out.
Out of no where, came my Black Marbled Catfish. Barking like a guard dog.

Good grief that water was nasty looking, nasty smelling and I've no doubt, the parameters were all whacked out. I mean, I never even took the 10 or 11 fish that died in there, out.

But...the Catfish survived somehow.

Perhaps your Zoas will too.

 

[reefenthusiast]

Thank you for taking the time to share such an interesting and encouraging story. My husband was somewhat sensitive to my loss though.


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[reefenthusiast]

Sad news, more than half of the frags have completed melted and disintegrated to nothing. ;(


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[camellia]

Hey Liana sorry for your loss. Hopefully the Zoas still standing will pull thru and grow like weeds for you.

 

[reefenthusiast]

Yeah thanks Debbie. Sad weekend for me. I pretty much used every dime on the swap I made with you and then loss the same night.


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[camellia]

ReefEnthusiast;957605 wrote: Yeah thanks Debbie. Sad weekend for me. I pretty much used every dime on the swap I made with you and then loss the same night.


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Next time your in town ill frag you some pricy Zoas free. If ya cheer up

 

[reefenthusiast]

Thanks Debbie. You are too kind.


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[lagunareef]

Wow, what a terrible loss. I'm sorry to hear.

Styrofoam boxes maybe your next consideration. We had plenty of it at the Expo and they hold the temp pretty well when closed and sealed. Think how our corals get here and the multiple shipping days for arrival.

Again, sorry for you loss. If you're attending our next event, please remind me and I'll bring an extra zoa for you. (I know how it feels since I've lost corals from being kept in the car.)

 

[bulkrate]

That's terrible news... At least this was your QT/transport tank and not your main system, right?

Zoas can close up for weeks if something ticks them off enough and so long as they stay formed it's worth trying to save them. Keep in mind, it can also take weeks for them to re-open fully after whatever's irritated them is gone/fixed. If I were you I'd use a baster to gently blow off any melting/decaying tissue & do a lugol's iodine dip. Then a couple large water changes on the tank to get whatever may have fouled the water diluted (temp, s.g. and alk matched - mind you) to see if you can save what's left and run with a batch of fresh carbon in whatever filter you're using.

PM me when the next ARC shindig gets near - I may be able to contribute some display-grade macroalgae or rainbow cloves - the frag I bought at the WWC booth has already started putting out several new polyps and I haven't even set it on rock yet.

 

[reefenthusiast]

Thank you everyone for the really kind gestures. Ill blow all the decaying tissue when I get home. I will try to my best to save whatever I have left. Hopefully, the my top 5 zoas are the one still fighting (crossing my fingers).


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