Zoas not opening - encroaching hitchiker?

[tebstan]

I've had some Aussie Orange Zoas for a few months. It took them a few days to open up because they had been dipped before going into the DT. But, they did all open up regularly.
I'd noticed they weren't opening as often, and some polyps not at all. Started watching them and other zoas pretty closely, but all others are fine. No apparent predators, no cyano, and the zoas still look plump and healthy, just not open all the time.

Then I noticed a little greenish something growing. It's finally gotten big enough to get a pic.
http://i556.photobucket.com/albums/ss9/TebstansTank/Zoanthids/AussieOrangeZoas4-11-10.jpg

What are these little hitchikers on the right? Can they be irritating the zoas?

[hobogato]

not sure about the hitchhiker - maybe alveopora(link) (http://images.google.com/images?q=alveopora%20coral&oe=utf-8&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&hl=en&tab=wi)

however, it looks to me like the zoas may have zoa pox - those little tiny white dots on the one by itself in the center of the pic that is closed. hard to tell for sure in the pic.

[tebstan]

zoa pox

What the heck is that?! Doesn't sound good.:sick:

[Europhyllia]

OH NOOOOOOOOO!
Zoa Pox!







Just kidding. Never heard of them. Maybe dip them again?

[hobogato]

here is one article i found

http://zoaid.com/articles004.php

others here(link) (http://www.google.com/search?q=zoa+pox&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a)

[hobogato]

on a suggestion from john(firewater), i used furan-2(as mentioned in the article) on some zoas that i thought had the pox and it seemed to help.

[tebstan]

Good eye... I didn't even notice it. Took a pipette to blast a little current at it, and some of it may have been sand, courtesy of the dragon goby. However, I hadn't noticed the white spots on the zoa disk.

Been looking at a lot of zoa pox pics and reading articles. This is either very early stages, or something else entirely. The white spots are only on the oral disk, not on the stalk.
I won't rush to Furan treatment until I see further problems. Bob Fenner has advised waiting it out, letting the illness run its course, and coddling survivors. Not sure I have the stomach to stand by and do nothing, but I will try to have some restraint.

Without spots on the stalks, it may just be bleach spots. I have moved the colony recently, but two inches to the side, not up or down. It is now closer to mushrooms....

*How close is too close?

Chemical warfare can cause zooxanthellae to be expelled, yes? So I'll change the carbon, change some water, and wait. Waiting is so hard.

[tebstan]

I don't have it in me to sit and do nothing. =/

Been doing more reading, and on the SAME faq page, Bob Fenners team recommended treating for zoa pox. Sigh.

I bought the Furan2. I'll take the zoas out tomorrow for a treatment after I sleep on the decision. There's the mysterious but pretty hitchhikers, the weird unknown purple stick stuff, and some cool sponges on the zoa rock as well. Not sure how any of that will do with the Furan2.

I'm still not convinced it's the pox. The pox pics look like an STD for zoas. Mine just look like they caught a cold. Could be that the pics are more advanced cases. But I still wonder about chemical warfare.

The zoa rock was moved closer to some mushrooms when I had to rearrange some rock. Not sure when it happened, but the mushrooms now have weird spots on them too. (They were solid red, and have not been moved.) While investigating this, I also discovered a ricordea growing underneath/behind the shroom. (Rics are on the other side of the tank...)

Forgive the pic, lights were out and I used a flashlight since moonlights weren't helping.
http://i556.photobucket.com/albums/ss9/TebstansTank/Mushrooms/Mushroomwspots4-12-10.jpg

[hobogato]

those look like flatworms - if they are, they are harmless, but will reproduce to plague population if you dont have something in there to eat them.

[tebstan]

How well do they stick on? I used a pipette to try to suck one up. Didn't come off, or blow off. I was afraid to do much more, don't want to hurt the shroom.

What eats 'em? An excuse to buy another fish, hmm... Wrase, right?

[Europhyllia]

Been doing more reading, and on the SAME faq page, Bob Fenners team recommended treating for zoa pox. Sigh.

Yeah I used to check WWM a lot but the different responses got to me. lol. In the end it's just different hobbyists (for the most part) volunteering their time and personal experience. I don't think they consult each other for responses.

I hate that in the beginning of a tank everything is just fine and the more money and effort you put into it the more problems pop up. Was just talking to another MAASTARD today about this...

[Mr Cob]

I hate that in the beginning of a tank everything is just fine and the more money and effort you put into it the more problems pop up. Was just talking to another MAASTARD today about this...


No joke!

[tebstan]

Update, if I can even call it that.

I did a FW dip on the shrooms and a Furan dip on the zoas.

I broke the zoas up. (Not entirely on purpose...) After the dip, I put one back in the original spot and some others far from the mushrooms. The colony that is further away has 12 polyps open, 2 closed. The frag put back in the original spot has 11 open and 18 closed. That's still more open than before. Too soon to blame the mushrooms I guess, but I won't dip again since I don't see any white bumps on the stalks.