Zoa red stem/runner disease

[dshel1217]

I purchased these Bam bam zoas from Mr Cobs, and I noticed that some of the zoas base is a dark red. Normaly the "runner" or base is a purplish color but in a few spots its red. The zoas that have a red base are not openning. Any advice or experience

Its easiest to see in the bottom left of the rock, around the zoas that are close

[+etannert]

I'm on my phone so it's a little hard to see the picture, but could it be cyano or some other nuisance algae?

[bimmerzs]

Hi,

It doesn't sound like a zoa pox but could be fungus, or even could be cyano, as mentioned. You can take a very soft bristle toothbrush and gently remove the material in question. You can also dip it in revive per direction's mixed with either salt or fresh water. Every zoa owner should also have either furan 2 or bifuran onhand for zoa dip's, it works wonders as does a bit of hydrogen peroxide mixed with FW or SW, dip it for ~30 seconds until it starts to fizz a bit then remove from dip. Here's some helpful info posted on our dfw sister club.

Many people asks about why their zoanthids are closed. Most of the time, tank parameters are not the cause...

Well, first, you'd want to separate them from other zoanthids, so that whatever it is won't spread to the rest of them. Then, you'll need to answer a few questions:

1. Have you introduced anything new to the tank recently?

If so, there might be a possibility that they came with predators. Always dip your zoas in freshwater and quarantine them.

2. Do you see anything on the zoa colonies right when you turn on and off the lights?

There are many zoanthid predators. Look below for a link with pictures to identify them. If you do, then you'll have to clean them off one by one, dip the zoanthids in freshwater, and remove any you see.

3. Do you have fish or crabs in the tank that might be bothering them?

Certain fish, such as angels, tangs, etc have an appetite for zoas, even if they've been model citizens for years, they might just decide to turn their backs on you one day...

Some crabs also like to pull zoanthids off to find food under the colonies.

4. How long have you had these zoas? were they wild caught or captive from someone else's tank?

Generally wild caught colonies tend to develop diseases more than home grown ones. When buying a colony from online store or local store, look carefully to make sure that all the polyps are open, and the stems are thick, and there aren't any mushy looking tissue on the rocks. Some places would simply pull off the dead polyps from a sick colony and continue to sell the coral.

However, some home grown ones may also develop problems when there are major changes in their environment (water, lighting, nutrition etc).

5. Are the zoas changing colors on the base and the stem? (turning dark, brown ish?) are the stems getting thinner? Do they look milky or pimply white? Fuzzy brown?

This is a sign that they zoanthids are dying off due to diseases. Sometimes, zoanthids can recover by themselves, it may take a while. Other times, zoas would just die away or break off from the base.

When this happens, you'd want to cut away the bad tissue carefully.

Many types of fungus can be treated with Furan2 purchased at local fish stores. Look below for a link to Furan2 treatment.

Predators:

http://zoaid.com/index.php?module=Galle ... itemId=384

How to check for them:

take a magnifying glass and look for them right after lights turn on and off as well.

You can also dip in freshwater for 15 mins, no longer than 30mins. Predators may fall out.

Fungus treatment:

http://www.zoaid.com/articles004.php

Furan2 has been used by many zoa collectors to treat zoa diseases such as zoa pox, white fungus, and brown fungus

Here's a thread of someone treating closed zoas with Furan2:

http://www.club-zoa.com/forums/showthre ... 958&page=2

Cheers,

[dshel1217]

Thank for the great info.

I did a iodine dip when I first got the frag in the mail. This morning I did a 30 sec hydrogen peroxide dip and order the furan 2 to keep on hand. Will keep everyone posted.