zoonthin is not spreading

[Romulan]

Hi I bought a greenish/blue zoonthin and set it up on my live rock so it could spread. well its been two weeks now and it has not spread in fact it looks like some of it has died out a bit, although a large portion is doing fine. What is the best way to help it grow? and is my mandarin goby eating it and stoping it from growing? it seems to spend time on it once in a while.

p.s. sometimes i see this green strings that try to lock on to a live rock but usually they dont make it.

 

[cyberpanther]

Although I would like to say that the mandarin was the culprit (easiest to fix) he's not. Manadarins which you may or may not be aware eat microfauna in your tank, hence, the reason you should only have one in a large well esablished tank. I personally wouldn't recommend one in an aquarium less than 100 gallons (some may say more some less). Anyway, my pint is that the mandarin would not eat soft corals and is just picking small microfauna from the coral. There are small animals, I believe a form of parasite, that will fead on polyps and other similar corals such as yours. They are small snail like thingys about 1/8 in in length. More importantly check your water and make sure everything is in check, ammonia, PH, nitrate, nitrite. What's your salinity at? Do you add any additional nutrients to the water? Do you use tap water? Have you tested the water from everything from chlorine to copper? What other fish do you have? Etc,

 

[cyberpanther]

Also if the coral is receding be concerned but if it is just not spreading yet, that can be normal give it some more time before you get too concerned.

 

[sMARTY]

Give it some time, Two weeks is probably not enough time to notice new growth!

 

[esmithiii]

Zooanthids are incredibly hearty, and grow well under heavy lighting. They are often sold as low-light corals when many species require intense lighting to really grow. I was in Puerto Rico a few weeks ago and saw hundreds of yards of zooanthid colonies in less than an inch of water at low tide. The sun there is intense, much more intense than 400W bulbs!

What kind of lighting do you have? I would also check your water parameters (Salinity, Ammonia, Nitrate, Nitrate). Where in the tank is the specimine located? Are the polyps open? If so, I wouldn't worry.

Give us some more information. Also, resist the temptation to move the colony. If the polyps open, leave it be. You need to wait more than two weeks for it to start growing.

Ernie