zoa and other corals reaching for the sky

A

apdraper

whats causing them to do this? i noticed in most tanks that their zoa's appear to be closely bunched together and hugging close to the rock. my zoa's are extending (like tall or stretching) from the rock and are not closely bunched together. why is that?
 
Howdy! I still am of the opinion that the corals are not getting enough light. Maybe you do have the right kind of lights....mine do that when too far away, or the bulbs are getting old.

I've also heard that they do that when there is not enough oxygen in the water - they stretch out to have the maximum amount of space exposed to the flow, to get air. Whether that is true or ridiculous, I have no idea, but it's a thought.
 
I have been trying to resolve this issue for quite a while.

In the 24G JBJ Nano all zoas are tight and brightly colored. Out of the box lights and pump. Nothing in the filter box but LR rubble.

In the 100G I have a two sets of zoas which both were tight and green when I placed them. They changed to brown and extended in a very short time. Have no idea what causes it.

I have a 4x 65 W Orbit and a 250W Giesseman on the tank. It has 3 MJ 600s and a Mag 5 return of a small sump. Have tried a number of skimmers but have refused to spend a ton of money on a unit rated 4 to 5 times the size of the tank.

All the other livestock looks ok and everything is getting larger so I assume it is all healthy.

Only thing that doesn't seem to do well in it is the zoas. For now I keep them in other tanks. I'll figure this one out someday.

Didn't even think to ask the folks at IMAC. Will ask at SaltwaterU this weekend and let you know if they have any suggestions.
 
I'm going to agree that it's probably a lighting issue. How big is the tank, what is illuminating it now and where are the corals in question?
 
60x18x18...100gal

the corals are midway...i have 12" from canopy to water surface...and the tank is only 18" tall.

2 250w 12k halides

the lamps are over 6 months old...but not over 12 months
 
I may be wrong, but I think you may need an additional MH since your tank is 60" long. You only have 2 MH lights that would only cover 48" of length. Just a thought. Are they directly under the MH or to the side of them?
-Chuck
 
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