coral polyps are dying?

Question
QUESTION: Hey, I moved those mushrooms into partial shade by way of making a rockwork cave and they seem to be doing a little better. However about a week ago after I did a water change I noticed that my polyps (both colors) were closed and not re opening. I've given it sometime, and now they appear to be shrivelling up and still haven't opened. I've tested the water for just about everything and nothing seems out of place. I have noticed some brown algae growing instead of my usual green algae. The only other thing is that I added a different protein skimmer (I was having an issue with my old one)... I have no idea what the problem could be, they were doing really well.

Also, there's about a metric ton of tiny bug like things in my tank (as well as some kind of worm) I don't think they're messing with the polyps they seem to eat the algae off the wall of my tank, and any flakes that fall on the bottom. (They look like pill bugs but underwater)

ANSWER: Hi Alisha. Is there any way that something could have entered your tank through the water when you did your last partial water change? Did you switch brands of salt? Do you use distilled or reverse osmosis or do you use tap water? Some city supplies of water add different chemicals during different times of the year in order to combat bacteria in the water supply. There is also a chance of copper entering your tank through your tap water so you would want to be sure to test for that if you used it. Even if you use bottled water if you use a different brand you could wind up with some chemicals in there that weren't in a different brand. Is your new protein skimmer doing the job for you? Are you collecting a thick greenish brown junk that needs to be emptied at least once a week? How old are your bulbs? All florescent type bulbs should be replaced every six months because the intensity greatly diminishes in this time and you will notice some corals not doing as well and more undesirable algae growing due to changes in the color spectrum. If your bulbs are six months old they need to be replaced. If you use metal halide they need to be replaced every twelve months. Is there any algae growth around the polyps? The filaments of the algae traps small debris and sediment which then fouls and may destroy the tissue around the algae. This allows for the spread of the algae across more of the coral surface. Do you notice any strange snails in your tank. There is a snail called a sundial snail that will readily feed on zoanthids. They can actually hitch hike in on the rock containing the polyp and will go unnoticed because they are nocturnal and will only feed on the polyps at night. There are also a few diseases of zoanthids that cause them to not open up for a long time and start to deteriorate. You might want to look at using Lugol's dip to treat the coral. Here is a site with all the info on this treatment:http://www.kentmarine.com/saltwater/iodine/lugols-solution.htm (just copy and paste)  As for the small "bugs" you are seeing they are most likely harmless copepods however I am giving you the address of a really good sight to help you identify them. Remember you may not see an exact match but usually if you see one that is very similar than that is what you have. There are so many different kinds of little creatures that can enter your tank that no one site could show you all of them. http://home2.pacific.net.ph/~sweetyummy42/hitchhikers.html
Check this out it may be very helpful.

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QUESTION: I do normally use tap water, and I'll check for copper in the morning ( do regular pet stores sell that? Its not something I have the test for). The only snails in my tank are my mexican turbo snails, I have a luner light and I frequently check my tank at night and have not noticed any other snails. There is no algae growing near the polyps, just on the walls of the tank and around my power head. The skimmer seems to be doing its job, and I'll try cleaning it out more often, but there are -no- fish in my tank. Just some snails and the copepods and the corals.
The copepods seem to eat the algae and flake I toss in there for them, but I have seen them crawling on the polyp heads (the polyps do not seem to like it and usually retract). They don't usually crawl on the mushrooms.
I just got the light fixture maybe 3months ago at most(it came with the bulbs), but it couldve been sitting in the store for awhile.

I use the same brand of sea salt, I'm not sure off the top of my head, but I know its a "reef salt".

I added a picture to my last question did it show up? (I usually send these messages from my pda and its a pain about anything but text) I can send you a photo if you need one. Thanks s much!

Answer
Hello again. For some reason this site won't allow pictures to be sent so no I didn't get any pictures. Most pet stores do sell copper test kits and are good to have on hand. Using tap water is always risky when doing partials on a reef tank. I always recommend using distilled or reverse osmosis water. It only takes one partial using city water that has been treated with certain chemicals to wipe out an entire system and you will never know what happened. Water that is used from the tap should be at least filtered through a carbon filtration tap water purifier before it is used in a reef tank. You can get one of these at any home store or walmart for that matter. You can send me a picture to my e-mail. My address is tankgirl527@hotmail.com. I would like to see what sort of copepods you have in there. although most are harmless there are a few that may feed on corals.