Well, that's cryptocurrency markets. They go up and down quite drastically.
If you are playing the short-term game it's very risky. If you are here for the long-run, then it doesn't matter, just wait for it to raise again from ashes :)
Also, due diligence is needed when investing. Did you look what Z-Classic, MANA, EMC2 and the others do and don't do? Do you know how they work? How they are maintained? What consensus algorithm they use? What about the developer team, how active is the project? And so on... If any red flag, just don't speculate buying into it.
Ultimately, good luck and enjoy the ride :D
Lolz, as I mentioned in the article, my due diligence for Einsteinium was that I like Albert Einstein. :-D
Cg