Lets talk Tips for Beginning Zoanthid Keepers

[Wy Renegade]

It seems that many people recommend/feel that zoanthids are a great beginner coral, able to survive wide ranges of lighting conditions and variables in water chemistry. While I personally may not agree with using zoanthids as a beginner coral, I thought it might be helpful if we posted up some helpful hints on zoanthid keeping for those who are just starting their reefing adventure.

While I'm sure that many of you have tons of suggestions that you can give, I'm going to ask you to limit yourself to just one (Pick the most Important one you can think of) per post and to refrain from multiple posts one after another (you're welcome to post multiple times, just please give others an opportunity to post between yours). That way hopefully we can entice a broader number of individuals to post and share their knowledge (and hopefully increase the contributions within the zoanthid forum).

I would say . . .

Do your homework! Not every zoanthid is the same in terms of their optimal lighting and nutrients needs. Research each polyp you are getting in order to try and predetermine its optimal conditions to insure the likelyhood of survival and propagation.

 

[Hyprviperx]

dip every frag you get first and qt before putting into main tank. this can prevent a large problem in the future when your tank is heavily stocked with high end z/p's

remember the 6 P's: Proper planning prevents p*ss poor performance :wink:

 

[FaviaFreak]

zoanthids undergo periods of rapid growth, followed by a dormant period and occasional decline which may or may not be Seasonal

 

[DML08]

Use Gloves when Handling!.. :tongue:

 

[drainbamage]

Don't be afraid to move them around when you first get them- it may take awhile for you to find the "sweet spot" of lighting and flow that any particular polyp may like. If you glue things down, glue down with superglue and don't be afraid to pop the glue off and move the zoa's if they're not looking their best. Glue's a lot cheaper than the frags for most all zoa's

 

[Tabasco1]

How long should you qt? Is it the same period for a fish? What exactly are you looking for?

 

[blackraven1425]

Keep salinity stable and do water changes regularly.

I only mention to keep the salinity stable as that's typically a problem for beginners when dealing with water changes.

 

[Captain Nemo]

Make sure you keep your Parameters as stable as possible as this will help you down the road when you want to progress to more demanding corals!

 

[Chops30]

Feed your Zoa's and paly's, even though they got their zooxanthellae. They're still animals so need food. I feed unthawed brine shrimp, nori soaked with selcon and tiny food pellets. Some reject the food while others like my AOG and Green paly's gobble it up.

 

[divewsharks]

How long should you qt? Is it the same period for a fish? What exactly are you looking for?

I qt for 3-4 weeks, looking for zoa eating nudi's and other hitchhiking pests.

 

[Captain Nemo]

Sometimes you have to move your zoa's around before you find the place they produce the best color and growth.

 

[Akwarius]

Keep them clean. Buildup of unwanted detritus and waste between polyps can lead to bacterial and fungal infections. Proper random water movement is essential, and frequent "basting" can go along way to insuring the health of a colony.

 

[reefpeeper]

keep them clean. Buildup of unwanted detritus and waste between polyps can lead to bacterial and fungal infections. Proper random water movement is essential, and frequent "basting" can go along way to insuring the health of a colony.

+1 very true

 

[fsu1dolfan]

I would say . . .

Do your homework! Not every zoanthid is the same in terms of their optimal lighting and nutrients needs. Research each polyp you are getting in order to try and predetermine its optimal conditions to insure the likelyhood of survival and propagation.

Definitely agree - Darth Mauls are no where near the same as eagle eye zoas. Some are easy to own, frag, and care for. Some you shouldnt try to frag and may take time to find the sweet spot in the tank.

Here's a link the the easiest zoas to keep with a link inside to the hardest zoas to keep! https://www.reef2reef.com/forums/zoa-discussion-club-zoa/10464-most-easy-keep-zoa-paly-list.html

 

[Wy Renegade]

Nicely done! Keep em coming. IMO, the "basting" mentioned above is very important, especially if you are keeping your polyps on plugs rather than gluing directly to the rock. The plugs seem to capture much more debris and are much more likely to aquire growths of nuscience hair algae as a result.

 

[nixer]

run carbon! you dont want a toxic hotzone created by chemical warfare

 

[FaviaFreak]

random flow doesn't hurt either

 

[Wy Renegade]

Some great tips here so far, lets see if we can't come up with a few more.

I would add that you need to fully understand the role that lighting plays, not only on the "pop" or color spectrum your polyps will display, but also on the polyp itself. Polyps will "morph" or change their appearance under more or less intense lighting.

Just as a example,

Here are Kryptonites as they normally appear;

Here is what they look like when exposed to very high lighting;

And here is what they look like when exposed to very high lighting for a much longer period of time;

All three are the exact same morph of Zoanthus sp.

 

[bb2jdm]

Dosing vitamin c is a plus. Just be careful when dosing. You don't want to over dose :smile:

 

[Jenna X]

1. Do: a freshwater dip or a coral dip with the chemical of your choice.
2. Don't: be afraid to move your zoas around to find a spot they'll be happy in. (I personally don't like frag plugs but I keep them on plugs until I find the right spot in the tank then pop them off and glue the frag to my rock.)
3. I personally do not like to put zoas in low flow areas because of deterius becoming trapped (I do the basting method whenever I'm doing a water change to help).
4. As far as placement, if you want zoas higher up in the tank, start them at the bottom first and work your way up.