Different Zoanthids and Different requirements?

[Grimreaperz]

Okay so I have had a tank for just over a year now...and have been attempting to collect as many different types of Zoas as I can.

At one point I was up to about 25ish types....
I have noticed that it seems some zoas thrive while others are happy but do not reproduce...and the complete worst and some just straight up melt away.

All the same placements etc. So it begs the question do different zoas / palys prefer different perameters/flow/light and if so is there and ongoing list that anyone can share?

It have had a few of my favourites melt away on me and others are thriving so I'm really kinda lost at this point apose to just spending more money hoping for the best lol.

TIA!

 

[40B Knasty]

I have 16 zoanthids. Yes flow and height placement does play a role towards their health and growth. My fruit loops I struggled with for a few months. Went from 4 that were healthy when I got it. Then for 2 months faded bad with no growth. I even almost tossed them. They were in a low flow area, but good lighting. Put them right where the water pours in heavy off the FLUVAL C4. The heavy flow turned everything around. I am talking beautiful looking now and I have 24 polyps in the past 4 months.
Same with my Bam Bams. They were great when I got them. Actually my favorite. Went from 11 to 14 right away in a week. Been at a stand still of 14 for 2 months since I moved them down to a low in the tank, because someone suggested that. Then they got covered with GHA. So that didnt help either. They are going back up top very soon!
Reefroids and ATI True Actinic has been a blessing. To all my zoas up top. Also a time change of peak hours. Peak hours are now 9am-11am & 4pm-6pm.

 

[Grimreaperz]

Can you explain peak hours?
I have noticed the same my fruit loops like high flow and low lights. Where as my utter chaos like high light and medium flow.
And my Rastas pretty much melted from to much light and are now under a rock doing better. My space monsters completely melted away and are just starting to come back.

But I lost Red People Eaters
Mohawks
And a few others and trying to pin point why!

 

[40B Knasty]

I used to run the typical way. Dawn till dusk. Found a video back in January in my countless hours of research saying that zooxanthellae has a peak hour of feeding at 10am and 5pm. Meaning the zooxanthellae is more active in absorbing through photosynthesis of a difference between those two hours more than by 60% than during the day time. I don't have the video. Just results.
Here is my JBJ Trinity 4x39W T5 w/ 3 LED Moonlight.
Moonlight on a timer - 7:30am-8:40am & 6:40pm - 8:36pm(wake up and go to sleep lights)
T5 2XATI BLUE PLUS on a timer - 8:05am - 7:36pm(base light)
T5 ATI CORAL PLUS & TRUE ACTINIC - 9am - 11am & 4pm - 6pm. (Peak hours having all 4 T5s running at once)
Reefroids at 5pm 2x a week half the recommended amount.

 

[joshporksandwich]

When i get new zoas i try to get more than 1 frag. I put it in different sections to see where it will do good.

 

[LbulletM]

I used to run the typical way. Dawn till dusk. Found a video back in January in my countless hours of research saying that zooxanthellae has a peak hour of feeding at 10am and 5pm. Meaning the zooxanthellae is more active in absorbing through photosynthesis of a difference between those two hours more than by 60% than during the day time. I don't have the video. Just results.
Here is my JBJ Trinity 4x39W T5 w/ 3 LED Moonlight.
Moonlight on a timer - 7:30am-8:40am & 6:40pm - 8:36pm(wake up and go to sleep lights)
T5 2XATI BLUE PLUS on a timer - 8:05am - 7:36pm(base light)
T5 ATI CORAL PLUS & TRUE ACTINIC - 9am - 11am & 4pm - 6pm. (Peak hours having all 4 T5s running at once)
Reefroids at 5pm 2x a week half the recommended amount.

Interested in this research. Are the peak photosynthesis periods due to the naturally occurring sunrise-sunset period - meaning photosynthesis would actually peak at less than 100% power (of the sun) - and do they adjust to a new time zone?

 

[40B Knasty]

Interested in this research. Are the peak photosynthesis periods due to the naturally occurring sunrise-sunset period - meaning photosynthesis would actually peak at less than 100% power (of the sun) - and do they adjust to a new time zone?

What I mean by me researching is skimming through the internet a lot. My corals adjusted to the time change fine.
From what I am totally guessing and tried to make sense of it all on my own is as to why the peak hours in a natural state would be a matter of protecting itself from a more intense sunlight of the afternoon and having fed itself enough from the morning hours making the zooxanthellae in less need of food, because corals/zooxanthellae love photosynthesis for feeding, but not to much light as to where they can expell zooxanthellae causing bleaching. Seen a show called The Great Barrier Reef. When they shine a UV light on a coral they mention that in theory the bioluminescence of the coral that is given off from the coral is from there sunscreen. So that means they do have a protection mode not just a 100% feed me mode.
I like to think it more like a possible degree of breakfast, enjoy the day without "protecting" itself causing less stress with a base light, and then dinner. We always talk about feeding and how much stress can be on a coral and they do show it with signs of being open and happy or retracted and stressed.
So try it. Give the corals breakfast to give the coral enough energy for the day for a few hours of a higher intensity. Bring it down so they can relax for the day with a base light for photosynthesis not so intense so they do not feel like it is feed feed feed shove down their throat all day long and now they feel to a point of "okay I am full now and I can't put up an umbrella to protect myself from this light." Then in the evening they want/are looking for more food to last throughout the night when there is no light to be had. Think of it like this. You eat, then snack, and then eat. So a 80% breakfast to fill you up. Snack 20-30% throughout the day so their levels don't drop. So none of the zooxanthellae is searching for it, because it is available just not so intense. Then 80% dinner to fill you up and rest comfortably. Maybe during that rest period of a base light not throwing them into a protection mode of sunscreening. Gives them time to now refocus on what you are looking for and that is growth mode.
You see your corals best. If what works for you works. Don't change it up. Every tank is different. I like that I get a 2-3 extra polyps a month and when I had it on schedule like this it was 6 every 2 weeks with some zoanthids. Plus during the day I now see my coral puffy, Illuminating from the ati blue plus longer, and I do not have to replace 2 out of the 4 T5 bulbs until June of 2019 due to the amount of use to them. Where if ran them for 8 hours to have a full day peak time. I would be replacing the coral+, 2xblue plus, and true actinic all at once in October of this year. All and all this is how I personally will continue to run.

 

[LbulletM]

Makes sense. I wonder how much of an effect the varying light cycle has compared to just the time of day. I may inadvertently be matching up with their "dinner" time (as you so aptly call it) by feeding (either broadcasting coral food or just regular feeding fish and the subsequent poop... I mean coral food) when I get home from work and my lights have just started dimming.

 

[40B Knasty]

T

Makes sense. I wonder how much of an effect the varying light cycle has compared to just the time of day. I may inadvertently be matching up with their "dinner" time (as you so aptly call it) by feeding (either broadcasting coral food or just regular feeding fish and the subsequent poop... I mean coral food) when I get home from work and my lights have just started dimming.

What you just said added more sense to it, because they are feeding off of fish waste all day and having been physically feed from the fish food in the morning.
Maybe because I feed them the Reefroids at 5pm 2x a week at half the recommended dose. That little extra additive that does have a positive impact of health and growth from the phytoplankton/Reefroids. Kind of ties it all into basically a less stressful feeding photosynthesis/phytoplankton balanced diet.

 

[danschoenherr]

In addition to lighting and feeding schedules, there are zoanthids that come from deeper and colder water also that may not thrive in some of our systems like the majority of zoanthids and palys we grow.

 

[40B Knasty]

In addition to lighting and feeding schedules, there are zoanthids that come from deeper and colder water also that may not thrive in some of our systems like the majority of zoanthids and palys we grow.

I have this frag and I do not know the ID of it. Got it back in mid April. They are collected down deeper and slower growers from what I was told and believe him. I had them lower in the tank with light flow, and less lit. They are at 7 now. Put them up top at a respectable medium flow. Going to see what happens. For the next few months. They are a little closed due to GHA bothering it.

 

[danschoenherr]

I have this frag and I do not know the ID of it. Got it back in mid April. They are collected down deeper and slower growers from what I was told and believe him. I had them lower in the tank with light flow, and less lit. They are at 7 now. Put them up top at a respectable medium flow. Going to see what happens. For the next few months. They are a little closed due to GHA bothering it.

If those are orange in color, I have those too and they are doing well with medium light and medium flow. Not sure of a name, but they are just like my BBEB (blondies), but orange.

 

[justin.k.nelson]

What I mean by me researching is skimming through the internet a lot. My corals adjusted to the time change fine.
From what I am totally guessing and tried to make sense of it all on my own is as to why the peak hours in a natural state would be a matter of protecting itself from a more intense sunlight of the afternoon and having fed itself enough from the morning hours making the zooxanthellae in less need of food, because corals/zooxanthellae love photosynthesis for feeding, but not to much light as to where they can expell zooxanthellae causing bleaching. Seen a show called The Great Barrier Reef. When they shine a UV light on a coral they mention that in theory the bioluminescence of the coral that is given off from the coral is from there sunscreen. So that means they do have a protection mode not just a 100% feed me mode.
I like to think it more like a possible degree of breakfast, enjoy the day without "protecting" itself causing less stress with a base light, and then dinner. We always talk about feeding and how much stress can be on a coral and they do show it with signs of being open and happy or retracted and stressed.
So try it. Give the corals breakfast to give the coral enough energy for the day for a few hours of a higher intensity. Bring it down so they can relax for the day with a base light for photosynthesis not so intense so they do not feel like it is feed feed feed shove down their throat all day long and now they feel to a point of "okay I am full now and I can't put up an umbrella to protect myself from this light." Then in the evening they want/are looking for more food to last throughout the night when there is no light to be had. Think of it like this. You eat, then snack, and then eat. So a 80% breakfast to fill you up. Snack 20-30% throughout the day so their levels don't drop. So none of the zooxanthellae is searching for it, because it is available just not so intense. Then 80% dinner to fill you up and rest comfortably. Maybe during that rest period of a base light not throwing them into a protection mode of sunscreening. Gives them time to now refocus on what you are looking for and that is growth mode.
You see your corals best. If what works for you works. Don't change it up. Every tank is different. I like that I get a 2-3 extra polyps a month and when I had it on schedule like this it was 6 every 2 weeks with some zoanthids. Plus during the day I now see my coral puffy, Illuminating from the ati blue plus longer, and I do not have to replace 2 out of the 4 T5 bulbs until June of 2019 due to the amount of use to them. Where if ran them for 8 hours to have a full day peak time. I would be replacing the coral+, 2xblue plus, and true actinic all at once in October of this year. All and all this is how I personally will continue to run.

So would you advertise short peaks and valleys in your lighting schedule during the day? Do you have an apex and if so, can you share your lighting schedule now?

 

[40B Knasty]

So would you advertise short peaks and valleys in your lighting schedule during the day? Do you have an apex and if so, can you share your lighting schedule now?

I have T5s. No apex. My light schedule is on my second post of the thread.

 

[Grimreaperz]

Utter Chaos
Space Monsters
Fruit loops
Rastas
Flaming Sun?
Blue Hornets
Rainbow Hornets
Radioactive Dragon Eye
Mint Chocolate Chip
Dragon Eye or Black Dragon
Armor of God
Captain America
Everlasting Gobstobbers
Miami Vice
Pineaple Express
Emeralds on fire
Watermelons

Here is the list of the current Zoas I have....and am doing my best to keep
I almost lost my Rastas and Space Monsters but they are coming back.

Could anyone tell me what they have found to be the best placement for these types?

 

[40B Knasty]

My Rastas like up top with a medium flow. Right next to my radio active dragon eyes.

 

[Grimreaperz]

My Rastas like up top with a medium flow. Right next to my radio active dragon eyes.

I had them in a high light low flow and they almost all melted on me....now if I have them at the bottom in the light they close up. Need to have them under a rock in high flow now.....so weird they started out and loved and took off up high but not sure what changed I might slowly acclimate them to higher light and see what happens