Higher vs lower light zoas/palys

[chaostactics]

I sort of wonder if lighter colored zoa do better deeper and darker ones higher or vice versa. But I'd have no way of backing up that assumption.

I just made a very dramatic change to my lights today and I'm eager to get them dialed in.

 

[Hooz]

I've found that darker and/or speckled patterned zoas seem to do better in lower light in my tank. The lighter, brighter ones seem to be happy with a bit more PAR.

I have 35 types now, so it's not a definitive sample size by any means. Just my observations in my tank.

I've found that they all do OK in lower light (60-70 PAR), but they don't all do OK in 100-ish PAR. To be safe, start them all lower and let them tell you.

 

[GuilhermeLba]

I've found that darker and/or speckled patterned zoas seem to do better in lower light in my tank. The lighter, brighter ones seem to be happy with a bit more PAR.

I have 35 types now, so it's not a definitive sample size by any means. Just my observations in my tank.

I've found that they all do OK in lower light (60-70 PAR), but they don't all do OK in 100-ish PAR. To be safe, start them all lower and let them tell you.

Do u consider utter to be speckled? Or is it a exception? Just trying to understand, because to me its bright af...
And with ur experience, recommend me a brighter one like utter please! Just in love with it, my favorite one so far, beautiful under white, under blues, under sunlight, I was looking foi another one like that.

 

[littlebigreef]

It’s a given that when you keep a mixed reef your compromising at least some of the corals’ preferred parameters in order to keep everything together. This is especially the case with some of the more temperament zoas. Many of the common varieties can adapt to 100+ par without issue. For some, like nirvanas, it doesn’t matter in the least. I’ve got something north of 250 strains at this point. The halls, emperor v2s, wolverines, flaming Mohicans, JF kraks, speckled kraks, Illuminati, mauls, to name a few, all do better under 50par or less.

Coral run the gamut from being largely autotrophic (like Xenia) to largely heterophic like lps-bubble corals, for example. Even within zoas there’s a fairly wide range. Biology tells us ‘form follows function’ ergo the size of the zoa polyp is going to be relative to the type of organic particulate it eats. Micro zoas do better when spot fed phyto which is smaller than say reef roids. Larger polyps can capture larger organic matter. Where I’m going with this is that lighting is a ‘yes and’ sorta deal linked to food. For sustained success with some zoas it’s lower light and higher concentrations of food.

 

[MR2MAS]

Bumping this thread.

Does anyone have experience with:
Kalidescopes
Watermelons
Dragon Eyes
Mean Greens
I just ordered them and excited to put them in my tank.

 

[GuilhermeLba]

It’s a given that when you keep a mixed reef your compromising at least some of the corals’ preferred parameters in order to keep everything together. This is especially the case with some of the more temperament zoas. Many of the common varieties can adapt to 100+ par without issue. For some, like nirvanas, it doesn’t matter in the least. I’ve got something north of 250 strains at this point. The halls, emperor v2s, wolverines, flaming Mohicans, JF kraks, speckled kraks, Illuminati, mauls, to name a few, all do better under 50par or less.

Coral run the gamut from being largely autotrophic (like Xenia) to largely heterophic like lps-bubble corals, for example. Even within zoas there’s a fairly wide range. Biology tells us ‘form follows function’ ergo the size of the zoa polyp is going to be relative to the type of organic particulate it eats. Micro zoas do better when spot fed phyto which is smaller than say reef roids. Larger polyps can capture larger organic matter. Where I’m going with this is that lighting is a ‘yes and’ sorta deal linked to food. For sustained success with some zoas it’s lower light and higher concentrations of food.

Great info!

 

[Brittanyjo]

My bam bans are doing really well in high light.
Aoi seem to not like low light. I have them in low and they are extending so I think medium for AOIs.

dragon eyes are good in low-high
Utter chaos is doing great in low
ECC yellow/pink and Pandora is great in medium.
JF mango coolers medium to high. They are happy anywhere.

 

[GuilhermeLba]

My bam bans are doing really well in high light.
Aoi seem to not like low light. I have them in low and they are extending so I think medium for AOIs.

dragon eyes are good in low-high
Utter chaos is doing great in low
ECC yellow/pink and Pandora is great in medium.
JF mango coolers medium to high. They are happy anywhere.

Nice, just bought a bambam, gonna put it on high light, my utter is doing great under low too