LPS Alternatives to Zoanthids?

[JoJosReef]

I better look meliodosis up, I'm unfamiliar with that term!

Edit: Meliodosis does not appear to really be a problem where I live (Canada.) Confused how it would relate to my aquarium as it seems to work more like the freshwater parasite giardia than like anything dwelling in saltwater.

Don't get caught up in it. Meliodiosis is caused by Burkholderia pseudomallei, a typically soil-dwelling bacteria (not at all related to Giardia). It's actually quite widely spread but you only occasionally see outbreaks in the US/Canada. I think the point was that palytoxin poisoning is as rare as meliodiosis. Maybe, I don't know ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

 

[JoJosReef]

It’s not native to Canada but neither are Zoas. ;)

How about toxoplasmosis? Personally I think lightning belongs on the list as well since it too kills more people than palytoxin.

Wait, are you also getting Toxoplasma gondii in your tank!? You may have taken the "add diversity" too far!

 

[JoJosReef]

All joking aside. OP, an LPS dominant tank can be very beautiful, with lots of movement and interesting forms. Acans are great. Blastos are great, especially with lower light. Also don't discard some of the sand-dwellers. Fungia plates, scolys, trachys and even acanthos and cynarinas (although looks like you have an Evo, which might be space-limiting for the larger meat corals).

Pardon the dirty glass:
"Tiffany Ring" acan

Purple/teal blastomussa wellsi (bad angle)

Space invader pectinia (give it extra space!)

Orange fungia plate

Regular hammer

Don't toss out the idea of Rock Flower Anemones--they mix well with most LPS (ignore the torch, he's not happy this AM):

Trachy

Also you might consider some cloves as alternatives to zoas. Also pretty and no palytoxin (ignore the RTN'd acro--it was a hail mary frag and didn't make it):

Lots of options!

 

[The_Paradox]

. I think the point was that palytoxin poisoning is as rare as meliodiosis. Maybe, I don't know ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Correct. There are only a handful of cases each year contributed to aquariums. That being said, I found less than 20 cases ever of confirmed palytoxin incidents involving aquariums. Most of those also involved ingestion… TikTok challenge maybe… seriously, who’s eating their coral.

LPS are great and you have a lot of good suggestions. My point was do not get rid of your zoas if you like them. Your cats paws are more likely to kill you by several magnitudes.

 

[JoJosReef]

Your cats paws are more likely to kill you by several magnitudes.

I believe it is called love mauling, and you should be grateful for it.

Correct. There are only a handful of cases each year contributed to aquariums. That being said, I found less than 20 cases ever of confirmed palytoxin incidents involving aquariums. Most of those also involved ingestion… TikTok challenge maybe… seriously, who’s eating their coral.

There was a post recently about someone wanting to raise a horseshoe crab in their tank and then eat it when it got too big. Coral-eating reefers don't seem that far off...

 

[The_Paradox]

I believe it is called love mauling, and you should be grateful for it.

Cat poop in your brain. 200k people a year can’t be wrong :face-with-tears-of-joy:

Toxoplasmosis - Symptoms and causes

www.mayoclinic.org

 

[fishnchips17]

Don't RDAs eat clownfish though?

Not at all. RFA don't eat any fish or shrimps. They are also more stationary than bubble tip anemone.

 

[JoJosReef]

Don't RDAs eat clownfish though?

RFAs have a very weak sting. I handle them barehanded (except my mean green one, who's huge and very "sticky"). I can only image a dead fish landing on an RFA and getting eaten, never caught by an RFA. My yasha goby, which is small and seems a bit oblivious, has touched them several times and just darted off.

 

[The_Paradox]

RFAs have a very weak sting. I handle them barehanded (except my mean green one, who's huge and very "sticky"). I can only image a dead fish landing on an RFA and getting eaten, never caught by an RFA. My yasha goby, which is small and seems a bit oblivious, has touched them several times and just darted off.

Do do you barehand clean the skimmer cup?

 

[JoJosReef]

Do do you barehand clean the skimmer cup?

Don't have a skimmer! But no, I generally don't go barehanded on nasty stuff. And I frag my zoas/palys with latex gloves and eye protection, which would be a bit silly not to since my office where the tank sits is connected to a laboratory.

 

[Barncat]

All joking aside. OP, an LPS dominant tank can be very beautiful, with lots of movement and interesting forms. Acans are great. Blastos are great, especially with lower light. Also don't discard some of the sand-dwellers. Fungia plates, scolys, trachys and even acanthos and cynarinas (although looks like you have an Evo, which might be space-limiting for the larger meat corals).

Pardon the dirty glass:
"Tiffany Ring" acan

Purple/teal blastomussa wellsi (bad angle)

Space invader pectinia (give it extra space!)

Orange fungia plate

Regular hammer

Don't toss out the idea of Rock Flower Anemones--they mix well with most LPS (ignore the torch, he's not happy this AM):

Trachy

Also you might consider some cloves as alternatives to zoas. Also pretty and no palytoxin (ignore the RTN'd acro--it was a hail mary frag and didn't make it):

Lots of options!

Thank you so much! Yeah, no elegance or toadstool corals for me due to my small Evo but I really appreciate all if these suggestions. Absolutely going to go over this list and do more research but blastos, acans, hammers, frogspawn, photosynthetic gorgonians (a soft I know) and cloves are definitely on my 'approved' list!
I don't actually have ANY coral yet let alone zoas. I didn't mention it in my OP but I'm also just underwhelmed by them having seen them in person several times now. Seeing Keplar stick his paw in the back filter compartment was simply the last straw and my last internal shred of desire for keeping zoas crumbled under my need to keep him safe. He's only two years old: I would like to have him by my side for at least eighteen more years. If I knew that there were varieties of zoa that were proven safe then I might consider them but both me and my cat are kinda dumb. I know the risk is minimal but I love my cats dearly so I am just not going to bother with it at all.

When you're a lonely awkward pet guardian like me you protect your pets with tooth and nail.


Okay so my veterinary training makes me need to address the Toxoplasmosis elephant in the room:

- You are far more likely to contract Toxoplasmosis from improperly washing and cooking veggies and meat (and also gardening) than you are to get it from cleaning a litterbox.

- It is extremely easy to avoid contracting Toxoplasmosis: simply wash your hands after cleaning the litterbox. Wow. So hard.

- If you do contract Toxoplasmosis you probably won't even notice that you have it unless your immune system is severely compromise. It's mostly only a risk to human fetuses, not fully developed humans.

- If you do contract it you - and your cat if they get it - are literally only infectious for two weeks of your/their entire life.

- A cat's risk for contracting Toxoplasmosis goes down significantly when they are kept indoors (as they arguably always should be as they live far, far longer when kept indoors plus an indoor cat cannot predate upon endangered species or contribute to making species - including other species of cat - endangered.) Guess where I keep my cats - that's right, indoors.

- If a woman is worried about Toxoplasmosis and pregnancy she should have her blood tested for it. If she has already had Toxo then she doesn't need to worry about it; if she has already had it than her fetus will be in zero danger from it. If she hasn't had Toxo before? She can simply wear gloves and wash her hands after doing stuff outside/in the litterbox/during meal prep to avoid the risk. Easy. (Or the person who got her pregnant or another family member can do these things instead.) I have had my blood tested for Toxoplasmosis: I haven't had it so if I did ever become a biological mother I would take these easy precautions.

Basically: wash your food before eating it and wash your hands before putting your hands near your mouth = Toxoplasmosis becomes barely a risk.

Any other LPS suggestions?

 

[NefariousAquarius]

Frogspawn coral is a good one. Don’t leave out the idea of clove polyps when it comes to softies!

 

[saltcats]

That looks like a fluval evo - you can find aftermarket lids for just those back chambers available, or I'm sure someone could make you something custom with the cutouts you need.
Regardless of if you change your mind on the zoas or not, I wouldn't want my cat sticking his feet in the tank repeatedly, for the sake of both kitty and tank!

 

[steveschuerger]

Frogspawn or hammers! Micromussa as mentioned. Duncan’s aren’t super “colorful “ but get nice big polyps that scream “I’m a coral”! Bowerbanki Acans.

 

[Barncat]

Thank you everyone!! Definitely looking into getting frogspawns and hammers!!