SERIOUS TIPS to keep healthy zoas in the long run wanted, please.

[A. grandis]

I had the best luck in a Solana under the disco ball with the stock skimmer. Seems like I could grow anything. Since I upgraded, better skimmer better lighting I have definately had less luck. Some thrive while others whither and die

That sounds like it could be related to adaptation problems.

Grandis.

 

[Big E]

I've only got 5 colonies of zoas in my Sps dominant system, so the zoas have to take second fiddle. I don't think there's any special parameters or dosing that need to be done...........they just need consistent parameters.

Some basic stuff already mentioned, no algae film or cyano, more flow than you expect, & don't let them get too tight. I've seperated colonies that were on small rocks to spread them out & growth exploded.

 

[A. grandis]

I've only got 5 colonies of zoas in my Sps dominant system, so the zoas have to take second fiddle. I don't think there's any special parameters or dosing that need to be done...........they just need consistent parameters.

Some basic stuff already mentioned, no algae film or cyano, more flow than you expect, & don't let them get too tight. I've seperated colonies that were on small rocks to spread them out & growth exploded.

Your case is a classic SPS system with zoas. A probable clean, "low nutrient" system with high alkalinity/calcium balance and high light/flow. That is what I would recommend for most zoas. The opposite idea of that "dirty water" philosophy imposed by some since a while ago. Consistency is a great/important observation when keeping zoas!!

I've never heard about not to let them grow too tight. That's a very interesting though, Big E!!!
I've had many very tight colonies for years without any problems.
I would like to hear more from you, explaining the thought, please.
What do you mean by "I've seperated colonies that were on small rocks to spread them out & growth exploded"?

Thanks very much!!

Grandis.

 

[Big E]

Logically, if you take a colonly of zoas & break it up and spread them out they can grow/spread from all sides 360* versus only expanding from the outer edge.

I also think occasional fragging causes growth spurts......same with Sps although most people don't talk about it. When the colonly isn't as dense the flow can easier supply nutrients & keep the coral free of settling detritus, ect. Of course, there's a difference in pruning & constantly hacking up a coral.

 

[specvjeff]

I've kept zoas and palys in my mixed reefs with little trouble. I have a 36x20x20 rimless tank with twin 150 watt metal halides. I run the double ended Phoenix bulbs with no supplemental lighting. I keep mine in lower light towards the bottom. I run the lights from 4:00pm-12:00am. They receive a mix of moderate to low flow. I do weekly 5 gallon water changes. My parameters are tested weekly. They stay fairly consistent with the use of dosing pumps and an auto top off. My salinity is 1.025, Alk 8.9-9.1, Calcium 445-455, Mag 1350-1360. My ph does a daily swing from 7.80-8.01. I also add a little iodine once a week. I do not target feed my zoas and palys at all. They've always grown just fine without it.

Sent from my KFTT using Tapatalk 2

 

[buddythelion]

Sweet thread! Learned lots from all of the input here. I love threads like these.

 

[A. grandis]

Logically, if you take a colonly of zoas & break it up and spread them out they can grow/spread from all sides 360* versus only expanding from the outer edge.

I also think occasional fragging causes growth spurts......same with Sps although most people don't talk about it. When the colonly isn't as dense the flow can easier supply nutrients & keep the coral free of settling detritus, ect. Of course, there's a difference in pruning & constantly hacking up a coral.

Oh, now I got it. Yes. :thumb:

Grandis.

 

[A. grandis]

I've kept zoas and palys in my mixed reefs with little trouble. I have a 36x20x20 rimless tank with twin 150 watt metal halides. I run the double ended Phoenix bulbs with no supplemental lighting. I keep mine in lower light towards the bottom. I run the lights from 4:00pm-12:00am. They receive a mix of moderate to low flow. I do weekly 5 gallon water changes. My parameters are tested weekly. They stay fairly consistent with the use of dosing pumps and an auto top off. My salinity is 1.025, Alk 8.9-9.1, Calcium 445-455, Mag 1350-1360. My ph does a daily swing from 7.80-8.01. I also add a little iodine once a week. I do not target feed my zoas and palys at all. They've always grown just fine without it.

Sent from my KFTT using Tapatalk 2

Thanks very much for sharing the info, specvjeff!!! That sounds like a very nice set up for zoas.
Your params are all within good ranges and stability is just great for zoas too!!

I'm not as good as I wish with pictures, but if anyone would like to add some of the best and PRIME zoa shots to this tread, please do so.
Take advantage also to leave more of those serious tips, so we can all enjoy and learn at the same time...

Cheers!
Grandis.

 

[A. grandis]

Sweet thread! Learned lots from all of the input here. I love threads like these.

I'm really enjoying too!! This is great!!!
Hope more and more people would participate...
I would like to learn much more.

Grandis.

 

[Soehl]

Here is a tip.

If your Zoa disappears. Just melts away and leaves the fleshy part(coenchyme) on the rock without any polyp on it, DON'T remove the coenchyme. It may grow new polyps. I had a bunch of my Zoa melt away when my tank cycled. I left the coenchyme on some of them and now I have regrowth. I wish I would have left it on all of them...

 

[Ninjapotamus]

1. High flow... the key is to avoid detritus building within the polyp mat. Detritus wont directly hurt the zoa, but the pests it brings will. Spaghetti worms, bristle, etc.
2. Continuous source of nutrients. This can be done via dirty water but the easiest way is to keep your water clean but have lots of fish. Fish waste is the best food for polyps. I always load my frag tanks up with cheap fish like damsels.
3. Frag as soon as you reach the mini colony stage. You get the best growth from 2-3 polyp frags not from colonies/mini colonies. Having lots of small frags is a much safer bet than having 1 or 2 large colonies.
4. Dips are a waste of time for disease -- EXCEPT furan 2 dips. In my experience 20-30 minute furan 2 dips every other day for 6 days will get even the most stubborn polyp to open.
5. When things are going bad, DONT automatically change a ton of water. Zoas usually live/die from nutrient levels and pests... water change will make the nutrient levels worse and do nothing for pests.
6. Chemiclean is your friend. Learn to use it. This is not an antibiotic. It is a slow oxidizer that will bring your nitrate/phosphate levels back into a healthier ratio. After a 2 day treatment your zoas will open much larger and have a uniform "happiness" that is obvious to the eye. Even without a spot of cyano I will use it to perk up my zoas every few months.
7. Get a big *** cleanup crew. This is especially helpful for frag tanks. Trochus snails are the best by far. They keep the plugs clean so the polyps can grow. An algae covered plug will smother and kill your polyps.
8. Don't go crazy with the light. You will make the largest number of zoas/palys happy with a moderate amount of light... no need for insane PAR.
9. Biopellets can be certian death for zoas/palys if used too aggressively. Same goes for any other type of vodka dosing.

 

[buddythelion]

Chemiclean? So just use the recommended dosage for 2 days and it helps clean the tank basically?

 

[WillKatt]

1. High flow... the key is to avoid detritus building within the polyp mat. Detritus wont directly hurt the zoa, but the pests it brings will. Spaghetti worms, bristle, etc.
2. Continuous source of nutrients. This can be done via dirty water but the easiest way is to keep your water clean but have lots of fish. Fish waste is the best food for polyps. I always load my frag tanks up with cheap fish like damsels.
3. Frag as soon as you reach the mini colony stage. You get the best growth from 2-3 polyp frags not from colonies/mini colonies. Having lots of small frags is a much safer bet than having 1 or 2 large colonies.
4. Dips are a waste of time for disease -- EXCEPT furan 2 dips. In my experience 20-30 minute furan 2 dips every other day for 6 days will get even the most stubborn polyp to open.
5. When things are going bad, DONT automatically change a ton of water. Zoas usually live/die from nutrient levels and pests... water change will make the nutrient levels worse and do nothing for pests.
6. Chemiclean is your friend. Learn to use it. This is not an antibiotic. It is a slow oxidizer that will bring your nitrate/phosphate levels back into a healthier ratio. After a 2 day treatment your zoas will open much larger and have a uniform "happiness" that is obvious to the eye. Even without a spot of cyano I will use it to perk up my zoas every few months.
7. Get a big *** cleanup crew. This is especially helpful for frag tanks. Trochus snails are the best by far. They keep the plugs clean so the polyps can grow. An algae covered plug will smother and kill your polyps.
8. Don't go crazy with the light. You will make the largest number of zoas/palys happy with a moderate amount of light... no need for insane PAR.
9. Biopellets can be certian death for zoas/palys if used too aggressively. Same goes for any other type of vodka dosing.

Ive seen the pics of your zoa tanks and know that you definitely can grow some amazing Zs & Ps. My question to you is what do you consider "moderate" light. If you were to give a par number just for reference what would you consider moderate? I have often wondered if some of my zoas that seem to shrink do so because they are getting too much light or not enough. Most of my smaller polyps are on the sand bed at a par of about 100-120. Im just curious, assuming everything else is good if more light or less light would help.

Sorry I know this is question is not black and white . I'm just looking for generalization.

 

[Ninjapotamus]

I actually got this tip from Robert at neptunes =). He told me he uses it on his tanks and also notices things really look perked up after a treatmanet(not just zoas... but everything in general). you can use the rec dose or 1/2. I have never had an adverse reaction and sometimes I measure it with heaping scoops. I would not use it on a very young tank that lacks enough organics(less than 2-3 months old). It doesn't clean the tank as much as break down built up organics and make them available.

Its a bit of a PITA to dose because you must remove all carbon, stop skimming and add aeration if you need it(I would only add aeration if you don't have a sump.... the water entering the filter sock provides enough aeration for me, but use your own judgement for your system). Getting the skimmer back in line after dosing also takes a bit of patience. I generally have to set my skimmer to its lowest setting and then put the cup on askew so some water leaks down the side until it begins to skim normally(a few hours usually). Otherwise it just overflows the cup. Once you've done it once its not a big deal.

 

[Ninjapotamus]

Ive seen the pics of your zoa tanks and know that you definitely can grow some amazing Zs & Ps. My question to you is what do you consider "moderate" light. If you were to give a par number just for reference what would you consider moderate? I have often wondered if some of my zoas that seem to shrink do so because they are getting too much light or not enough. Most of my smaller polyps are on the sand bed at a par of about 100-120. Im just curious, assuming everything else is good if more light or less light would help.

Sorry I know this is question is not black and white . I'm just looking for generalization.

On my 72x24x12 frag tank I have 8 80 watt t5(overall light spectrum is probably 16k or so). Sounds like a lot of light... but the tank is actually on the dim side. Corals are roughly 6-8 inches below the surface. I get large polyps in this tank, not massive or stretching but a nice healthy full size. Growth is good overall. I could definately push some polyps harder with more light but it would be detrimental to some varieties so I am keeping things where they are for now.

 

[WillKatt]

On my 72x24x12 frag tank I have 8 80 watt t5(overall light spectrum is probably 16k or so). Sounds like a lot of light... but the tank is actually on the dim side. Corals are roughly 6-8 inches below the surface. I get large polyps in this tank, not massive or stretching but a nice healthy full size. Growth is good overall. I could definately push some polyps harder with more light but it would be detrimental to some varieties so I am keeping things where they are for now.

Have you ever taken par readings?

 

[RandysReef]

+1. Ninjapotumas said it all!

 

[Soehl]

Can anyone else comment on Biopellets? So muched mixed info out there I would like to hear more.

Personally I am running them now....

 

[larangcon]

I agree with Ninjapotamus; especially on the ChemiClean product. My tank has been running for quite some time now passed the 3years mark. I have no algae problem or the Ick problem with my fish, the natural process has taken place and since I used the product my zoas has been bigger and has new polyps coming out. I just recently discovered the ChemiClean when my recent purchase of a two polyps My Clementine seemed to have melted, I noticed also the asterina starfish covered the melted polyps but after a day or two after the starfish seemed to eaten what ever left of My Clementine I also noticed there seemed to be a bump of dark algae where the polyps are. I used the remaining ChemiClean and dosed the tank for a day, turning off my skimmer and return pump, and after 24 hrs, turned on the both pumps. After one day I noticed the dark algae covering the polyps have dissappeared and the polyps slowly started opening the next few days. My Clementine came back from what I have thought of the usual meltdowm of these sensative zoas, so if I have only used these in the past I would still have my Space Monsters, Darth Mauls, and Nightmares.

 

[scubaman]

I've seperated colonies that were on small rocks to spread them out & growth exploded.

I have been reefing for 5years now and zoa's & paly's are by far my favorite coral. Whenever I frag from a colony, I always frag from within the colony. Unlike sps and lps, zoa's and paly's can only grow on some sort of real estate. They don't build their own real estate. Once real estate (live rock or plug) is covered, there is no room to grow there. By removing polyps from the center of the colony, opens up real estate for more growth, while not impeding the growth on the outskirts.

Fragging from within the colony takes some practice and patience, but once mastered, you will see great results.