zoa propagation

[bwiniecki]

I have been in the reefing hobby for about 7 years now and wanted to make a little side cash. I thought coral propagation was a good start and so I did some research. I found out that zoas are a pretty easy coral to propagate so I wanted to start with them. In the past i've had some tanks with zoas but a couple years ago I traded my colony in. So now I just want your guys info on a profitable zoa (i'm thinking high end like $100 to $200 for a single polyp.) Also I want something that grows pretty fast. Thanks for the info and happy reefing.

 

[Tennyson]

$100 - $200 per polyp on a zoa is unheard of. Typically when a new zoa comes out the hype lasts for a year or two, and then the value of your investment drops, because everyone has figured out a way to grow them and some other zoa hits the spotlight.

You may be better off buying zoas that will always be popular and range from $10-50/polyp. I myself am more of a paly guy. Things like: nuclear greens, purple deaths, rastas, purple hornets, houdini's, bam bams, grandis, tubbs blues come to mind.

 

[Joshua Warne]

little Shop of Horror $275 (will drop 6 months)
Rainbow eclipse $275 (will drop 6 months)
Flaming mohican $200 (won’t drop)
Days volcano $150 (Won’t drop anytime soon)
GMK $450-500 (will continue to drop) settle at $300?
Emperor V2 $175 (6 more months will settle at $60-100pp)


All of these are viable options for grow outs.

 

[Halal Hotdog]

One poly frags have a very high mortality rate. Also I don't know anyone whos pays more than $50-100/frag of multi-head zoas, regardless of the common name. It is doable, but typically the time it takes you to grow out a single polyp zoa it will not longer be valuable enough to justify the work.

 

[Tennyson]

I stand corrected! After checking AquaSD it seems there are many $100+ pp options. But like I said earlier you'll want to see which zoa hold their value over time. It seems like Bowsers have been a hot item for awhile if you get a bright one.

 

[Joshua Warne]

One poly frags have a very high mortality rate. Also I don't know anyone whos pays more than $50-100/frag of multi-head zoas, regardless of the common name. It is doable, but typically the time it takes you to grow out a single polyp zoa it will not longer be valuable enough to justify the work.

Disagree strongly. If you buy a well healed frag from a reputable source, it won’t die. Only way they die is from a poorly kept tank or a fresh cut frag, followed by poorly executed shipping.
As for not being worth your time.... Super far from the truth as well. It just takes effort.

 

[EMeyer]

Disagree strongly. If you buy a well healed frag from a reputable source, it won’t die. Only way they die is from a poorly kept tank or a fresh cut frag, followed by poorly executed shipping.
As for not being worth your time.... Super far from the truth as well. It just takes effort.

I've gotta agree with this. Most of my collection started as single polyp frags. I'm always a little surprised by the polyp counters. I'd like 3-5 polyps ideally but 1 polyp is fine as long as its a healthy one.

Then again, I consider per-polyp pricing a scam anyway. I guess if people are used to paying per polyp, it'd make sense to count polyps.

I also want to say you'll make a LOT more sales if you focus on zoas that sell for $10-$20 a frag than aiming for the overpriced stuff. There is a large demand for normal zoas at normal prices.

 

[danschoenherr]

I have found in my area, the upper Midwest, that there are often the same zoas/palys available at the frag swaps, local reefers and LFS. If a seller/dealer does have something new, it is usually expensive and 1 or 2 polyps. Keep an eye on pricing too. I remember when people were selling Buttkissers and Speckled Kraks for $100/polyp, yet they were showing frag racks full of plump, multi polyp frags. That was definately an indicator that these were good growers and I needed to wait for the price to come down.......and it did.
I have been buying from sellers/dealers on the coasts who have different polyps that are not seen much here yet. I try not to buy single polyps, as those can take a long time to get to fragging size, and when I do frag, I try to do 2/3 polyp minimums.
I also am staying away from the basic "fast growers" and blah looking ones that just get lost in the mix. People are looking for bright, eye catching zoas and palys. There are many good growers in the low to mid level price range. Search out the known ones that are not too common in your area and have a variety of colors.