Zoanthus sociatus

[Wy Renegade]

Commonly referred to as one of the species most commonly available in the aquarium trade. Z. sociatus is commonly described as forming large colonies of polyps connected at their bases by a very thin coenenchyme. They are so loosely connected that individual polyps or clumps of polyps readily break off of a colony if tugged. The coloration is variable but is generally shades of green or blue-green, often with a yellowish oral cone.

Working on a new write up, but need some pictures of polyps that are confirmed Z. sociatus. I would prefer some that are commonly available and/or named corals if anybody has any. Thanks in advance. Anybody have any to share?

 

[fsu1dolfan]

Never heard of these but i did find something on a search for you. Not sure if it helps or not. Zoanthus sociatus

 

[Wy Renegade]

Thanks man, every little bit of info helps.

 

[drainbamage]

if you can find a polyp or two of the 'knowns' that's a member of this species, I'll see what ones I have that match the description.

 

[tampasnooker]

I've tried and failed with these on several occasions and I will keep trying because they are some of the nicest blues, teals, aquas and greens that you can find. I"ll put up some pics in a few of variations from the Keys. Discussions with Colin @ Morphologic show similar results. My best guess to the challenges with the family is nutrient levels vs correct lighting. Colin says that they come from silty waters so dissolved organics are likely key and dimmer lighting as well.

The successful ones - 3+ years: one colony in a 75 gal that breaks all the rules. It's lit by 4 x T5's (blue, actinic and 2 whites 10-14K?) Flow is incredibly low in that tank - maybe 3-500 gph in a 75. They are growing very thick on the backside of a rock (relative to the flow) from 4-8" from the surface. The customer overfeeds spirulina flakes - which I believe is the key to this tank's success. Rhodactis, Anthellia and FL Rics also thrive in this particular tank. I have a few sociatus in my own 180 but the colony is much smaller than when I got a whole clamshell of them. But - I have half a dozen still surviving, which for me is not too bad for sociatus, especially since my tank's nutrient levels are quite lower. I do not target feed anything, ever. I also don't see much of a feeding response to small solids in these zoas.

The unsuccessful ones - for me they seem to do quite well for 2-3 weeks then stop opening. They often come in with a lot of trash on the colonies - sponges, algaes and other filter feeders that goes with the turbid water they grow in. I make sure to remove as much as possible to reduce fouling around the polyps, since you never know if a sponge will make it... A week or so after they stop opening, I often see algae or fungal growth in between polyps. I have not been successful with baths (FW, Lugols, peroxide, Revive) but that could just be me. Once they stop opening they slowly wither away - but not like species that "melt". I have not had any regular success once a colony starts to close up. I keep them in high flow initially and in the corners in direct light, but not directly overhead. Perhaps they would like it even darker like under the eggcrate.

Let's see what I can dig up and photobucket to show some of the colors and growth. Next time I order Caribbean, I'll keep a log on here. Hopefully we can figure out some of their secrets and share some colors that don't show up in our tanks as often.

 

[tampasnooker]

These are all from a couple collectors in the Keys over the past couple years. To my knowledge, they are all z sociatus. I really miss the giant clam shell...

 

[Wy Renegade]

Thanks Doug, very nice, I'll be in touch about the pictures. A log on your next purchase would be great as well.

 

[Supreme Reefs]

Here are some...

Enigmas

Some teal rim AOI morph

Some old pics...

Most of these type morphs Z. sociatus are the hardest ones to keep, some arent as finicky as others but compared to the other Caribbean morphs they dont do so well in captivity. After being moved or fragged they tend to just melt away... even if you dont frag them they just melt... very fustrating...

I actually still have the teal rim AOIs and enigmas though but i have had many many other morphs that didnt make it, didnt make it before i could even take a pic...

 

[Supreme Reefs]

These were my favorite of them all! The original Ultra Searchlights, i got them to live for about a year and a half and had colored up extremely well but in the beginning i lost all but 3 polyps then during the 1.5 years it finally grew a baby then melted...

 

[Akwarius]

It's a shame that the sociatus morphs are so hard to keep in captivity. Such nice colors and readily available from one of our very own vendors. There is one caribbean morph that seems to fair well, however, (at least for me) the "miami vice" and its variants.