Zoas are for NOOBS!

[chort55]

relatively hardy, good growth rate, generalist as far as light, flow, and water quality

just watch the zoa threads - one person will say " mine do great in high light" and the next will say "mine do great in low light " for the same morph.
some say high flow others low flow
- it all works!!
even the melt threads are varied - some say "this part morph are melters" while others will say "they do great for me"

the issue is simple - given reasonably good husbandry, shipping, and initial collection or fragging and most coral regardless of type will stand a good chance of survival.

If you receive a healthy zoa from a reputable source that was properly collected, handled, shipped, properly acclimated to aquarium life, fragged, shipped again, and received, they will do well.

none of the long time in captivity zoas, or any morphs that are frequently imported are considered to be difficult to keep by anyone.

Which is exactly why IMO they are for noobs/ people that don't want to spend alot of time on their system, or researching what specific types of corals need even..... yes they are colorful and can be nice to look at when grown out but a zoa tank does not require the skill, or care a full blow SPS tank does..... even if you want to compare a high end z/p tank to a high end SPS tank. If you get a healthy piece of most z/ps they will survive under most conditions, maybe not thrive, but they will generally survive, and yes if you take a healthy properly cut sps frag many will survive in most SPS tanks, but they are certainly more prone to unexpected deaths, and deaths caused by param swings then z/ps.

On another board I use, a guy couldn't figure out why his sps always died in QT but his z/ps flourished..... he showed a pic with 2" cyano covering everything, cloudy water, and a single unmodded maxijet providing all the flow, and when several of us said that the water quality had to be horrible among other things (low flow, poor lighting....) which was causing sps (from birdsnest to echinata) to die within 4-7 days he said he thought the pictures made it look worse then it really was and the water wasnt that bad because his z/ps were growing like crazy..... noob!

I have some garbage zoas that I had in an unlit part of my sump for nearly 2 years, pulled the rock out tossed it in my lit fuge and what do you know them dang things are still alive and starting to color back up (to green/brown).... I do not know of a single sps that could take that and come back/stay alive under those conditions! A few months ago I had a skimmer pump basically melt down in my sump, I lost ALL of my SPS (including the easier stuff), but not a single one of my few z/p's, and my shrooms/ric's all split as well enjoying whatever the pump put into the water apparently.

 

[sanchezkk]

Tell you what, this info is great. I really appreciate all the information that is given here because I'm a newbie myself.

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[johnanddawn]

Which is exactly why IMO they are for noobs/ people that don't want to spend alot of time on their system, or researching what specific types of corals need even.....
yes they are colorful and can be nice to look at when grown out but a zoa tank does not require the skill, or care a full blow SPS tank does..... QUOTE]

+1
i agree there is a bit of awe that comes with a full blown healthy sps tank because of the reasons you speak of.....

-1
but i do have to disagree a bit on the part about people who don't want to spend a lot of time on their tank or research or have the skill or care
- this seems like a bit harsh of a statement, but then most sps keepers tend to think they are better reefers (and may well be) then others

i have sps in my tank and have lost many more acros over the years then zoas
- yes zoas are easier - far easier to keep then acros in the long run - but i keep zoas as the predominent coral type in my tank cause I CHOOSE to not because i lack the skills

zoas are good corals for NOOBS, but i still like them

every reefer, new or not, needs to be a conscience reefer and do their best to meet the needs of the organisms that place in their care or find a different hobby

my bottom line advise to someone just starting in reefing would be to learn as much as you can, try easier corals like zoas or shrooms first, gain some experience, experiment till you find what you like, and then do your best to perfect your husbandry techniques to match your taste

 

[Akwarius]

NOOBs should beware of blanket statements about any coral genus care. The fact remains that there are many sub-species within the Zoanthus genus, that originate from vastly different reefs from around the world. For that matter, the family Zoantharia contains half a dozen Family groups, such as Zoanthidae, in which the Genus Zoanthus reside. Its debatable whether the Genus Zoanthus is even fully described. All of these animals, while visually similar, may have vastly differing adaptations. Some are growing in shallow turbid waters while others may be growing deeper amonst coral rubble. In captivity, zoanthids often have the ability to adapt to stable artificial reef parameters, some do not. Thats why I think its important to replicate the growing conditions from one reef to the next when trading or selling amongst hobbyists. That way the initial shock is minimized and the zoa doesnt suffer a casualty from a opportunistic infection.

 

[ritter6788]

Thanks for the lesson.

 

[Akwarius]

Thanks for the lesson.

Sarcasm?

I thought this thread was intended to provoke a discussion about zoanthid care.

 

[ritter6788]

Sarcasm?

I thought this thread was intended to provoke a discussion about zoanthid care.

You tell me?

Thanks for the lesson.

It's a great thread and you have great info. Just messing with you a bit.

 

[Akwarius]

Oh, youre probably right. That post was a bit of a snooze.

Basically I just get a little annoyed when people say that zoas are for new hobbyists. Instead they should say that CERTAIN zoas are good for new hobbyists. I just think its irresponsible, especially when you think about all the nice wild colonies that have been killed over the years. Just think of all the amazing color morphs that may never be seen again. Hard to say since wild collection remains a mystery to most people.

Then again, maybe my judgement is clouded because I have too much palytoxin coursing through my veins.

 

[frugner]

Then again, maybe my judgement is clouded because I have too much palytoxin coursing through my veins.

Classic! haha :xd:

 

[ritter6788]

Instead they should say that CERTAIN zoas are good for new hobbyists.

Agreed.

There is also a Non-photosynthetic zoanthid that no NOOB should attempt.

Red Epizoanthus from Cortez Marine are sure to please the Azoox and NPS reefers

 

[Dragonreef202]

With the prices of corals you're hoping everyone they all do well. I have never really thought about whatmay be hard or not. If I have the $$$ i'll give it a try.

 

[sanchezkk]

Ok. I'm a noobie. I've had my tank a year this month. If I want to see my palys grow, what should I feed them and how often?

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[CrazyZoaGUy]

Ok. I'm a noobie. I've had my tank a year this month. If I want to see my palys grow, what should I feed them and how often?

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My opinion is you don't need to feed them.... i never never have fed mine and they grow just do weekly water changes and they do fine for me

 

[sanchezkk]

Well I attempted feeding them mysis shrimp while I was feeding the tank the other day with a turkey baster and they seemed to love it.

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