Zoas - How long until your new ones open?

katsreef · Nov 3, 2022

How long does it normally take you for newly added zoas to open and be happy? I added a few types of zoas very late on Tuesday night and as of now (Thursday morning), I've only seen one of the four types fully open. Two have opened partially but not fully extended, and the last one has opened a super tiny amount to where I can see colour but nothing else. I'm assuming I just need to wait a little longer as one has already opened but I am curious to see how long it takes other people.

SpyC · Nov 3, 2022

Really depends on the variation. I have had some open immediately and others not until I moved them to a more ‘desired’ location in the tank.

vetteguy53081 · Nov 3, 2022

katsreef said:
How long does it normally take you for newly added zoas to open and be happy? I added a few types of zoas very late on Tuesday night and as of now (Thursday morning), I've only seen one of the four types fully open. Two have opened partially but not fully extended, and the last one has opened a super tiny amount to where I can see colour but nothing else. I'm assuming I just need to wait a little longer as one has already opened but I am curious to see how long it takes other people.

Like GSP coral, when acclimated correctly and offered the proper lighting (start low - more blue) and water flow, will open in 6-48 hours. Assure not on sand but lower third of tank is best

katsreef · Nov 3, 2022

SpyC said:
Really depends on the variation. I have had some open immediately and others not until I moved them to a more ‘desired’ location in the tank.

All are on the same rock so maybe I just need to give it more time. I’ll keep this in mind specifically for the one that hasn’t opened much yet!

katsreef · Nov 3, 2022

vetteguy53081 said:
Like GSP coral, when acclimated correctly and offered the proper lighting (start low - more blue) and water flow, will open in 6-48 hours. Assure not on sand but lower third of tank is best

Have not hit the 48 hour mark yet so there is still some time. Yes I have a small rock island that they are all on together!

josh1591 · Nov 3, 2022

It depends on the zoa. I have ones that will open within a couple hours when adding to my tank. Others have taken a few days to open. I would agree with you that it's a good sign a few of them have opened. Some just take a few days to adjust so I wouldn't worry too much. I've heard people report that it takes a few weeks for some to completely get comfortable in the tank. If they haven't opened after a couple weeks then I would start to be worried that something with your parameters or lighting might be off.

thatmanMIKEson · Nov 3, 2022

katsreef said:
How long does it normally take you for newly added zoas to open and be happy? I added a few types of zoas very late on Tuesday night and as of now (Thursday morning), I've only seen one of the four types fully open. Two have opened partially but not fully extended, and the last one has opened a super tiny amount to where I can see colour but nothing else. I'm assuming I just need to wait a little longer as one has already opened but I am curious to see how long it takes other people.

20 min or less in most cases, but there could be a reason for them not opening. Do you have any pictures? These are all I have currently, I've had them in other systems plenty of times.

beehive124 · Nov 3, 2022

I've had plenty of zoas that take days, even up to 2 weeks to fully open. Don't worry about them not opening right away. They'll get more comfy

I'd only start to worry if the zoas start to "melt" away.

katsreef · Nov 3, 2022

thatmanMIKEson said:
20 min or less in most cases, but there could be a reason for them not opening. Do you have any pictures? These are all I have currently, I've had them in other systems plenty of times.

These are them currently. Sorry for blue pic, my filter lens comes in in a few days haha. I also changed my lighting preset last night so I may have redisturbed them

katsreef · Nov 3, 2022

josh1591 said:
It depends on the zoa. I have ones that will open within a couple hours when adding to my tank. Others have taken a few days to open. I would agree with you that it's a good sign a few of them have opened. Some just take a few days to adjust so I wouldn't worry too much. I've heard people report that it takes a few weeks for some to completely get comfortable in the tank. If they haven't opened after a couple weeks then I would start to be worried that something with your parameters or lighting might be off.

Thank you! I will keep this in mind and try to calm down lol. The krakatoa opened quick but the others are definitely taking their time.

beehive124 · Nov 3, 2022

katsreef said:
These are them currently. Sorry for blue pic, my filter lens comes in in a few days haha. I also changed my lighting preset last night so I may have redisturbed them

Those look awesome! Give it another day or 2 and those stubborn ones should open right up!

katsreef · Nov 3, 2022

beehive124 said:
I've had plenty of zoas that take days, even up to 2 weeks to fully open. Don't worry about them not opening right away. They'll get more comfy

I'd only start to worry if the zoas start to "melt" away.

None of them seem to be melting which is good. Thanks for the reassurance, I think I worry too much lol

katsreef · Nov 3, 2022

beehive124 said:
Those look awesome! Give it another day or 2 and those stubborn ones should open right up!

Thank you! That makes me feel much better

patience is key in this hobby lol

WirelessMike · Nov 3, 2022

katsreef said:
These are them currently. Sorry for blue pic, my filter lens comes in in a few days haha. I also changed my lighting preset last night so I may have redisturbed them

Looks like they are settling in to me, but I always take the advice of reefers like @vetteguy53081. In my experience the brighter color ones tend to be more temperamental when put in a new tank.