Lets talk Tips for Beginning Zoanthid Keepers

[larangcon]

Keep them clean. Buildup of unwanted detritus and waste between polyps can lead to bacterial and fungal infections. Proper random water movement is essential, and frequent "basting" can go along way to insuring the health of a colony.

I have a painter soft brush, I use to clean the colonies. When I see a few not opening up or no babies are being produced, I clean the colony with a soft bristle brush, in a few days it starts opening again. This will often eliminate the zoa from melting

 

[johnanddawn]

I have many morphs of zoas
Most love my tank and grow like crazy but i must admit some morphs I just haven't had luck with? and I find most advice anecdotal at best

So what I always tell people is treat zoas like any other coral/living thing - maintain good water quality, lighting and flow, have patience and don't fall for snake oils and miracle supliment advice.

So my advice is simple:
Good husbandry practices over a long period of time is the secret to successful zoa care. Stick to the basics, growth and color will follow.

 

[grwilson]

Don't be afraid to feed your fish, they will feed your polyps in return. My Zoas and Palys do better with some nitrates and phosphates in the tank.

 

[Dylan J.]

They love a dirty tank. Doesnt need to be super clean like sps have to have it

 

[glb]

If they're not thriving, a good dip can really help. I took out all of the live rock in my nano, zoas attached, and dipped them in Coral Rx. After months of receding, they're coming back. Always check for critters, built up detritus at their base and any sign of disease. If treated quickly, you can probably save the majority of your colony.

 

[reefpeeper]

I have many morphs of zoas
Most love my tank and grow like crazy but i must admit some morphs I just haven't had luck with? and I find most advice anecdotal at best

So what I always tell people is treat zoas like any other coral/living thing - maintain good water quality, lighting and flow, have patience and don't fall for snake oils and miracle supliment advice.

So my advice is simple:
Good husbandry practices over a long period of time is the secret to successful zoa care. Stick to the basics, growth and color will follow.

I am gonna agree 100%. You need to have nutrients available but not built up. Feed heavy, but also keep up with water changes often. I have been doing this for awhile and have had great results. I water change about 5% every other day.

 

[Janessa]

Is there a general rule of thumb for how corals react to light? I know with plants they become darker green when getting less light because they need more chlorophyll...does this work the same way for coral and their zooxanthellae? Or is this something that varies with each coral frag? Also, how long should you leave a frag before moving it to try a new spot?

 

[Coraloliseffect]

When fraging use a clean sharp razor blade to separate polyps. Use a new blade when switching colonies. Don't want chemical warfair on the blade to transfer between colonies. and hurt the new frag.

 

[Coraloliseffect]

I have a painter soft brush, I use to clean the colonies. When I see a few not opening up or no babies are being produced, I clean the colony with a soft bristle brush, in a few days it starts opening again. This will often eliminate the zoa from melting

Nice. Will have to try.

 

[MrsDragon]

Thanks so much for this information. I am very new to SW tanks, coming from a FW background. I love the movement of the softer corals and I LOVE the colour of zoas. We don't seem to have as much info here in Australia as to the types of zoas as you do in the US. I'm trying to read up as much as I can about them and this article is a great help.

 

[D_Hernandez]

New member 1 day old ...What is the recommended length of blue and white lighting? I also spotted a spaghetti worm in between of six or seven polys is that a good or bad thing if bad what is a good way to getting rid of the spaghetti worm?

 

[jackl]

What is a good dip that everyone mentioned.

 

[ScottyMcReefer]

T5 and MH are the best for grow, LED for show. Some will disagree, but no LED compares to T5 or a MH IMO when discussing growth.

 

[Oscaror]

here's my dead thread about the care of individual polyps
It's actually the post that got me my excellence badge
https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/please-pitch-in-individual-morph-zoa-care-guide.200038/
I'm really proud of this thread, and the progress it made, and I hope maybe some of you could help make it not-so-dead again?

 

[doc_b]

I've had zoos for a few years now and done great with them. I just received some rosta zoos about 4 months ago. They look great, but I haven't seen them multiply. I got some Green Bay packers at the same time and they have already taken over the rock I put them on. Anyone with experience with Rastas?

 

[aros]

I started with a Rasta frag with about 5 and left it on a rock for about a year. It was off to an incredibly slow start but now that it's established it's been looking great and spread to about 50-60 polps